A 1908 sqkm area of the floodplain, defined as the maximum area of contemporary flooding, has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it has supported up to 650,000 waterbirds during times of major flooding, and regularly supports over 1% of the world populations of black swans, freckled ducks, pink-eared ducks, grey teals, Australasian shovelers, straw-necked ibises, yellow-billed spoonbills and white-headed stilts.