5th australasian ornithological conference 2009 armidale,...

5th Australasian Ornithological Conference 200916


Armidale, NSW

Birds and People Symposium

Plenary Talk

The Value of Volunteers: the experience of the British Trust for OrnithologyJeremy J. D. Greenwood, Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, TheObservatory, Buchanan Gardens, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 9LZ, Scotland,[email protected]

The BTO is an independent voluntary body that conducts research in field ornithology, using apartnership between amateurs and professionals, the former making up the overwhelming majorityof its c13,500 members.

The Trust undertakes the majority of the bird census work in Britain and it runs the nationalbanding and the nest records schemes. The resultant data are used in a program of monitoringBritain's birds and for demographic analyses. It runs special programs on the birds of wetlands andof gardens and has undertaken a series of distribution atlases and many projects on particular topics.While independent of conservation bodies, both voluntary and statutory, much of its work involvesthe provision of scientific evidence and advice on priority issues in bird conservation. Particularrecent foci have been climate change, farmland birds (most of which have declined) and woodlandbirds (many declining); work on species that winter in Africa (many also declining) is now underway.

In my talk I shall describe not only the science undertaken by the Trust but also how the fruitfulcollaboration of amateurs and professionals works, based on their complementary roles in a truepartnership, with the members being the "owners" of the Trust and the staff being responsible formanaging the work.

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5th Australasian Ornithological Conference 2009 17

Shorebirds 2020: Improving shorebird population monitoring in Australia and growingindications of shorebird population declines.Rob Clemens, Jo Oldland, and Angie Haslem, Birds Australia, Suite 2-05, Green Building, 60Leicester St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053, [email protected]

Shorebirds 2020 started in 2007 to reinvigorate the volunteer-led national Population MonitoringProgram started by the Australasian Wader Studies Group in 1981. The program is designed tocollect robust data on shorebird population trends and variables related to changes in shorebirdabundance, to inform shorebird conservation and management.

A power analysis conducted in 2008 to determine the sampling requirements to detect Australianshorebird population trends investigated the relative effect of shorebird abundance (at sites), inter-annual count variation within sites, and the number of shorebird areas surveyed. This analysisrevealed that the number of shorebird areas surveyed determined the power to detect nationalpopulation trends. A trend of either a 50% change over 5 years, or 30% change over 10 years couldbe identified if a species was present in at least 35 independent sites, monitored annually. 150 siteswere initially selected in order to monitor the trends of 38 species. Recent analysis based on2008/09 summer data suggests that monitoring at 113 areas may yield sufficient statistical power(80%) to detect “national” trends of 25-52% change in five years for 19 species and 50-80% changefor seven species in ten years.

Program success will require more trained volunteers, and increasingly standardised counts; a rangeof resources have been developed to assist.

A recent review suggested that 21 species are decreasing, 4 increasing, and 10 showing bothincreases and decreases at different sites. In particular, inland wetlands throughout southernAustralia have seen some alarming declines in recent years (up to 80%).


Addressing the recreational fishing impacts upon Aquatic Birds- a proactive host communityresponseWendy Gillespie, Waterbird Rescue Queensland, Sunshine Coast, Queensland,[email protected], [email protected]

An estimated 20-30% of Australians enjoy recreational fishing, with 80% of the catch attributed tothe coastal environment (FRDC, 2009) Skilleter 2002 expressed that “while the rates of interactionwith seabirds in Australia are considered low the high participation rates in recreational fishingappear to warrant quantifying these interactions and their impacts upon populations.” Seabirdsaccount for about 5% of the aquatic birds treated by Waterbird Rescue Queensland with themajority being waterbirds. Terrestrial species are also impacted through entanglement and liningnests (WRQ, unpubl. data)

In 1998 the systematic collection of impact data was commenced for the peak tourist destination ofNoosa Queensland. An injury prevention campaign was an integral aspect of the operation. Eightypercent of all injuries were attributed to fishing interaction, increasing to 95% for pelicans. Over90% of pelicans were successfully treated in the wild, with a mortality rate of 2%. A mortality rategreater than 50% would have been anticipated without treatment. There was no significant ageinjury correlation though more juveniles required treatment during 1999 due to breeding. White-faced heron injuries and mortality was of greater concern with lower limb entanglement and legimpact injuries. There was a significant increase in the number of severe cases in 2002 with a>250% increase in the number of herons needing treatment and 72% categorised as severe cases. Asthe majority of birds treated are not listed as threatened there is negligible regulatory, financial oradvocacy support. Greater advocacy is needed in Australia.


Bird Hunting in Ujung Karawang Natural Preserve, Bekasi, West JavaSurya Purnama, Biology Department, Science and Mathematics Faculty, State University ofYogyakarta, Jl. Colombo No. 1, Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and Kutilang IndonesiaFoundation for Bird Conservation, Jl. Tegal Melati No. 64 A, Jongkang, Sleman, Yogyakarta,Indonesia. [email protected]

Bird hunting is one potential cause of the decline of bird populations in Indonesia. However,besides providing a source of income for some people, it has also of cultural importance for a longtime. The numbers of water birds being caught have been staggering. In 1979, an estimated onemillion birds were caught in the Indramayu area of Java alone, but this had declined to about300.000 in 1984-5, 200,000 in 1987, and 150,000 in 1992. Bird hunting is also a major activity inUjung Karawang Natural Preserve, Bekasi, West Java, though there has been no surveys of itsimpact and social and economic significance.

Social analysis involves spending time with both the hunter and middle man/woman. Weinterviewed hunters in the Preserve from January 2007 to February 2009 to record their huntingmethods. Our study showed approximately 612,000 birds were collected from 63 species. Many ofthe collected birds were migratory (28 species), with 22 resident species. Thirteen species areprotected by law in Indonesian, and four species are included in the IUCN red list data book as NearThreatened. Bird hunting in this area is dominated by economical need, with both the hunter andmiddle man being poor people living in outlying areas. Birds are mostly captured and consumed bypeople in and around the Natural Preserve.


People, Birds and Culture: developments in the recognition and incorporation of Aboriginalbird knowledge in conservation & land managementBob Gosford, Yuendumu, via Alice Springs, Northern Territory, [email protected]

Aboriginal knowledge of birds, their ecology, behaviour and habitats has historically been poorlyrecognised or accepted in Australia, particularly in relation to species conservation and landmanagement. In recent years Aboriginal people and groups have become increasingly involved andengaged in conservation and land management, particularly on the vast tracts of land in aridAustralia that they own and manage.

I report on three recent developments in the recognition and application of Aboriginal birdknowledge that indicate a tentative paradigm shift in the attitudes of both western and Aboriginalconservation and land managers, and tourism operators, particularly in relation to the recording,inter-generational and inter-cultural transmission and application of Aboriginal knowledge.

Firstly, I will examine the role of bird knowledge as a means of effecting inter-generationaltransmission of cultural knowledge in landscape-scale management projects. Next I will examinethe process, methodology, expected outcomes and value of a book project on Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander bird knowledge to be published in 2010 and finally I will briefly consider thepotential for increased involvement of Aboriginal people in birding tourism.

For the substantial potential benefits that could flow from an enhanced recognition of the value ofapplied Aboriginal bird knowledge to be realised there is a need for greater and closely focussedefforts to be made about how we identify, collect and apply that knowledge. I will discuss someelements of the challenges before us.


Engaging the School Community in Sustainability Concepts through Bird Monitoring:Findings from the Birds as Indicators ProjectAimee Freimanis, Richard Major, and Holly Parsons, Birds Australia Discovery Centre, SydneyOlympic Park, NSW 2127, [email protected]

Birds provide an excellent medium for engaging the school community. The species composition,behaviour and movements of birds provide an experiential learning vehicle for exploring andunderstanding biodiversity, the school landscape and the student’s context within it.

Nine schools conducted 66 surveys and recorded 29 bird species in their school grounds betweenApril and November 2008 as part of the Birds as Indicators project. Each school’s data was dividedinto two graphs of “urban lovers” and “urban haters” to articulate our key conservation message: toaddress small bird decline in urban areas. In addition each school was allocated an icon bird(indicator) to monitor more closely over time as part of the School Environmental ManagementPlan.

As a result of interpreting their observations the students: installed nest boxes and bird baths;implemented no mow zones to encourage native grasses; planted 3000 native plants; and reformedthe schools’ waste management practices.

This project provides a model to bridge the gap between citizen science and education forsustainability concepts. Through partnerships and networking with key agencies (AustralianMuseum, NSW Dept. Education & Training, local government, Cumberland Bird Observers Club),we increased our groups skills to undertake actions to solve local natural resource managementproblems. We helped to facilitate participation in broader catchment and regional natural resourcemanagement processes; provided teachers with skills to integrate environmental education into thecurriculum; and built capacity of the students to make changes to the school grounds to improvehabitat for urban birds.


The Birds in Backyards Program: using science to engage the publicHolly Parsons, Birds in Backyards Program, Birds Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney OlympicPark, NSW 2127, [email protected]

Since 2005 the Birds in Backyards Program has been collecting bird surveys from citizen scientiststhroughout Australia via its website. The surveys are not only a tool to encourage ‘place-based’learning amongst our members, but also tell us a lot about the habitat requirements and behaviour ofbirds in urban landscapes. A total of 9250 backyard bird surveys have been completed and 354species observed (as of August 2009). The Australian Magpie, Rainbow Lorikeet and Noisy Minerwere the most common birds observed overall but unsurprisingly the most common birds observeddiffer state-by-state. Small native bird species, for example, were more frequently observed inQueensland surveys than in other states. Information about garden type and structure provided byparticipants has also allowed us to determine habitat preferences for some species.

A supplement to the backyard bird survey entitled ‘backyard biffo’ was created in September 2008and allows participants to record aggressive encounters observed during surveying. The NoisyMiner was shown to have the most frequent aggressive encounters (18% of observations) with otherbirds, followed by the Australian Magpie (13.4%). In the majority of instances (55.9% ofobservations), the aggressor won the encounter with a retreat the most common response shown bythe victim (61.1% of observations). Aggressive encounters over food resources were the mostcommon identifiable disputes observed (27% of observations).


EagleCam: Volunteer and Visitor Voyeurism at the Birds Australia Discovery CentreJudy Harrington, Jon Irvine, Aimee Freimanis, Birds Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney OlympicPark, NSW 2127, [email protected]

EagleCam is a live to air camera designed to record and monitor behaviour of nesting White-belliedSea Eagles (Haliaeetus leucogaster) at Sydney Olympic Park. The camera is on display inside theBirds Australia Discovery Centre so visitors and volunteer staff can view the birds and record theirobservations of behaviour for later analysis.

Live and recorded footage of behaviour observed includes nest building, bonding, breeding,feeding, incubation and fledging of chicks. New information about the behaviour of the current pairof Eagles involved observations of both birds returning to the nest with a live Grey-headed FlyingFox (Pteropus poliocephalus), which they killed and ate over a period of several hours.

Apart from the opportunity to minimise disturbance of breeding birds through conductingobservations with a static camera, having visual access inside a nest of such a large and charismaticbird has thrilled visitors and volunteers alike. The vast majority of visitors surveyed (98%) said“they found their visit very interesting and had learnt something new”.


Volunteer contributions to quantifying bird population viability, ecosystem and communityhealth through monitoring on Bush Heritage ReservesSandy Gilmore, Bush Heritage Australia, 240 Mafeking Road, Federal, NSW 2480,[email protected]

Results derived from volunteers and staff conducting “bird-minutes” counts across varied reservesin southern Australia, exhibit a linear proportionality between local distribution and populationdensity, as they fluctuate over space and time. Consequently proportional incidence of a specieswithin a single vegetation type or year, is a reliable indicator of the relative importance of eachvegetation type as habitat for each species population. Mean populations over 3 or 4 years arepresented as estimates of potential carrying capacity over the longer term.

Removing livestock from chenopod shrublands and herbaceous dominated vegetation lead tosubstantial increases (up to 300% over 3 years) in many carnivores granivores nectarivores andinsectivores, despite below average rainfalls.

