Elected representatives in government are in charge of the policy and funding that can make or break saving threatened species. Their decisions and actions matter.
Bass has or used to have 24 threatened animals within its boundaries. One of them is me, the Australasian Bittern.
We took care to attach appropriate images that are as close to representative of each species as our resources and the availability of images allowed. However, we could not ensure perfect accuracy in every case. Some images show species that share the same genus but not at the species or subspecies level.
Australasian Bittern
Botaurus poiciloptilus
Status: Endangered
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) lists threatened species under six categories:
Extinct, Extinct in the wild, Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, Conservation dependent. Read more about these categories
Botaurus poiciloptilus is found across 145 electorates.
The Australasian bittern is a secretive, stocky, heron-like bird, living in wetlands where it forages. Bitterns are very well camouflaged and can be difficult to spot in the reeds and rushes. On occasion they will even sway in time with reeds to blend into their surroundings. The distinctive booming call of males gives them away.¹
Explore more about this species on the Atlas of Living Australia
Adverse fire regimes
Changed surface and groundwater regimes
Climate change and severe weather
Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation
Invasive species and diseases
Explore more about the threats facing species on our Resources page.
- Native Wintercress (Barbarea australis)
- Mt Arthur Boronia (Boronia hemichiton)
- Tailed Spider-orchid (Caladenia caudata)
- Lindley's Spider-orchid (Caladenia lindleyana)
- Robust Fingers (Caladenia tonellii)
- Pygmy Cypress-pine (Callitris oblonga)
- South Esk Pine (Callitris oblonga subsp. oblonga)
- Curtis' Colobanth (Colobanthus curtisiae)
- Variable Smoke-bush (Conospermum hookeri)
- Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena)
- South Esk Heath (Epacris exserta)
- Mt Cameron Heath (Epacris graniticola)
- Pretty Heath (Epacris virgata)
- Clover Glycine (Glycine latrobeana)
- Basalt Pepper-cress (Lepidium hyssopifolium)
- Moleskin Dogwood (Pomaderris pilifera subsp. talpicutica)
- Tapered Leek-orchid (Prasophyllum apoxychilum)
- Robust Leek-orchid (Prasophyllum robustum)
- Northern Leek-orchid (Prasophyllum secutum)
- Ben Lomond Leek-orchid (Prasophyllum stellatum)
- Midland Greenhood (Pterostylis commutata)
- Leafy Greenhood (Pterostylis cucullata)
- Grassland Greenhood (Pterostylis ziegeleri)
- Swamp Fireweed (Senecio psilocarpus)
- Creeping Dusty Miller (Spyridium obcordatum)
- Shy Pinkbells (Tetratheca gunnii)
- Sky-blue Sun-orchid (Thelymitra jonesii)
- Sand Grasstree (Xanthorrhoea arenaria)
- Shiny Grasstree (Xanthorrhoea bracteata)
- Swamp Everlasting (Xerochrysum palustre)
You are in federal electorate Bass.