Tasmanians are being urged to help track one of the state’s rarest birds, with researchers estimating only 50 to 100 Australasian bitterns remain in the wild.
The endangered species, nicknamed the ‘bunyip bird’ for its eerie booming call, was once widespread across Tasmania but has become increasingly scarce.
Parks and Wildlife Service rangers at Lake St Clair have partnered with citizen scientists to monitor the elusive birds using acoustic recorders in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair and Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Parks.
The project is also tracking Tasmanian bats.
Lake St Clair ranger Kym Blechynden said the initiative offered a unique opportunity for locals to contribute to conservation efforts.
She said it is a fantastic way for community members and parks teams to learn about the land they work on, track threatened species and better understand their needs.
Visitors to Lake St Clair may have already heard the bittern’s distinctive call echoing from the wetlands.
The deep, resonant boom has long fuelled tales of the bunyip, a mythical creature said to inhabit swamps and waterholes.
Sound monitors are available to borrow from the Lake St Clair Visitor Centre and participating libraries.
The devices take 10 minutes to set up and record for eight days before being returned.
The project runs until the end of March.