In sclerophyllous shrublands during non-drought years, an inverse relationship between log densityand log body weight with a mean slope of -1 was found in insectivore/nectarivore/omnivorecommunities. These relationships are consistent with equality of biomass per unit area acrossspecies despite a wide range in richness and composition and reflect a high degree of integrationbetween species and the environment.

With the exception of the aerial feeding guild, many of the smaller species decline in dry andincrease in wet years presumably reflecting food availability, with consequent disruption tocommunity integrity. During droughts there is some degree of compensation within guilds, asmobile species with ranges encompassing drier climates temporarily increase. In the sclerophyllshrublands granivores exhibit lagged temporal responses to rainfall deficit presumably reflecting thefact they are living off stored seed.


The role Aboriginal land plays in woodland bird conservation on the New EnglandTablelands.Andrew McIntyre, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, Locked Bag 914 CoffsHarbour, NSW 2450, [email protected]

Surveys of Aboriginal land west of Glen Innes have determined the presence of a range ofwoodland birds including nine threatened species and five species of conservation concern. Thediversity and integrity of the woodland habitats and their landscape context probably explains therichness and composition of the bird community. Seasonal and inter-annual variation was detectedin species presence and abundance. Better conditions in late summer 2009 explain the presence ofHooded Robins, Painted Button-quail, and substantial increase in the numbers of Diamond Firetailand Turquoise Parrot from the previous winter. Based on this work and property managementplanning the Glen Innes Aboriginal Land Council has been successful in gaining AustralianGovernment funding to manage the property as an Indigenous Protected Area. The study shows thevalue of large intact areas of woodland communities for the conservation of a range of woodlandbirds and the potential contribution that Indigenous-owned lands may play.


Conservation and Management

Impacts of fire and Phytopthora cinnamomi dieback on the avifauna of a global biodiversityhotspot.Robert Davis 1,2, Wesley Bancroft 3, Leonie Valentine 4 and Barbara Wilson 4

1 School of Natural Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027,2 School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, WA, Australia 3 EnvironmentalConsultant, Kalamunda, WA, Australia 4 Gnangara Sustainability Strategy, Department ofEnvironment and Conservation, Wanneroo, WA, Australia, [email protected]

The vegetation of the south-western Australian global biodiversity hotspot is dominated byproteaceous woodlands and heathlands which in turn hosts an avifauna dominated by nectarivoresand insectivores. Fire is a common influence on these ecosystems and impacts birds throughchanges to resources, particularly nectar, as well as changed structural characteristics. In addition tofire, these woodlands are susceptible to the soil-borne dieback disease Phytopthora cinnamomi thathas a high incidence in some areas, causing dramatic and permanent changes to vegetation structureand composition. Our study investigated the impacts of both fire and dieback on the avifaunalcommunities of Banksia woodlands in the vicinity of Perth, Western Australia. For fire studies, birdsurveys were undertaken twice per month from March 2008 - 2009, at a total of 20 two hectareplots of differing fuel ages (1-26 years). Surveys were 20 minutes in duration and the number ofbirds and their use of vegetation structure were recorded. Nectar availability was assessed duringeach survey. For dieback studies, we examined seven one hectare plots that had been impacted bydieback while a further seven one hectare plots served as controls. The impacts of fire on birds arediscussed in relation to fire frequency and time since last burn, with a focus on the potential impactsof climate change. The impact of dieback on the avifaunal community is immense, and results arepresented showing a drastic change in species composition and bird density arising from wholesalechanges to vegetation structure and plant species composition.


Do fire and rainfall drive changes in the abundance of Sydney’s urban parrot populations?Adrian Davis, Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006,[email protected]

The last 40 years has seen an increase in the abundance of several species of native Australianparrot throughout Australia’s major urban centres. While some of these species are endemic to thearea, other species are far outside their traditional home range. Aviary escapees no doubt contributetowards a certain percentage of these urban populations, but to what extent do vagrant flocks andrefugees from harsher environmental conditions outside the urban area contribute to theseincreasing parrot populations? Studies reporting large decreases in bird abundance followingwildfires, coupled with anecdotal reports of increased numbers of bird sightings in suburbangardens, suggest that wildfire may contribute to increases in urban avian abundance. Rainfall-related migrations have also been reported in cockatoos and budgerigars. This study analysedchanges in the abundance of 15 species of Australian parrot between 1999 and 2003 using datafrom the new Birds Australia Atlas, regressing each species against rainfall data from across NewSouth Wales and fire history data from wildfires that occurred around the Sydney region. Theabundance of the Australian King Parrot, Crimson Rosella, Glossy Black-cockatoo, RainbowLorikeet and Scaly-breasted Lorikeet all significantly increased in the urban area following largewildfire events. A significant increase in the abundance of the Eastern Rosella was observed aslevels of Sydney rainfall increased.


Managing the Ground Parrot in its fiery habitat in south-eastern AustraliaJack Baker, Robert J Whelan, Lyn Evans, Stephen Moore and Melinda NortonInstitute for Conservation Biology and Law, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522,[email protected]

The Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) is a rare endemic of near-coastal heathlands in southernAustralia. It is threatened by frequent and/or widespread fire. It has been iconic in the developmentof understanding fire regimes in heathlands and an integral part of conservation management ofthese fire-prone ecosystems. This long-term study documents Ground Parrot densities in areas oflong-unburnt habitat in southern New South Wales (NSW). Densities were estimated from areasearches and aural surveys at Barren Grounds Nature Reserve – Budderoo National Park (1983-2009) and aural surveys at Beecroft Weapons Range and Nadgee Nature Reserve (1995-2008).Densities of 1-2 birds per 10 ha were recorded in the oldest fire-age (<20 years) habitat at eachlocation. We propose that for now, manipulating habitat with planned fires is not essential for thepersistence of Ground Parrot populations. Instead, area-specific adaptive management plans areneeded for heathland areas, which specify how they will achieve persistence of the importantelements of the biodiversity to be conserved. Because of the rarity and threatened status of theGround Parrot, a minimum level of monitoring of populations is needed for decades to come andthe NSW population needs to be adequately documented. Seeding phenology in long-unburntheathland is uncertain and warrants investigation in relation to its suitability as Ground Parrothabitat. To avoid extirpation of local populations of the Ground Parrot, management should plannot to allow heathland to burn for at least 7 years post-fire and plan for fire refuges intended to beprotected against unplanned fires.


Volunteers are a key component in research and management of the critically endangeredWestern Ground ParrotAllan Burbidge, Abby Berryman, Sarah Comer, Anne Bondin, Brenda Newbey and John Blyth,WA Dept of Environment and Conservation, PO Box 51, Wanneroo WA 6946,[email protected]

The highest priority actions for conservation of the Critically Endangered Western Ground Parrotare predator management, fire management, and the establishment of a captive population.Primarily through the Friends of the Western Ground Parrot and Birds Australia, volunteers play acrucial role in the recovery team, in survey and monitoring, in raising awareness in the community,and in raising much-needed funds.

We present two examples. One is the role of volunteers in developing and refining survey andmonitoring procedures, and involvement in monitoring, which are critical components of theevaluation of current actions to manage predators in vast areas on Western Australia’s south coast.

The second is the captive management program. Volunteers were instrumental in developing theproposal for captive management, and participated actively in creating awareness of the need forthis action and in securing funding. In particular, the Friends group has attracted crucial fundingfrom a source that may not have been available directly to the State agency.

The key to this success has been in communication – in meaningful and trusting engagementbetween scientists, managers and volunteers in the recovery team forum, including on-going debateand review of priorities, the use of an adaptive management framework that allows everyone to seemore easily where they can contribute, and a willingness on the part of all involved to embraceuncertainty at the same time as focussing on ‘the big picture’ of species recovery.


The Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo Recovery Project on the South Coast- three years in.Raana Scott, Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo Recovery Project, Birds Australia, Esperance WA, 6450,[email protected]

Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo is a species of white-tailed black-cockatoo endemic to the south westregion of Western Australia. The last fifty years has seen a dramatic decline in numbers of thespecies across their entire range and they are currently listed as endangered (EPBC Act 1999). Thedecline of the species is inextricably linked with the degradation and fragmentation that theSouthwest Australian Ecoregion has seen over the last century; these long-lived birds have not faredwell this fast changing environment.

Since late 2006 the Project has been operating throughout the South Coast region of WA withsupport from WWF-Australia and local Natural Resource Management groups. The project focusedon an area of around 60,000 km2 where little was known regarding the species distribution prior tothis project. To date over 20 nesting sites have been discovered in areas ranging from pristinewoodlands to highly degraded farm paddocks. Significant overwintering flocks have beenidentified. Currently a trial is underway to examine use rates of artificial nesting hollows byCarnaby’s Black-Cockatoos across various sites.

Community engagement has been a crucial link when identifying nesting sites. The highly visibleand charismatic birds are a valuable tool to encourage landowners to value and protect remnantvegetation. Results from the last three years of distribution mapping and landholder works will bepresented along with artificial hollow use results.


Landfills, a ‘critical habitat’ for birds: an Australian and global perspective.Andrew C M Smith and Ursula Munro, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW 2007,[email protected]

Landfills are found in many parts of the world and can attract a wide variety and large number ofbirds. Some species are overabundant and require management, while others are rare. In Australia,little is known about birds that feed at landfills and their effect on local bird communities andabundances. Thus, information of birds that scavenge food from landfills is urgently needed. Herewe present data on bird abundances on five landfills for household waste in the wider Sydneyregion. The most abundant birds were the Australian White Ibis, Threskiornis molucca,(approximately 15-30% of the total population were juveniles) and Australian Pelican, Pelecanusconspicillatus. Other species at low abundances included the Silver Gull, Larus novaehollandiae,and Australian Raven, Corvus coronoides. All major ibis breeding colonies were located near theselandfills. At one site north of Sydney (Brisbane Waters), approximately 77% of the total roostingpopulation of ibis visited two local landfills during the day. Studies on the feeding rates of ibis atSydney’s landfills indicate that they swallow on average 1.8 food items per minute. 50-60% of thetotal population of ibis at landfills were feeding directly on the tip-face (waste depository point).


Does urbanisation encourage Australian white ibis to behave as residents?John M. Martin, Richard E. Major and Kris French, Institute for Conservation Biology, Universityof Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, [email protected]

The ibis population of the Sydney region has increased from 50 birds in 1980 to 8800 in 2008. Thisincrease was accompanied by a marked decline in traditional wetland populations where habitatdegradation, drought and insufficient environmental flows (dams) have negatively affected a suiteof waterbirds. Within the urban environment colonial nesting by ibis within close proximity toresidential areas has resulted with community complaints and calls for population reductions. Ibishave been managed as a nuisance species in urban areas for over twenty years but we still have alimited understanding of their ecology and the consequences of management. Population reductioncommonly involves nest removal or habitat modification (nesting vegetation removal), thoughforaging resources have been given less attention. We investigated seasonal and inter-annualpopulation dynamics, site residency and foraging movements of 600 birds marked with colour-bands, wing-tags or radio-transmitters over three years. We found that the regional population ishighly interconnected with daily foraging movements of over 30km. We observed that landfillsprovide the bulk of the regions foraging resources with on average 44% of the regional populationobserved within a landfill. Over the three year period we observed seasonal immigration of adults tothe region to breed and emigration of adults and juveniles following breeding. This demonstratesthat the regional ‘urban’ population is interconnected with the broader national population, whichindicates that urban breeding may be an important source for the national population where‘natural’ breeding has declined.


Road Ecology: baseline data in two forest types of south-western AustraliaGraham R. Fulton School of Natural Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup WesternAustralia, 6027, [email protected]

Australian roads are generally characterised as narrow strips of remnant native vegetation inagricultural areas. Yet extensive reserves of native forests remain and these habitats have roads thattraverse them. Studies of roads passing through such ecosystems can provide baseline data on howthese roads are used by animals and have implications for conservation and management. Thesestudies (2 x 50 km transects) investigated bird and mammal species on the roads and theirimmediate verges of highways through Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata and Karri Eucalyptusdiversicolor forests of south-western Australia.

