The Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Wetlands achieved Ramsar status in 1982, and includes Lake Connewarre, Swan Bay, Mud Island, Point Wilson, Limeburners Bay, Avalon Foreshore, the Western Treatment Plant and Cheetham/Point Cook. The area provides critical habitat for thousands of migratory birds. These important Ramsar wetlands are home to 12 threatened fauna species, over 50 species of fish and the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot.

The Orange-bellied Parrot is a beautiful and remarkable bird; sadly, the population of wild Orange-bellied Parrots is extremely low. Orange-bellied Parrot populations have declined because of habitat loss and deterioration, predation from foxes and cats, disease, and issues with small population size effects and genetic impacts.

Orange-bellied Parrots are a small bird, growing no larger than 20 cm, and are native to southern Australia. Unusually for a parrot, they migrate between distinct breeding and wintering grounds, breeding on the south west coast of Tasmania and migrating to coastal mainland Australia across the hazardous Bass Strait to feed on the saltmarshes in southern Victorian and South Australia.

The Corangamite CMA, in partnership with Birdlife Australia, Zoos Victoria, Moonlight Sanctuary and Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, is delivering the Orange-bellied Parrot Protection program to protect the parrot and help identify opportunities to expand the wild population in the Corangamite region.

In 2022, 20 Orange-bellied Parrots were released into the wild at Lake Connewarre. It is hoped that establishing larger flocks of released birds will attract wild Orange-bellied Parrots and help to make their winter stay less hazardous.

Seven migrating wild Orange-bellied Parrots were seen at Lake Connewarre over last winter. Most of these spent time associating with the released birds.

The Orange-bellied Parrot population has undergone record growth over the last couple of years; an incredible 74 Orange-bellied Parrots returned to the Tasmanian breeding site at Melaleuca in December 2022. Over half the flock were born in the wild; many of the birds were juveniles who had completed their first round-trip crossing of Bass Strait. The number of Orange-bellied Parrots that returned to their breeding grounds in 2022 was the highest recorded in over 15 years, well up on the 17 Orange Bellied Parrots recorded in 2017.

With continued intervention, there is hope that we may succeed in recovering the wild population and this unique little parrot could be a more common sight again in years to come.

This project is supported by the Corangamite CMA through funding from the Australian Government's National Landcare Program.

The Orange-bellied Parrot is one of 19 species targeted under the Victorian Government’s Icon Species Funding Program that focuses on protecting and managing a range of native plants and animals, threatened species and habitats through collaborative planning, increased engagement and alignment of natural resources, scientific, educational and community sectors.