A groundbreaking discovery has been made by a wildlife researcher in central Australia, as a Siberian peregrine falcon was spotted for the first time in this region. This subspecies has never been recorded here before, making it an exciting and important find for the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC).
The appearance of this rare bird may be linked to an unusual rainfall event that occurred in 2024, creating temporary wetlands that attracted both prey and predators to the area, according to a statement released by the AWC.
This sighting is particularly noteworthy as the arid region of central Australia is a far cry from the Arctic tundra of Eurasia,where the Siberian subspecies typically breeds.
However, in 2024, Australia experienced an unusually high amount of rainfall. According to the government’s Bureau of Meteorology Annual Climate Statement 2024, it was the eighth-wettest year as national records began in 1900, with a national average of 596 millimeters (23 inches) – 28% above the average from 1961-1990. The Northern Territory, where Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary is located, also saw its fourth-wettest year on record.
The sanctuary itself received a significant amount of rain in March alone (316 mm or 12 inches) and a total of 637 mm (25 inches) for the year. This created temporary water sources that attracted large numbers of prey species and predators alike, resulting in high raptor diversity and ultimately leading to this historic falcon sighting. These findings were published by Henderson in Pacific Conservation Biology.
Wow, what a rare sighting!