In Jarrah forest Australian Raven Corvus coronoides and Grey Currawong Strepera versicolorwere the most frequently detected species (37.6 and 25.5%, respectively). Common BronzewingsPhaps chalcoptera and Australian Ringnecks Barnardius zonarius were the most frequentlydetected granivorous species (12.7 and 12.1%, respectively). The abundances of birds werepositively correlated to road casualties. Australian Raven and Grey Currawong were the mostcommonly detected road casualties, which were dominated by juveniles in the spring and summer.During this study 14% of the roadside was cleared and bird abundance and species richnessdecreased significantly at clearings. Australian Raven and Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax werethe only species detected at carrion. The Grey Currawong did not feed from carrion and itundertook a shift away from the road-habitat during its breeding season. Abundances of thegranivorous species Common Bronzewing and Australian Ringneck were strongly and positivelycorrelated with the dehiscence of native Jarrah seed. In contrast, the transportation of 116,510tonnes of grain (over two years) did not correlate with the abundances of granivorous birds.

In Karri forest 70 species of birds were detected at the road in Karri Forest, of these 2780 birdswere recorded in various actions such as crossing the road in different ways, feeding, displaying orwarming. 347 Australian Ravens demonstrated 73 different actions while contrastingly 87 Red-winged Fairy-Wrens Malurus elegans showed 6 actions. 100 point counts conducted at the road andrepeated 400 m perpendicular into the forest found no difference in either species richness orabundance. Counts were made over 3 and 10 minute intervals: 3 minute intervals detected 56%fewer species and 50% fewer birds. Species occurrence was considered a more reliable detector ofhabitat preference than abundances at point counts. Only the Australian Raven showed a habitatpreference and this was at the road. Cameras setup at bird carrion photographed Australian Raven.Some mammalian species were not random road causalities. Road-killed: Mainland Quokka Setonixbrachyurus, Black-gloved Wallaby Macropus irma and Western Quoll Dasyurus geoffroii weredetected in distinct clusters at the start of two National Parks suggesting road management could beused to mitigate their losses.


Ecology and Management

Satellite and radio transmitters can be successfully borne by black cockatoosDejan Stojanovic1, Anna Le Souef, Allan Burbidge and Kristin Warren, 1.Birds Australia, 60Leicester St. Carlton, Victoria 3053, [email protected]

Effective conservation of threatened black-cockatoo species relies on a sound knowledge of boththeir local movements (at the scale of a few kilometres) and their seasonal movements (at a scale oftens to hundreds of km). However, little is known about the detail of such movements or the fate ofreleased rehabilitated birds and our limited current knowledge is based on a small number ofsightings or recaptures of marked birds and direct observation of moving flocks. Black cockatoospose particular challenges to researchers interested in movements because the strength of their billsimplies that they can easily damage or remove any tracking or marking device.

We trialled seven different transmitter types on Carnaby’s, Baudin’s and Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos to determine which transmitter design and attachment style is most appropriate fortracking of wild birds. Our results after eight months are promising. Four of six radio neck collarsare still intact and out of ten tail-mounted radio-transmitters, the mean time till first transmitterfailure was twenty nine days and one transmitter is still intact after eight months. Of sixteen‘backpack’ style satellite transmitters, the mean time to first failure was thirty nine days afterdeployment and seven are still intact after eight months. Our results are a vital first step inaddressing the gaps in knowledge surrounding the movements of wild black cockatoos andchallenge the widely held belief that currently available tracking tools are not appropriate in fieldapplications for this genus.


Estimating the interchange of Mallards between New Zealand and Lord Howe Island usinggenetics.Patrick-Jean Guay1 and Tracey, J.P. 2 1 School of Engineering and Science, and Institute forSustainability and Innovation, Victoria University, St-Albans campus, PO Box 14428, MelbourneMC, Vic 8001 2. Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, Vertebrate Pest Research Unit,NSW Department of Primary Industry, Orange, NSW, [email protected]

Prior to Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) self colonisation of Lord Howe Island from New Zealand, asmall breeding population of Pacific Black Ducks (Anas superciliosa) existed on the island. Shortlyafter their arrival, Mallards started breeding with indigenous Pacific Black Ducks. Surveysconducted in 2007 demonstrated that pure Pacific Black Ducks do not exist on the island anymoreand that the whole population is composed of Mallards and their hybrids. Eradication of Mallardsto allow self recolonisation of the island by Pacific Black Ducks was trialled and shown to bepossible. We conducted a genetic analysis of Mallards and their hybrids collected on the islandduring the eradication trial to confirm their New Zealand origin. We also quantified the level ofgeneflow between Lord Howe Island and New Zealand to determine the likelihood of Mallardrecolonisation of Lord Howe Island following their successful eradication. We found that Mallardsfrom both Lord Howe Island and New Zealand had very low haplotype diversity and that there wasno significant genetic differentiation between the two populations. This confirms that New Zealandwas the Mallard source population for the colonisation of Lord Howe Island. Furthermore, the lackof genetic differentiation between Lord Howe Island and New Zealand suggests that Mallardsfrequently move between the two populations and that any successful Mallard eradication programon Lord Howe Island may be jeopardised by recolonisation from New Zealand. We also highlightthe risk of Lord Howe Island serving as a stepping stone for the Mallard colonisation of Australia.


Investigating Mesopredator Release in New Zealand ecological reserves with differing types ofpredation controlShane M Baylis, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand,[email protected]

A combination of the mesopredator release and competitor release hypotheses was tested withregards to the cat, rat, mouse, songbird nest system, using artificial cup nests and genuine Turdusnests. Study sites with differing combinations of the aforementioned predators had their relativenest predation levels tested by distributing imitation nests containing both real eggs and plaster-of-Paris imitations through them, and allowing predation of the imitation nests to take place over aneight-day period. Nesting success of Turdus individuals was also followed in similar conditionsover the same breeding season. In addition to this general investigation, imitation nests of twodifferent sizes were used in order to determine, if mesopredator/competitor release occurred,whether the occurrence was dependent upon the prey being of a size suited to the mesopredator.Evidence of mesopredator release was not found, though significant differences were seen betweensites: Sites with rats and cats had a significantly higher rate of predation than sites without these twopredators. In addition, small nests were found to be predated at a higher rate than large nests, andthis effect was found not to have a significant interaction with individual sites. Finally, avian nestpredators, specifically the Indian Mynah and the Pukeko, were found to be important nest predatorsin a variety of ecological settings.


Adaptive divergence and reproductive isolation among parapatric populations of Darwin’ssmall ground finchToby H. Galligan, Stephen Donnellan, & Sonia Kleindorfer, School of Biological Sciences,Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5001, [email protected]

Evidence for adaptive divergence in parapatry has been shown in Darwin’s Small Ground Finch,Geospiza fuliginosa, inhabiting the altitudinal extremes on the island of Santa Cruz in theGalápagos Archipelago. We used molecular genetic data to test predictions of adaptive divergenceand reproductive isolation in relation to ecological and geographical variation. To do this, wegenotyped, at 11 microsatellite loci, 500+ individuals sampled across 21 sites. Our sampling designspanned the entire island and encompassed all its habitat zones. We describe the genetic populationstructure and connectivity in G. fuliginosa within and among contrasting ecological zones, andacross varying geographic distances. We validate the hypothesis of adaptive divergence betweenlowland and highland populations; and reveal a dynamic and complex system influenced markedlyby differing selection intensities under fluctuating climatic conditions.


Evolution, Taxonomy and Phylogeography

The evolutionary relationships within MeliphagoideaJohn Trueman1, Janet Gardner1, Leo Joseph2, Daniel Ebert1, Robert McGrath1,1 Research School ofBiology, Australian National University, 2 Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO,[email protected]

We present a robust evolutionary tree of Meliphagoidea based on the analysis of nine gene regionsfor up to 102 species. Our results confirm previous proposals about evolutionary relationships inMaluridae (grass wrens, fairy wrens, emu wrens), correct a serious error in a 2004 phylogeneticproposal regarding the Meliphagidae (honeyeaters), fix the positions of Pardalotus (pardalotes) andDasyornis (bristlebirds) in relation to other genera and families of Meliphagoidea, and provide thefirst comprehensive molecular phylogenetic tree for the family Acanthizidae (fernwren, warblers,scrubtit, thornbills, weebill, pilotbird, redthroat, scrubwrens, etc.). Among our findings are somevery surprising relationships for the Tasmanian endemic Acanthornis magnus (scrubtit) and aridzone Aphelocephala (whitefaces), yet multiple tests and independent evidence strongly support ourresults. The Meliphagoidea represent a significant Australian songbird radiation and our phylogenyprovides a basis on which to assess or re-assess morphological, behavioural and phylogeographictraits across this superfamily.


The recent evolutionary history of Melithreptus and the phylogenetic placement of the blue-faced honeyeater, Entomyzon cyanotis.Alicia Toon and Leo Joseph, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld 4111,[email protected]

The evolutionary history of Australian birds has gained even more attention recently throughpowerful insights from new molecular and analytical tools. These methods have refinedunderstanding of the evolutionary significance of historical barriers in the north (Carpentarian) andsouth (Nullarbor, Eyrean) of the continent and their roles in shaping past divergence and currentpopulation structure. Here we use multiple molecular markers to reconstruct relationships in agroup of closely related honeyeaters, Melithreptus and Entomyzon, to compare with the currentclassification and then investigate the influence of past events on current distributions. All speciesof Melithreptus, E. cyanotis and outgroups were sequenced for the mitochondrial DNA gene, ND2,which is widely used for its capacity to resolve relationships at this taxonomic level. In addition, wesequenced a subset of the data for six non-coding nuclear loci. We used a Bayesian phylogeneticapproach to reconstruct gene trees (MrBayes) and a species tree (BEST). We then estimatedancestral population sizes and divergence times by fitting an isolation-with-migration model (IMa)to the data. Relationships between Melithreptus and E. cyanotis were concordant among gene trees,supporting the current understanding of these genera as closest relatives. Relationships withinMelithreptus were also examined using ND2, however they were not concordant with nuclearmarkers. These discordances are discussed. Phylogeographic analysis suggests that there wereseveral historical events in the north and south of Australia that shaped the current distributions ofboth genera.


Phylogeography of the Chestnut-shouldered Fairy-wrens (Malurus spp): a multilocusperspective.Alison McLean1, & Leo Joseph2, 1 Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane,QLD 4111, Australia, 2 Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO, Sustainable Ecosystems,GPO Box 284, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia, [email protected]

Australian birds show morphological and genetic variation that is often argued to have beenstructured by Pleistocene cycles of climatic change. The chestnut-shouldered fairy-wrens (Malurusspp) are an ideal group for using multiple loci to test this hypothesis and to understand demographichistory. They are widespread across the continent and phenotypic variation in one species isstrongly structured geographically. They have had a complex nomenclatural history. Currenttaxonomy hinges on plumage variation and allozyme analysis. Here we present phylogeographicanalysis of the group based on mitochondrial and nuclear loci from M. l. lamberti, M. l. assimilis,M. l. rogersi and M. l. dulcis, M. amabilis, M. pulcherrimus and M. elegans. Phylogenetic analysisnests M. amabilis within the M. lamberti group rendering the latter as currently construedparaphyletic. Haplotype networks for ND2 reveal strict geographic structuring of five geneticlineages coinciding broadly but not universally with distributions of the species and nominalsubspecies sampled. Only one of these lineages was supported by the nuclear DNA data set. Thesedata challenge current taxonomy and the taxonomic implications of the data are discussed.


Comparative evolution in woodland and mallee birds of southern Australia.Gaynor Dolman and Leo Joseph, (Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO SustainableEcosystems, Canberra, ACT 2601, [email protected]

Comparative phylogeography is a powerful way of diagnosing the history of biotic stability of ageographic region of interest and its avifauna. We compared phylogeographical patterns andparameters of genetic diversity within and among eleven southern Australian bird species that arebroadly co-distributed either in arid and semi-arid regions or in its more mesic habitats. MtDNA(ND2) divergences from four previously described phylogeographic breaks ranged from substantialto none. Likewise, there were no clear patterns with regard to patterns of genetic diversity andpopulation expansion. Species of more arid zones show variable historical responses depending onhabitat preference and, perhaps, increased adaptability to different habitats, compared with studiesof species from more mesic environments. In some species, however, phylogeographic breaks areconcordantly located, which suggests community composition is not completely ephemeral. Withresults from the Splendid Fairy-wrens and Chestnut Quail-thrush, we show the further insights intoquestions of demographic history that can be gained from multi-locus coalescent analyses.


The Australian butcherbirds: phylogenetic analysis and an examination of the white-throatedbutcherbird complex. Anna Kearns1, Lyn Cook and Leo Joseph. 1. School of Integrative Biology, University ofQueensland, [email protected]

Extreme cyclic aridity during the past 2 million years is hypothesised to have played a critical rolein shaping geographic variation in widely distributed Australian birds. Phenotypically distinctgeographic forms are most often thought to have diverged in isolation after range contractions. Weexamined sequences from mtDNA and nuclear introns, and assessed morphological variation withintwo closely related groups of Australo-Papuan butcherbirds (Passeriformes: Artamidae: Cracticus)with near continent-wide distributions to discriminate among biogeographical hypotheses regardingthe origins of diversity in each group. We highlight a need to reassess the taxonomy andhypothesised evolutionary history of the white-throated butcherbird complex due to widespreadsharing of plumage characters, nDNA haplotypes and mtDNA paraphyly among threecontemporarily allopatric species (C. torquatus, C. argenteus and C. mentalis). Our results add tothe emerging awareness of species-idiosyncratic responses to large-scale environmental processes.


Cryptic diversity in south-eastern Australian woodland birds: examples from CrimsonRosellas of northern New South Wales (and just about everywhere else) and Eastern YellowRobins.Leo Joseph 1, Gaynor Dolman, Stephen Donnellan, Katherine Saint, Matthew Berg, Kate Loynes,Alexandra Pavlova, Scott Keogh, and A.T.D Bennett, 1. Australian National Wildlife Collection,CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra, ACT 2601, [email protected]

The Crimson Rosella Platycercus elegans complex is an enduring taxonomic and evolutionaryenigma. Conversely, Eastern Yellow Robins Eopsaltria australis show a simple pattern of north-south geographical replacement along the eastern seaboard recognized with bright-rumped(northern) and dull-rumped (southern) subspecies. We compare and contrast our findings of studiesof genetic diversity in the robins and rosellas. We assessed relationships among members of eachgroup across their respective ranges using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA (W-chromosome, anonymous markers, microsatellites). Next, we asked whether genetic structuremirrors phenotypic diversity within and between populations of south-eastern Australia: it does andit doesn’t! Finally, finer scale examinations in the rosellas and robins revealed cryptic geneticdiversity, especially in central eastern Australian woodlands. Crimson Rosellas north of the HunterRiver, a recognized but minor biogeographical gap, were genetically distinct and not most closelyrelated to populations south of the Hunter. Similar discordances between genotype and phenotypewere found elsewhere in the range of the rosellas. A strong phylogeographic break in mtDNA andsex-linked W-chromosome data of Eastern Yellow Robins is not concordant with plumage variationand microsatellites. Implications are that sex-related differences in gene flow as well as inland-vs-coastal differences have been important. Both studies emphasized the value of interpreting data atdifferent time-scales and the likely interplay between selection and history in generating patterns ofgenetic diversity.


Systematics and population history of Ground Parrots suggest we are dealing with a criticallyendangered species.Steve Murphy1, Jeremy Austin, Allan Burbidge, Leo Joseph and Abby Berryman, 1. AustralianWildlife Conservancy, PMB 925 Derby WA 6728, [email protected]

The Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) is endemic to fragmented heathlands and button-grassmoors of south-western and south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Three allopatricsubspecies are conventionally recognised on the basis of plumage: (1) P. w. wallicus (south-easternmainland Australia formerly west to Adelaide); (2) P. w. leachii (Tasmania), and (3) P. w.flaviventris (south-western WA). We evaluated this taxonomy in light of genetic variation at thecytochrome b gene for 27 samples from throughout the species’ range. The sequences (520 to 849base pairs) show high mean net genetic divergence (4.6%) between eastern and westernpopulations, and very low, geographically unstructured divergence (0.03%) among all easternAustralian populations. A 79 -bp sequence from an Adelaide specimen collected in 1850 affirmsthis now extinct population’s eastern affinities. There is no evidence that P. w. leachii has had long-standing historical disjunctions from mainland populations. Accordingly, we recommendrecognizing no subspecies in eastern populations. In contrast, divergence between eastern andwestern Ground Parrots is similar to that observed in other well-recognised species pairs, and likelyreflects a major biogeographical disjunction. This is despite similar cryptic plumage that is likely tobe under strong stabilising selection. As such, patterns of genetic diversity and divergence are betterindicators of relationships and history among populations. Accordingly, we recognize WesternGround Parrots as a species, P. flaviventris. This has profound implications for their conservationgiven that only about 110 individuals remain, the majority of which are confined to one populationin Cape Arid National Park.


Phylogenetic reassessment of Gallinula disneyi from Riversleigh and description of a newspeciesTrevor H. Worthy1 and Walter E. Boles, 1. School of Biological, Earth and EnvironmentalSciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia,[email protected]

Gallinula disneyi Boles, 2005 (Aves: Rallidae) was described from a series of fossil bones fromFaunal Zone A and B sites in Oligo-Miocene Carl Creek Limestone in the Riversleigh WorldHeritage Property, Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park, in northwestern Queensland, Australia.A reassessment of the phylogenetic relationships of this taxon based on the original and newmaterial reaffirms the rallid affinities of G. disneyi, but indicate that it is not a member of thecrown-group taxon Gallinula. We describe additional material from Faunal Zone C sites, of MiddleMiocene age, that is referrable to a second species in the same new genus. Both taxa were flightless,and are the only gruiforms in the Riversleigh faunas.


Woodland Birds

PlenaryOf microbes and mechanisms: towards understanding the basis of declining woodland birdsDavid M Watson, Institute for Land, Water and Society, PO Box 789, Charles Sturt University,Albury NSW 2640, [email protected]

Studies of birds in habitat fragments vary in their objectives, scales and methods, but all begin withthe birds themselves. While top-down approaches are useful in quantifying occurrence patterns,they have proven less successful in identifying underlying processes, and the mechanisms drivingdeclining abundances, diminishing ranges and decreasing richnesses remain elusive. All organismsultimately depend on water and nutrients, yet the importance of these bottom-up factors inexplaining occurrence patterns in fragmented landscapes has only recently emerged. In addition todramatic changes in habitat quality and extent, consider how nutrient inputs to woodlands havechanged over the last century. The nitrogen-fixing plants that once provided most of the soil-borneNitrogen have undergone widespread changes in abundance—some were cleared, others activelyfavoured and most preferentially consumed by domestic stock. The soils that have some of thelowest available Phosphorous on earth require large and frequent inputs to grow food and fibre,with surface run-off leading to dramatically elevated levels in adjacent woodlands. The mistletoesand parasitic shrubs that concentrate many nutrients have undergone dramatic changes inabundance, becoming super-abundant in some regions, locally extinct in others. The frequency andintensity of fires have fundamentally changed, increasing or decreasing availability of someelements by orders of magnitude. These changes to nutrient inputs have likely driven majorchanges in below-ground microbial communities, altering their composition and therebyfundamentally modifying the foundation of woodland food-webs. Might this have led to broad-based changes in the litter-dwelling arthropods that depend on this below ground decomposercommunity? I develop the hypothesis that changes in the availability of ground-dwellingarthropods underlie widely reported changes in bird occurrence in remnant woodlands, especiallyground-foraging insectivores. I evaluate this idea with existing data and demonstrate a highcongruence with many findings, both from south-eastern Australia and elsewhere. Finally, Iarticulate a series of testable predictions based on this hypothesis and encourage researchers toincorporate this bottom-up perspective in their work.


Functional connectivity in fragmented woodlands: conclusions from focal species research ondispersal behaviour.Veronica A.J. Doerr, Erik D. Doerr and Micah J. Davies, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, GPOBox 284, Canberra, ACT 2601 ([email protected])

Australia’s woodland species are increasingly forced to survive in fragmented landscapes wheretheir long-term persistence is dependent on dispersal between small patches of habitat. Yet suchdispersal is often severely limited. While corridors have been widely heralded as solutions to thisproblem, their effectiveness will depend on the movement behaviour of native species – somethingthat has rarely been studied directly. Using intensive radio-telemetry, we have previously analysedthe dispersal search behaviour of brown treecreepers (Climacteris picumnus), concluding thatscattered trees may sometimes provide greater functional connectivity than corridors, and that thelength of a corridor and the distances of any gaps within it may be more important determinants ofits effectiveness than corridor width. However, conclusions drawn from data on a single woodlandspecies may not be broadly representative. Here, we analyse radio-telemetry movement data fromfour additional woodland bird species and show that their movement patterns are similar to thoseobserved in brown treecreepers, strengthening our conclusions about the effectiveness of differenttypes of connectivity. We also analyse data on gap-crossing distances obtained during acomprehensive literature review, and show that despite differences in general ecology, many ofAustralia’s native woodland species exhibit similar gap-crossing behaviour. We suggest thatdecision rules used for movement have been shaped over evolutionary time by natural patterns ofvariability in the landscape, and thus that movement behaviour in fragmented landscapes may beless species-specific than previously thought.


Noisy miners: a symptom or the cause?Martine Maron, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, University ofQueensland, Brisbane Qld 4072, [email protected]

Numerous studies throughout eastern Australia have implicated competition from noisy miners inpopulation declines of woodland birds. However, the relationship between noisy miners and habitatdegradation often complicates identification of the relative importance of noisy miners as mediatorsof the effects of habitat degradation and the direct effects of degradation itself. I investigated therelative importance of noisy miners and habitat factors as direct influences on small passerine birds.Through a qualitative and quantitative literature review, I explored a) the magnitude of the impactof noisy miners on small passerine birds in comparison to that attributable to factors such as patcharea and vegetation structural complexity; b) spatial variation in the factors which contribute to highnoisy miner densities; and c) the usefulness of noisy miners as an indicator of woodland birdcommunity composition. The effect of noisy miners tended to be similar to or greater than that ofpatch area and habitat quality. The degree to which noisy miners were influenced by distance topatch edges varied considerably among vegetation types and regions. The change in the birdcommunity with increasing noisy miner densities was substantial and consistent across reviewedstudies. I suggest that competition with noisy miners is one of the most important processesthreatening our woodland birds, and region- and habitat-specific actions directed at reducing habitatsuitability for noisy miners should be a high conservation priority.


Integrating ecology, genetics, immunology and haematology to understand processesunderlying population declines of woodland birds in fragmented landscapes.Jim Radford,1 Linda Grootendorst, Alexandra Pavlova, Nevil Amos, Naoko Takeuchi, JaneMelville, Shandiya Balasubramaniam, Matt White, Graeme Newell, Alan Lill and Paul Sunnucks.1. Deakin University, 225 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, Vic 3125, [email protected]

Woodland birds often decline in modified landscapes at a rate greater than can be attributed to theloss of native vegetation alone. However, few studies have examined the functional processesunderlying population declines, and rarely at landscape scales. Here, we outline the conceptualframework and project design of a collaborative multi-disciplinary, multi-scale project that movesbeyond models of species’ occurrence to examine the proximate demographic, genetic andphysiological processes that cause populations to decline in fragmented agricultural landscapes(e.g., movement, effective population size, chronic stress, immunological response). We applygenetic and haematological approaches to ask two key questions: (i) are processes disrupted beforechanges in population distribution and abundance become apparent; and (ii) how are processesinfluenced by landscape attributes (e.g., extent of vegetation cover, vegetation pattern)? We target13 woodland bird species that have different responses to habitat loss: ‘decliners’ exhibitdisproportionately large population decreases with increasing habitat loss whereas ‘tolerant’ speciesdecrease in proportion to habitat loss. Birds were sampled from 12 study landscapes, each 100 km2,in north-central Victoria: five low cover (~10-20% woody vegetation), four high cover (~25-45%)and three ‘continuous’ (>75%) landscapes. Initial data on indicators of chronic stress (bodycondition, whole blood haemoglobin, hematocrit and leukocyte counts) in a declining species(Brown Treecreeper) suggest landscape structure may influence physiological variables. Aftercontrolling for age, sex, moult and season, Bayesian analysis supports a positive correlationbetween woody vegetation cover and haemoglobin and body condition, indicating higher oxygen-carrying capacity and fat reserves in more intact landscapes.


Paying the extinction debt: Declining woodland birds in the Mount Lofty Ranges, SouthAustraliaJudit K. Szabo, Peter W. J. Baxter, Peter A. Vesk and Hugh P. Possingham, The Spatial EcologyLab, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4067, Australia, [email protected]

Around 90% of the original woodland vegetation of the Mount Lofty Ranges has been cleared,modified and fragmented through the last 150 years. This destruction has considerably affected theavifauna of the region – some species have disappeared, while others increased in abundance anddistribution. Species with strict dependence on native woodlands were the ones affected mostnegatively. The aim of this study was to see which woodland-dependent species suffered thegreatest declines in two different habitats, gum woodland and stingybark woodland. We analysedthe NCSSA/UQ Mount Lofty Ranges Woodland Bird Long-term Monitoring dataset for1999–2007. Abundance was recorded at over 150 sites by 2-ha 20-min surveys. Surveys wereconducted in spring and summer and were repeated three times each year. We tested for statisticallysignificant declines in 68 species by applying three methods: 1) linear regression on the number ofindividuals per species seen per survey summarised by year, 2) linear regressions on abundancedata simplified into yearly reporting rates, and 3) List Length Analysis on presense/absence data incombination with the total number of species recorded on the same list. For most species, there wasagreement among the three methods. The most disturbing decliners were the superb fairy-wren inboth habitats, brown thornbill and sacred kingfisher in stringybark, musk lorikeet, Horsefield’sbronze-cuckoo and white-naped honeyeater in gum woodland. Increasers were white-throatedtreecreeper and common bronzewing in both habitats, rainbow lorikeet and yellow-facedhoneyeater in stringybark. We emphasize the importance of habitat restoration to keep the livingdead alive.


Functional vs structural connectivity in fragmented landscapes: putting together ‘landscape’and ‘genetics’ in ‘landscape genetics’ using connectivity modellingNevil Amos, Matt White, Graeme Newell, Jim Thomson, Jim Radford, Alexandra Pavlova, RalphMac Nally and Paul Sunnucks. School of Biological Sciences and Australian Centre forBiodiversity, Monash University, Clayton, Vic 3800, [email protected]

Maintaining viable populations of organisms in fragmented landscapes is advanced by: (1) retaininghabitat that best contributes to favourable population processes, and (2) restoring and augmentinghabitat to the same objective. One impediment to doing this effectively is that ‘functionalconnectivity’ (movement of organisms and genes through landscapes) has been difficult to estimate.Assumptions, often untested, are made about the ability of organisms to move through, live in, andreproduce in landscapes. ‘Structural connectivity’ (habitat extent and configuration) is often used asa proxy for functional connectivity, but the relationship between structural and functionalconnectivity is typically unknown. A key recent advance in estimating connectivity uses circuittheory and the software Circuitscape. For modelled species, different mobility ‘resistances’ areassigned to different mapped landscape elements, and the program then evaluates the current flowoffered by each path between locations. Any relevant information on mobility may be used,including expert opinion, field-based approaches and population genetic estimates of mobility andgene flow. In this multidisciplinary project, we are assessing the relationship between structuralconnectivity (landscape structure) and functional connectivity for a suite of woodland birds exposedto severe habitat loss in north-central Victoria. We present Circuitscape ‘prior model’ projections offunctional connectivity for bird species of contrasting dispersal propensity, based on expert opinion.We show how understanding of mobility can be refined by the application of population geneticdata, which present a cost-effective approach to estimating functional connectivity over a range ofspatial and temporal scales.


Why are the demographic responses to habitat fragmentation of two south-Australianpardalotes so different?Katherine Harrisson, Alexandra Pavlova, Nevil Amos, Jim Radford, Leo Joseph, Naoko Takeuchi,and Paul Sunnucks, School of Biological Sciences and Australian Centre for Biodiversity, MonashUniversity, Clayton, Vic 3800, [email protected]

In south-eastern Australia, the probability of occurrence of ‘decliner’ species in wooded parts of100 km2 ‘landscapes’ declines with decreasing woodland cover, whereas ‘tolerant’ species are aslikely to occur in the wooded parts of low cover landscapes as in high cover ones. Two species ofco-distributed south-eastern Australian pardalotes, the “decliner” Spotted Pardalote and the“tolerant” Striated Pardalote, appear to differ drastically in their response to fragmentation. It isunclear which traits explain the difference. By analysing genotypes of >200 Striated Pardalotes and90 Spotted Pardalotes from box-ironbark forests of north-central Victoria, we investigate whetherdifferences in population processes, notably genetic and field-based estimates of mobility andpopulation trajectories, underlie the different responses of the two species. This study area is ofspecial interest for estimating dispersal because it represents a zone of seasonal sympatry of threeStriated Pardalote and two Spotted Pardalote subspecies. We fit genetic data on movement toCircuitscape mobility models based on expert opinion to explore landscape features affectingdispersal patterns. Using genotypic and mitochondrial DNA data from wide-range samples of thetwo pardalote species we estimate historical and contemporary dispersal patterns across their range.Goals of this research include readily understood assessments of habitat features that promote orreduce functional connectivity in bird populations in anthropogenically altered habitats, and test-cases of the efficiency of genetic estimators of critical population processes.


Changes in bird community structure over 30 years in a eucalypt woodland remnant on theNorthern Tablelands of NSWGillian Dunkerley1 and Hugh Ford, 1. Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water,NSW, PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232, [email protected]

Birds have been studied at Imbota Nature Reserve, on the Northern Tablelands of NSW, for over 30years, from 1978 to 2008. The bird community has been systematically censused on 11 occasionsduring this period. The suite of bird species has changed little over the 30 year period, with between36 and 63 species present during any survey, of which 29 species have been seen almost everysurvey. Total densities ranged from a low of around 6.5 birds/ha to a high of over 23 birds/ha. Therehave been changes, however, in relative abundance of some species. Fuscous honeyeaters were themost abundant bird in most of the surveys in the late 70s until the 90s. Surveys in 2007 and 2008,however, show that other small honeyeaters, such as White-naped and Yellow-faced, are now morenumerous. In addition, various species of thornbills are now much more abundant than the smallhoneyeaters, whereas prior to the early 90s, honeyeaters predominated. Other bird species have alsoincreased in abundance, such as Crimson Rosellas, whereas others have disappeared e.g. BrownTreecreeper, or declined e.g. Eastern Yellow Robin. Different observers, different survey methodsand different areas of the forest were used for these surveys, and may well have contributed toperceived changes in the bird community. However, isolation of the remnant, habitat changes (suchas thickening of the understorey) and climatic conditions have also played a part.


Swift Parrots - dynamic migrants in a drought-prone environmentChris Tzaros, Swift Parrot Recovery Coordinator and Woodland Birds for Biodiversity Project,Birds Australia National Office, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, Vic 3053,[email protected]

The Swift Parrot is an endangered, migratory species which breeds in Tasmania and winters on thesouth-east Australian mainland. Across both their wintering and breeding range, the species hasbeen demonstrated to use habitats in a dynamic way that corresponds to the inter-annual variabilityin food resources – primarily eucalypt nectar and lerp. Within the wintering range, the species needsa combination of coastal and inland habitats in different regions to ensure sufficient resources areavailable each year regardless of the climatic conditions. In years when eucalypt woodlands on theinland slopes of the Great Divide provide sufficient foraging resources the Swift Parrot populationoccurs widely throughout this habitat, favouring particular regions that provide optimal resources.But in years when inland woodlands receive insufficient rainfall to stimulate adequate eucalyptflowering and lerp production, the population seeks refuge in relatively moister coastal regions.Similarly, within the breeding range a combination of wet and dry forests in different regions, withsuitable tree hollows and feed tree species nearby, are required for successful breeding each year.Spatial and temporal patchiness in flowering of key feed trees creates dramatic changes in theavailability of optimal breeding habitat each year. Consequently, the usage of areas by breedingSwift Parrots is intermittent and concentrated around areas of abundant flowering and the presenceof senescent eucalypt forest during the breeding season. Over time, all combinations of resourcesare critically important for the long-term sustainability of the population. Such specific habitatrequirements of the Swift Parrot render it highly susceptible to the ongoing impacts of climatechange.


The success of a large captive-release of Regent Honeyeater, from captive-breeding tobreeding?Dean Ingwersen, Birds Australia, 60 Leicester St, Carlton, Vic 3053,[email protected]

Formerly ranging across south-eastern Australia from southern Queensland to South Australia, therange and population of the Regent Honeyeater has diminished substantially. As a result there arenow fewer than 1,500 birds remaining in the wild, with the best estimate for Victoria being around100 individuals.

In 2008, the Regent Honeyeater Recovery Team set about addressing this and embarked upon themost ambitious captive-release ever undertaken for the species. Twenty-seven individuals werereleased as a large-scale trial in north-east Victoria, primarily to investigate the survivorship ofcaptive-bred birds in the wild, whilst gathering additional information on factors such as interactionwith the wild population and use of resources. All birds were released wearing either harness ortail-mounted radio-transmitters, and monitoring was conducted over 25 weeks.

A number of research questions were incorporated into the release as a way of monitoring theeffectiveness of the techniques used. It was found that there was no difference in survivorshipbetween first-year birds and older birds; there was no significant difference in the effectiveness ofthe transmitters used (though harnesses were retained slightly longer); captive-released birds wereinteracting with wild birds within one day of release; and all available resources known to be usedby wild Regent Honeyeaters were utilised by the released birds. Ten nests were constructed bypairs composed of released birds late in the monitoring period, though none were successful atfledging young despite several nests containing hatchlings. Only one confirmed mortality of areleased bird was recorded during the monitoring.


Bottom-up hierarchical habitat selection; could patterns of landscape-scale occupancy beconstrained by microhabitat-scale selection?Jarrad A Cousin, Environmental Futures Centre, School of Environment, Griffith University,Nathan, Qld 4111, [email protected]

To understand responses of species to habitat loss and fragmentation requires an understanding ofthe processes governing habitat selection at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Unfortunately,habitat selection studies are often limited in spatial scope, focusing on management units operatingat the landscape scale. In birds, habitat selection is generally assumed to be hierarchical in nature,with selection at a given spatial scale constrained by selection at other spatial scales. This istypically assumed to operate according to a ‘top-down’ model, represented by selection at coarsespatial scales (e.g., landscape and remnant scale) constraining selection at finer spatial scales (e.g.,foraging microhabitat). Given that this ‘top-down’ model is best represented by wide-ranging ormigratory species, it is important to determine whether resident, sedentary species respond in asimilar fashion. Using the results from a study of the hierarchical habitat selection of the EasternYellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis) in the New England Tablelands of NSW, I demonstrate howfine spatial scale selection at the microhabitat scale constrains ‘selection’ or patterns of occupancyat territory and landscape scales; suggesting a ‘bottom-up’ model of hierarchical habitat selection inthis species. Given that a large number of threatened woodland birds in Australia are resident andsedentary, the implication of potential ‘bottom-up’ models of habitat selection in these speciesstresses the need to incorporate microhabitat requirements into species management and recoveryplans, especially given that patterns of landscape-scale occupancy may be constrained by suchmicrohabitat-scale selection.


Profile of the avifauna of an Ungrazed and Unfragmented Temperate Eucalypt WoodlandHarry F. Recher1 and William E. Davis, Jr. 1. School of Natural Sciences, Edith Cowan University,Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia, PO Box 154, Brooklyn, NSW 2003, [email protected]

The Great Western Woodlands (GWW) is a 16 million ha expanse of semi-arid eucalypt woodlandsand forest in association with floristically diverse shrublands and salt lakes in Western Australia. Acore of 7.5 million ha centred on the town of Norseman has never been grazed and is unaffected byagriculture or clearing, although large areas were logged during the first half of the 20th Century.There is no evidence that any species of bird has been lost from the GWW since Europeansettlement, nor have any significant declines in the abundance of woodland and forest birds beendocumented. Consequently, the GWW provides a special opportunity to study an intact avifaunaagainst which changes in the more disturbed and fragmented woodlands elsewhere in southernAustralia can be compared. This paper describes the species composition and abundance of birds inthe ungrazed woodlands and forests of the GWW. Community foraging profiles are presented andused to interpret which parts of the avifauna are most likely to be adversely affected by increasedlevels of disturbance and changes in rainfall with global warming. The idea of micro-refuges isintroduced. It is also suggested that some highly dispersive birds, such as nectar-feedinghoneyeaters (Meliphagidae), have declined in abundance, despite the large expanse of unbrokenhabitat, as a result of land clearing in the Western Australian wheatbelt to the west of the GWW.


The impact of habitat fragmentation on neutral and functional genes in brown treecreepers(Climacteris picumnus)Shandiya Balasubramaniam, Alexandra Pavlova, Raoul Mulder, Jim Radford, Paul Sunnucks, JaneMelville, Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Vic 3010, Australia,[email protected]

Habitat fragmentation, as a result of anthropogenic degradation of the environment, is recognised ashaving had one of the largest impacts on biodiversity abundance and distribution by reducingpopulation sizes and causing population bottlenecks and inbreeding. Selectively neutral populationgenetic markers, such as microsatellites, are commonly applied to estimate population processesand effective population sizes. While providing valuable information on dispersal patterns andrelatedness, these genes do not play any functional role in the survival of individuals. In contrast,functional genes, such as those of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), have a direct rolein survival of individuals and the viability of species. Because of the functional significance of theMHC genes in disease resistance, adaptive evolutionary potential and the persistence of species, itis useful to investigate and understand the diversity at these loci in real landscapes. Low allelenumbers and, more specifically, low diversity among alleles, have been linked to increasedsusceptibility of individuals to pathogens and infectious disease. This study compares patterns ofgenetic diversity at neutral (microsatellite) and functional (MHC II _) loci within and amongpopulations of Brown Treecreepers (Climacteris picumnus) sampled from 12 landscapes (each 100km2) that have different configuration and extent of woody vegetation. This comparison allows forthe determination of whether functional MHC genetic diversity patterns show responses tofragmentation and habitat quality that are likely to contribute to differences in individual health andpopulation viability.


Contrasting the extent of movement of Brown Treecreepers and Fuscous Honeyeaters infragmented agricultural landscapesAlexandra Pavlova, Shandiya Balasubramaniam, Nevil Amos, Jim Radford, Naoko Takeuchi, AlanLill and Paul Sunnucks, School of Biological Sciences and Australian Centre for Biodiversity,Monash University, Clayton, Vic 3800, [email protected]

Our current understanding of how woodland birds move through the landscape is mainly derivedfrom capture-recapture data and radio-tracking information. Here, we are applying populationgenetic tools to provide data on species’ movement, overcoming the need for costly and difficultrecapture. Incorporating genetic data may greatly improve dispersal models and allow identificationof species-specific landscape features promoting or preventing movement across the landscape. Inaddition, genetic data can yield estimates of effective population size and provide insights on itsvariation through time. Both the Brown Treecreeper and the Fuscous Honeyeater are ‘decliners’ inthat their occurrence in wooded habitat decreases in lower cover landscapes yet the species differ inhabitat use and mobility. Movement within and among 12 landscapes with different amount ofvegetation cover was assessed by analysing data on microsatellite genotypes of over 460 individualsof each species. Low mobility of the Brown Treecreeper was reflected in higher pairwise geneticdistance values among sampling locations. We test the extent to which genetic data improves ourknowledge of bird movement by comparing the matrices of genetic distances with matrices of“landscape resistance” derived from Circuitscape mobility models based on expert opinion aboutmovement of species through different land-uses. We then relate levels of genetic diversity tolandscape features for the respective species. This analysis demonstrates that while both species aresensitive to habitat loss and fragmentation, the proximate processes responsible for populationdeclines differs between the species. Consequently, restoration strategies must account for divergentresponses of declining species.


Effects of river red gum decline on woodland birds in the Macquarie Marshes, New SouthWalesAlice Blackwood, Australian Wetlands Rivers Centre, School of Biological Earth andEnvironmental Sciences, University of NSW, NSW 2052, [email protected]

River regulation has had a significant ecological impact on floodplain ecosystems around the world.Much of the research effort has focused upon invertebrates, fish and waterbirds, but relatively littleis known about the effects of river regulation upon riparian bird communities. River red gumsprovide habitat for a diverse community (over 110 species) of woodland birds in the MacquarieMarshes, a Ramsar listed floodplain wetland in central western NSW. Dramatic changes to theflooding regime have led to the decline and death of large areas of river red gums. I surveyedwoodland birds in areas of river red gums in poor, intermediate and good health. There weresignificant differences in community composition but not in species richness or overall abundance.Species driving these differences included Jacky Winter, Superb Fairy Wrens, Australian Ringneck(more abundant in poor sites) and White Plumed Honeyeaters, Brown Treecreepers and WillieWagtails (more abundant in good sites). Fairy-wrens were most abundant in sites of intermediatehealth, which had a dense, shrubby understorey. Observations of microhabitat selection allowedbird species to be grouped into ‘spatial guilds’. Birds such as White Plumed Honeyeaters, CrestedShrike Tits and Striated Pardalotes were observed almost exclusively in foliage, while othersshowed preferences for live branches (e. g. Rufous Whistler), dead trees (e. g. Rufous Songlark) orshrubby understorey (e. g. Fairy-wrens). Differences in bird community composition were stronglycorrelated with habitat structure and understorey composition and were consistent with the‘terrestrialisation’ of this wetland habitat as a result of river regulation.


Advances in our knowledge of the cause of decline of woodland birds over the last 10 yearsHugh A Ford, Zoology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, [email protected]

There is further evidence of ongoing declines in abundance and range of some woodland birds,though other species may be maintaining numbers or increasing. The ongoing drought in south-eastern Australia appears to have caused declines of many species, even in extensive areas ofwoodland. Conversely, preliminary data suggest that many species of concern can occur inreplanted and rehabilitated vegetation. There have been many additional studies on patterns – howpatch size and isolation appear to influence species presence or absence. In addition, there havebeen a number of studies on the relationship between species presence and habitat variables.Encouragingly, there has been an increase in the number of studies looking at the ecologicalprocesses that may lead to decline in fragmented and degraded woodland. The importance of NoisyMiners in aggressively excluding other species has been strengthened. In contrast, there is littlefurther support for the hypothesis that nest predation contributes to declines. The value ofconnection among remnants has been supported by work on Brown Treecreepers, among otherspecies. Also, attention is now being paid to resources, which includes the abundance andaccessibility of food. We now need to integrate the different causes of decline into closelymonitored experiments that use adaptive management to reverse the fortunes of woodland birds.


Nocturnal Birds

Birds with Attitude: Home Range and Territoriality of the Australian Owlet-NightjarLisa I Doucette, Zoology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia,[email protected]

Sedentary Australian owlet-nightjars Aegotheles cristatus roost in cavities year-round, and arethought to mate for life and maintain stable home ranges throughout the year. These factors lead tothe prediction that they should be highly territorial, yet nothing is known about their home rangerequirements or level of site fidelity. I used radio-telemetry coupled with GPS recordings todetermine home range size in the semi-arid zone of central Australian (13 birds over two winters)and in a eucalypt woodland on the Northern Tablelands of NSW (14 birds over one calendar year).The mean home range in the eucalypt woodland was 17.7 ha based on the minimum convexpolygon (MCP) method and 17.4 ha based on the fixed kernel contour (95%), whereas it was 23.8ha and 24.1 ha based on the MCP and kernel methods in the desert respectively. With the exceptionof mated pairs (range overlap 41.9%), there was little overlap among individuals in home rangeareas (<13.0%), even in the densely populated woodland. Home range size did not differsignificantly between sexes or study sites, nor was it correlated with arthropod abundance orseason. Owlet-nightjars exhibited high site fidelity, using the same home range throughout the yearwith a 68% overlap between seasons. These data, plus anecdotal records of aggression andvocalizations, suggest that this species is highly territorial, yet individuals live in close proximity toconspecifics.


Barking Owl population limited by prey distribution, quality and abundance, in the PilligaForests of Northern NSWMatthew Stanton and Rod Kavanagh, Forest Science Centre, PO Box 100, Beecroft, NSW 2119,[email protected]

The Barking Owl Ninox connivens population in the Pilliga forests of northern New SouthWales is the largest known in Southern Australia. Breeding pairs in this population occupy largehome-ranges (~2000 ha) across ~200,000 ha of the >500,000 ha forest area. It seems unlikelythat the owls require 2000 ha to find nest hollows or sufficient roosts nor that these resources arecompletely restricted through the areas of the Pilliga unoccupied by Barking Owls. It is morelikely that this spatial limitation relates to prey availability.

To test this hypothesis, prey Barking Owls are consuming was compared with the available preyas determined by bird counts, spotlight surveys, small mammal trapping, bat surveys and twomethods of insect collection. Pilliga Barking Owls preyed predominantly on over 40 species ofbirds, Sugar Gliders, insectivorous bats and insects with few prey items being taken on theground. Prey items from all prey groups were available from all areas of the Pilliga sampled.Available bird prey biomass was strongly correlated with Barking Owl distribution. Mammalprey biomass was less strongly correlated. Invertebrate prey biomass showed some correlationbut requires further study.

Spatial availability of prey biomass offers a good explanation for Barking Owl distribution in thePilliga forests. Critical food resources, particularly available bird biomass, may limit the populationdensity and distribution in what appears to be marginal rather than prime habitat. More productiveland in the region that has been cleared for agriculture possibly supported higher densities ofBarking Owls.


Nesting densities of Tawny Frogmouth in open and closed canopy woodlandsStuart Rae, The School of Botany and Zoology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT0200, [email protected]

Tawny Frogmouths are widespread and commonly seen in gardens, parks and woodland. However,anecdotal records possibly give a distorted impression of these birds’ habitat association andpopulation density. Despite their familiarity frogmouths are generally regarded as difficult to surveyand the main methods employed have been listening for calling birds, their response to playbackcalls or spotlight. This study concentrated on locating nests and their breeding density was assessedin three habitats; closed canopy dry sclerophyll forest, open canopy grassy woodland and partially-cleared grassy woodland. Nesting birds were counted in defined areas in 2006-2008 and thedistances between contiguous nests were measured. There were more breeding pairs per hectare inthe open grassy woodland (0.02) than in closed dry sclerophyll forest (0.006), and the highestdensity in an area in any year was 0.05 nests per ha in the partially cleared woodland. Although thenests were at different densities in each habitat they were uniformly spaced within the differenthabitat types, with the mean nearest-neighbour distance shorter in the open grassy woodland (594m) than in the closed sclerophyll forest (1322 m). It seems that a greater heterogeneity of woodlandhabitat supports a larger population of Tawny Frogmouths, and old open woodland might be theirpreferred original habitat. Woodlands and forests with close-growing trees seem to be less used andpartial clearing of woodland might be beneficial.


Abundance of the Tasmanian Masked Owl in call playback surveysMichael Todd1, Sarah Munks2, Mark Hindell1, Alastair Richardson1, Phil Bell3, Rod Kavanagh4,Iain Taylor5, David Bowman1. 1. School of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tas 7001, 2.Forest Practices Authority, 3. DPIW, 4. State Forests NSW, 5. Charles Sturt [email protected]

Despite many forest owl surveys over the last couple of decades the low rate of detection of theAustralian Masked Owl Tyto novaehollandiae has been problematic in assessing its status andecology. The Tasmanian Masked Owl T. n. castanops, is sometimes regarded as being at a higherdensity than the mainland subspecies yet few detailed surveys for it have been carried out. To assessthe abundance of T. n. castanops across Tasmania and to examine its habitat preferences a series ofstratified, randomly selected sites were surveyed using the call playback procedure between 2008and 2009. T.n.castanops was detected on 67 occasions in 908 surveys at the randomly selected sites.They were more likely to be detected in dry eucalypt forest (especially Eucalyptus obliquadominated) at low altitude (< 450 metres). 14.9% of surveys in dry lowland forest were successful,compared to 3.6% of surveys successful in dry highland forest. Wet lowland forest (7.4% success)also yielded more Masked Owls than wet highland forest (2.9%). Of the 56 T. n. castanops thatwere observed the majority were dark morph (32), the minority were white morph (10) and the restintermediate in colour (14). White morph owls were always small and were probably all male. Theimportance of lowland dry eucalypt forest to T. n. castanops is clear. This has conservationimplications as most of these forests are not reserved and are currently subject to forestrymanagement, which has the potential to impact upon the Tasmanian Masked Owl.


Collaborative Projects

An update from the Australian National Wildlife Collection Sound ArchiveAlex Drew, Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra,ACT, 2601, [email protected]

The Australian National Wildlife Collection (ANWC) is the nation’s official collection of landvertebrates - mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. The ANWC holds in trust for futuregenerations one of Australia’s best-documented scientific records of our fauna. It is also a leadingresearch centre dedicated to understanding and preserving Australia’s unique wildlife. The SoundArchive of the Australian National Wildlife Collections is the largest of its kind in Australia andamongst the largest in the world. Besides providing valuable insights into taxonomy, the Archiveprovides useful information about animal behaviour and evolution. The Sound Archive has grownsignificantly since its inception, and now houses over 60, 000 recordings of birds, mammals,amphibians and invertebrates. Whilst the bulk of the sound recordings within the Archive are fromAustralian birds, there is an excellent collection of material from New Guinea, Europe, North andSouth America. The donation of private collections of recorded material has greatly contributed tothe excellent quality and high standard of the Sound Archive. The Sound Archive is currentlyundergoing a major overhaul, with our principle goal being the digitisation of all of our archivedanalogue recordings. These efforts will prove to be highly valuable as they facilitate access tomaterial within the Archive both for external users and ourselves as we place digitised material onour website.


The Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds: Too Many Years Before theMastPeter J. Higgins, PO Box 99, Sawtell, NSW 2452, Australia, [email protected]

The coming year – 2010 –marks 20 years since the publication of the first volume of one of themost ambitious, most expensive and most far-reaching ornithological projects ever undertaken inthe Australasian region – the seven-volume Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and AntarcticBirds (HANZAB). Birds Australia completed this project in mid-2006, 25 years after formallydeciding to begin work on the project. With the completion of the series, Birds Australia hadprepared detailed summaries of the biology, behaviour and appearance of the 957 species that hadbeen recorded for the region to that time. The Council of Birds Australia approved the undertakingof a Handbook of Australian Birds in February 1981, with the goals of: summarising all that weknow of the birds of Australia and making clear, either implicitly or explicitly, what we do notknow; and to prepare detailed summaries of the external morphology of all species, analysing anddescribing all sources of variation. While those goals did not alter over the life of the project, therewere significant changes to methods, and the costs, of preparing the texts and artwork.

From its inception, this project depended on the effort of a great many people volunteering theirexpertise, including the original editorial team, those who wrote partial or full species accounts, andthe large number of reviewers utilised for each volume. However, the roles and responsibilities ofthose producing this work, and the mix of volunteer and paid staff changed significantly over thelife of the project.

It is important that neither the scope and ambition of the project, nor its cost and impact onAustralasian ornithology be underestimated or ignored. For Birds Australia, it is also important toreflect on the major impact that the project has had on the organisation itself during the 25 years ofthis project. Nevertheless, it is difficult, if not impossible, to quantify adequately the impact andeffects of HANZAB, especially as so many of the values are in a sense intangible social assets, suchas the eventual donation of the complete set of colour plates to the State Library of Victoria,preserving them as a public asset and available to all. Other such intangibles include the transfer ofknowledge to all those who use the work from those who volunteered their time to the project.HANZAB may well be the last traditional ‘handbook’ to be produced as a ‘book’. It was started ata time when online publication was not even envisaged, let alone practicable; it was finished whenonline publication, or at least digital publication, would be, without doubt, the best option formaking available the type of data covered in HANZAB. The online publication of HANZAB issomething that should be pursued and would provide a practical avenue for the ongoing update andmaintenance of the database that is HANZAB.


"Brindabella Banding"- a long term bird banding site revisited: Monitoring changes to theavifauna of the Brindabella Ranges; longevity, survival, composition and migration in achanging climate.Alex Drew, and Micah Davies, Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO SustainableEcosystems, Canberra, ACT, 2601, [email protected]

Long term field studies examining processes such as longevity, changes in species composition andchanges to migration dates in birds are relatively few in Australia. Consequently relatively little isknown about how long many Australian bird species live in the wild, or what changes are occurringto migration dates due to changes in climate. However, using existing data sets and revisiting astudy area some years after a project is completed may prove to be a useful means of obtaining suchdifficult to obtain data. From 1961 to 1982 a bird-banding project was undertaken in theBrindabella Ranges, ACT. This project involved an intensive banding effort, with banding carriedout every 3 weeks for the duration of the project. Over 10,000 birds were banded, from over 50species. In November 2007 we located the original banding net sites, and recommenced mist-netting, visiting the site every two months until the present. We report here on changes to thevegetation and related changes to avian species composition and frequency of capture. None of theoriginal study birds have been mist-netted during the second phase of the project. The avian speciesdiversity of the site is similar to that of the original study, with some marked changes to thefrequency of capture that is likely to be attributable to changes in the vegetation of the study sitepost 2003 wildfires.


Climate Change

Climate and breeding in Australian birdsHeather Gibbs, Lynda Chambers and Andrew F. Bennett , Life and Environmental Science, DeakinUniversity, Burwood, Vic, [email protected]

Climate change is already influencing Australian ecosystems, but our knowledge of its effects isstill very limited. More information is urgently required to understand the effects of natural climatevariation (both spatial and temporal) and hence to distinguish and predict effects of anthropogenicclimate change. This presentation highlights some important long-term avian data sets, and showshow linking existing data to spatial and temporal indices of climate pattern can generate newinsights into important ecological processes.

In this study, across 16 common and widespread Australian land birds, there were dramaticbetween-year differences in the ‘relative amount’ of breeding, related to a large-scale climate index,the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI). The SOI strongly influences climate across most ofAustralia, so while it is unsurprising that this translates into changes in birds’ breeding patterns, themagnitude of the effect may be larger than previously anticipated. There were also strong andrelatively consistent effects of geographic climate gradients, such as altitude and latitude.

An important next step is to interpret birds’ responses in terms of local temperature and rainfall, butthis is a more challenging process. Possible ways forward are discussed.


Community monitoring of biological responses to climate changeDr Lynda E. Chambers, Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, Bureau ofMeteorology, GPO Box 1289, Melbourne, Vic 3001, Australia, [email protected]

Climate change has the potential to significantly alter species distributions, abundance, life-cycletiming, productivity and survival. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change FourthAssessment Report (2007) provided evidence that increasing temperatures are affecting biologicalsystems. This report listed ~29,000 studies, mostly from Europe with only 6 from the Australasianregion, and was based on data collected by both professional scientists and community members.

To further understand the links between natural systems and climate in Australia, improve dataavailability and inform adaptation options, the following approach is suggested.

• Search: There are considerable organisational and non-mainstream data sources (e.g. generalpublic) yet to be accessed. This step involves searching and documenting potentially suitable long-term biological data sets, e.g. through existing databases such as the National Ecological MetaDatabase (http://www.bom.gov.au/nemd).

• Compile new datasets through systematic searches of literature and other sources, such asphotographic records, art work or egg collections, for instance PhenoArc(http://www.climatewatch.org.au/News/PhenoARC-Extending-Australia-s-Phenological-Record).

• Generate datasets through monitoring programs such as ClimateWatch(http://www.climatewatch.org.au), which engages the public in science on a national scale.ClimateWatch uses a dispersed observer network to monitor trends and patterns essential forobtaining a national perspective on natural resources and climate change.

Information collected so far consists of both professional and amateur data; both equally useful inidentifying relationships between climate and biological systems. Additional information on pastbiological changes is likely to come from the records of amateur naturalists, such as daily specieslists, breeding and flowering records, field records and dated photographs; highlighting theimportant role the community can play in monitoring biological responses to climate change.


Latitudinal shifts in altitude of abundance maxima of rainforest birds in eastern Queenslandand their relevance to predicting the impacts of climate change.Anderson, A, Shoo, L, and Williams, S.E., Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change,School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland,[email protected]

An understanding of the role of climate in determining the current abundance and distribution ofspecies is critical to predicting the impact that climate change may have on flora and fauna. Directinformation on physiological tolerances can fill this knowledge gap but such data is only availablefor a very few species. One way to indirectly tackle this problem is to test climate associations ofspecies distributions using a “space-for-time” approach. Abundance maxima provide usefulmarkers of environmental optima that are readily measurable in the field. Here we quantifyelevational abundance profiles for a diverse assemblage of rainforest birds and test the hypothesisthat abundance maxima should shift upward in response to warmer temperatures at lower latitudes.Specifically, we use simple logistic regression to identify optimal elevations for species sharedbetween disjunct rainforests that span a latitudinal gradient from the Central Queensland coast toCape York Peninsula. We show that temperature is an important driver of elevational patterns ofabundance and highlight the importance of this extensive baseline data set for monitoring rangeshifts of rainforest birds under future altered climates.


The effects of variable tropical climate on foraging niches and body condition of migrantbirds in Central America using constant effort mist netting and census.Jared Wolfe, Humboldt State University, and Redwood Sciences Laboratory, Arcata, CaliforniaUSA, and C. John Ralph, Redwood Sciences Laboratory, US Forest Service, Arcata, California,USA 95521, [email protected]

Evidence is accumulating that climatic changes induced by the El Niño Southern Oscillation(ENSO) is producing pervasive influences on biological systems. This climatic variability and theresulting multi-trophic interactions of bird species within tropical latitudes are of profoundimportance and require documentation. Here, we used a novel approach of examining constanteffort capture data in order to investigate relationships between the body condition of migrant birdsand the Southern Oscillation Index, a climatic metric, during spring migration in Costa Rica. Ourstudy is based on capture data of six Nearctic-Neotropic migrant bird species during stopover, overa 14-year period. For the first time, we demonstrated that capture data could show profound annualchanges in foraging strategies of birds and their body condition. Our detected patterns are mostlikely related to changes in rainfall between years, with marked influences on food availability.For example an insectivore had improved condition, whereas two frugivores experienced reducedcondition during drier El Niño years, with the reverse in wet La Niña years. Our detectedcorrelations suggest that banding data can be effectively used to examine climatic influences onbird populations in novel ways. Future management decisions, pertaining to Neotropical stopoverhabitat, are going to be increasingly important, in light of our findings and recent climatic modelsthat predict future increases in ENSO frequency and severity.


Temporal declines in avian body size: adaptation to global warming or a plastic response to adegrading environment?Janet Gardner, Robert Heinsohn and Leo Joseph, Fenner School of Environment and Society,Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200 Australia, [email protected]

Intraspecific latitudinal clines in the body size of terrestrial vertebrates, where members of the samespecies are larger at higher latitudes, are widely interpreted as evidence for natural selection andadaptation to local climate. These clines are predicted to shift in response to climate change. Weused museum specimens to measure changes in the body size of eight passerine bird species fromsouth-eastern Australia over the last ca. 100 years. Four species showed significant decreases inbody size (1.8-3.6 % of wing length) and a shift in latitudinal cline over that period, and a meta-analysis demonstrated a consistent trend across all eight species. Southern high-latitude populationsnow display the body sizes typical of more northern populations pre 1950, equivalent to a 7 degreeshift in latitude. Using ptilochronology, we found no evidence that these morphological changeswere a plastic response to changes in nutrition, a likely non-genetic mechanism for the patternobserved. Our results demonstrate a generalised response by eight avian species to some majorenvironmental change over the last ca. 100 years, probably global warming.


Birds of the Northern Savannas

Plenary

Conservation issues for birds in the northern SavannasStephen Garnett, School for Environmental Research, Charles Darwin University, EllengowanDrive Casuarina, NT 0909, [email protected]

The savannas of northern Australia are vast, nearly two million km2, with an avifauna that isremarkably intact. Extremely infertile soils and a wet season that, though reliable, stutters at thestart in a way that can kill most crops has more or less protected its integrity from rampagingagriculture. As a result the extinction debt that stalks birds in fragmented landscapes is absent –savanna birds can range uninterrupted to follow itinerant resources, wetlands are largely undrainedand coastlines largely unmodified. But, while the landscapes can look healthy, there have also beenmany changes since pastoral settlement in the 1880s – changes to fire management, heavy grazingpressure and removal of traditional management. Similarly the many modern drivers of change willalso draw heavily on environmental resources while the first heavy drops are falling from the fast-gathering storm of climate change. This paper considers the history of the existing avifauna ofAustralia’s tropical savannas, how that avifauna may respond to existing and impending challengesand the policies we need that may help them do so.


Conservation biology of the purple-crowned fairy-wren: challenges of a riparian habitatspecialist in the northern savannasAnja Skroblin, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200,[email protected]

Many creeks and rivers in northern Australia are fringed by dense vegetation that greatly contrastswith the dominant open savannas of the region. Species specialized to this riparian habitat are facedwith multiple challenges. Riparian vegetation is naturally distributed as patches of varying size andisolation within the savanna matrix, and is being degraded over large parts of the tropics by intensefires, cattle and weed invasion. The purple-crowned fairy-wren (PCFW) is a small co-operativelybreeding bird restricted such vegetation in Kimberley, Victoria River and Gulf Regions of northernAustralia. The natural history of the species renders it particularly susceptible to habitatdegradation, resulting in the western subspecies’ decline and listing as Vulnerable (EPBC Act1999). To inform conservation management of the species, a detailed knowledge of its currentdistribution, habitat requirements and threatening processes is required. Surveys confirm speciespresence on 5 of 14 river catchments within the Kimberley Region and highlight the association ofthe species with riparian habitat which contains a dense understorey, often dominated by pandanusand/or freshwater mangroves, with a high overstorey of emergent eucalypts or melaleucas.Degradation of the understorey, in particular, through cattle grazing, fire and weed invasion may beassociated with declines of the PCFW. The extreme patchy distribution of PCFW habitat wasfurther emphasized by aerial mapping of more than 2500km of remote Kimberley waterway.Documented long distance dispersal events may be vital to maintain population connectivity andensure persistence across patchily distributed and degraded habitat.


Insight into the decline of the Gouldian Finch: The effects of grazing and fire on finch healthand grass productivityKimberly L. Maute, Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW [email protected], Sarah Legge, Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Perth, WA and LeeAstheimer, Deakin University, Geelong Victoria

The Gouldian Finch is a small grass seed-eating bird that once ranged across tropical savannas thatcover nearly a fourth of the Australian continent. This species has declined dramatically in the last40 years, despite these savannas being largely undeveloped. Over two years, we surveyed thehealth of 520 finches and their habitat in areas of differing land management. Based on data from350 vegetation plots, we found that areas prone to grazing pressure or frequent intense fires hadlower measures of grass productivity and cover compared to areas managed for biodiversityconservation. On grazed land in particular, annual grasses that make up the bulk of finch diets weresignificantly less abundant, and perennial grasses had lower measures of seasonal growth. Finchesliving in these ‘disturbed’ areas often displayed symptoms of poorer health. In late 2007, finchessurveyed on grazed land had significantly lower measures of mass, fat, and muscle, as well as 10%higher haematocrit levels, and 60% higher stress hormone levels than birds sampled onconservation land (p<0.001). The results indicate that these populations could be prone to furtherdeclines, because sick or chronically stressed individuals are less likely to survive or breed. Wewill present evidence that grazing and frequent intense fire impacts the health of Gouldian Finchpopulations and discuss possible links between their variation in health and differences in grasslayer productivity. This information will guide recommendations for land management that willbenefit the endangered Gouldian Finch, as well as better manage Australia’s tropical savannas.


Breeding biology and life history traits of an Australasian tropical granivore, the CrimsonFinch (Neochmia phaeton).Olga Milenkaya1, Jeffrey R. Walters1 and Sarah Legge2, 1. Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Instituteand State University, 4107 Derring Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA, 2. Australian WildlifeConservancy, Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary, PMB 925, Derby, WA 6728, [email protected]

We present detailed breeding biology and life history data for an Australasian tropical granivore,the Crimson Finch (Neochmia phaeton), collected over three breeding seasons at MorningtonWildlife Sanctuary in northwestern Australia. Annual adult survival was 72.4% but with highannual variation. The finches bred as socially monogamous pairs and divorce was rare (2.9%,n=173 pair years). The breeding season averaged 3.7 months in duration and corresponded to thewet season. First and last clutch initiation dates were similar across years but nest building morevariable, sometimes occurring for an extended period prior to clutch initiation. The CrimsonFinches were riparian specialists with 98% of nests (n=870) found in Pandanus aquaticus and99.6% of nests (n=841) within 20 meters of the center of a creek. Males built the nests and bothsexes incubated the eggs and brooded and provisioned the offspring. Clutch size was 5.08 ± 1.03(n=227, range 1-7) and pairs initiated 2.39 ± 0.96 clutches (n=77, range 1-5) per year. Reproductivesuccess was low, in part due to high clutch predation (59.7%), with only 27.2% of clutches resultingin at least one fledgling (n=389). Tropical/southern hemisphere birds typically differ from theirnorthern counterparts in having higher nest predation rate and higher annual survival, which isthought to select for their generally small clutch sizes. Crimson Finches, however, have largeclutches. We suggest that exploring life histories that differ from the norm such as that of theCrimson Finch may be particularly helpful in understanding latitudinal differences in thesestrategies.


Habitat-use, foraging and breeding ecology of the northern shrike-tit Falcunculus frontatuswhitei.Simon Ward, Biodiversity Conservation Unit, Department of Natural Resources, Environment, TheArts and Sport, Darwin, NT 0831, [email protected]

Prior to this study the Northern Shrike-tit Falcunculus frontatus whitei had been recorded from lessthan 30 locations in savanna woodlands of the NT and the Kimberley. The subspecies is listed as‘Vulnerable’ nationally and in the NT, and as ‘Rare’ in WA. This study addressed actions in theNational Recovery Plan for the subspecies. Most of the study occurred in open eucalypt woodlandhabitat in the Maranboy area, 50km south-east of Katherine. Observations concentrated on threeterritories, but other pairs occurred in the area. Birds were mostly located by their calls, thenfollowed for as long as possible to gain information on habitat use, foraging and the location ofnests. Pairs of northern shrike-tits defended exclusive territories and were resident year-round.Mean (± SD) area of territories was 22.5 ± 3.7 ha. Surveys over a larger area indicated a density ofabout 2_ pairs.km-2, but only in limited areas of suitable habitat. Northern shrike-tits spentapproximately equal times foraging for invertebrates on three types of substrate: dead branches,leaves, and terminal branches. They used most tree species in the area and visited a range of treesizes but preferred the larger individuals of each species. They were seen eating insect larvae,beetles, katydids, tree crickets, spiders and cicadas, but many smaller invertebrates are, no doubt,also eaten. Breeding activity started in September/October each year and continued until January,but parental care of young continued until at least March. Never more than one fledgling wasobserved from a nest.


Nest-site selection of the hooded parrot Psephotus dissimilis—a primary cavity nesting species.Stuart J. N. Cooney, Australian National University, ACT 0400, [email protected]

Many species of bird nest in natural cavities or those they excavate. Whilst cavity nesters as awhole experience increased nesting success, the greatest success is experienced by species that canexcavate their own nests. Certain arboreal cavity nesters, such as woodpeckers, require extensivemorphological adaptation for this behaviour, but this has not occurred in Australia, despitecompetition among birds and a suite of arboreal mammals for naturally occurring cavities. Somespecies, however, have adapted their behaviour to make use of substrates that are not as hard aswood. Hooded parrots (Psephotus dissimilis) excavate nests in terrestrial termitaria, releasing themfrom competition for limited arboreal cavities. However, only termitaria with a high level of termiteactivity, and which are more than two metres tall, are suitable and the parrots exhibit a strongpreference for the cathedral mounds of Nasutitermes triodiae. Nests placed in highly active moundshad a significantly higher success rate than those in mounds where activity was somewhat lower,suggesting that the behaviour is adaptive.


Ecology of an isolated Crimson Finch population in the Isaac River catchment, CentralQueensland.Robert Black, Wayne Houston, Central Queensland University, Centre for EnvironmentalManagement, Rockhampton, Qld, [email protected]

Many finch species have suffered serious declines across northern Australia. Crimson Finches wereonce widespread in the Fitzroy River basin inland from Rockhampton. They are now only known tooccur as an isolated remnant from the lower Isaac and Connors Rivers and their tributaries. Surveyswere undertaken along about 150 km of this system to establish the area of occupancy. CrimsonFinches were found at scattered sites along 75 km of river, all of which were typified by:

• Proximity to major streams, usually with permanent waterholes.

• Healthy riparian vegetation with tall trees, shrubs and dense tall grasses, usually in associationwith flood channels.

• The tall River Grass Chionachne cyathopoda as a large component of the grasses.Crimson Finch breeding was recorded at five sites and nesting habitat identified. Nests were atheights of 16-19 metres in the upper branches of streamside paperbarks (Melaleuca fluviatilis). Thisdiffers from known nesting sites in northern populations, which are mostly only a few metres high.

Availability of Chionachne grass seeds and other known finch food species was quantified at 6weekly intervals at breeding sites. Chionachne at these low to moderately grazed sites persistedthrough the dry season and thus provided both a dry season feeding resource and cover for CrimsonFinches. In contrast, nearby sites with greater grazing pressure as a consequence of repeated grazingduring the wet season did not support Chionachne seeding throughout the year. Crimson Fincheswere not found in these sites.


Does rainfall inhibit breeding by small passerines in the Australian monsoon tropics?Richard Noske, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Charles Darwin University, Darwin,NT 0909. Email [email protected]

Rainfall patterns appear to exert little influence on the breeding seasons of avian insectivores insub-tropical and temperate eastern Australia, where warm temperatures during spring and earlysummer increase insect availability, favouring breeding. In southwest Australia birds breedsomewhat earlier in the year, presumably in response to increased insect availability, driven bypredominantly winter rainfall. In arid Australia, where rain is both scarce and unpredictable, rain isthe main trigger for breeding. However, in the monsoon-tropics, where 1-2 m of rain falls everyyear during the wet season (November-April), most small insectivorous species breed during thedry sand early wet seasons, avoiding the wettest months of January and February, when above-ground insects also appear to be scarcest.

Whilst good rains can increase reproductive success in relatively low rainfall regions of southeastAustralia, some evidence suggests that heavy rains may reduce breeding success of some monsoon-tropical species, and convective storms may cause high rates of nest failure for others. Biannualbreeding (at the end of both the wet and dry seasons) among four species may be one means bywhich they avoid high nest losses and/ or excessive energy expenditure during the wettest andcoolest months, respectively, although at least two moult during the former period.

The breeding seasonality of monsoon-tropical Australian birds shows some similarity with that ofTimor, in one of the most strongly seasonal parts of Indonesia, but contrasts with the “autumn”breeding typical of western Indonesia. The possible reasons for these disparities will be discussed.


Arid Zone Birds

Capricorn Yellow Chats: life on the edgeWayne Houston, Central Queensland University, Centre for Environmental Management,Rockhampton, Qld, 4702, [email protected]

The Capricorn Yellow Chat is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ under the EPBC Act. At the outsetof the project, almost nothing was known about its current distribution, abundance and ecology.Repeated surveys of the only three historically recorded locations prior to its discovery in 1992 atCurtis Island on the coast near Rockhampton were required before chats were re-discovered on themainland. Most of the population is found in treeless, predominantly grassy, coastal plains withseasonally inundated wetlands. Although coastal, these wetlands dry completely in most years andthe extent of inundation varies substantially from year to year as a consequence of variable rainfallmaking them more similar to those of inland Australia.

Chat populations were found to fluctuate greatly in abundance in the post-wet season period (Marchto July). Abundance of chats correlates with the previous wet season’s rainfall, and breeding eventsare generally associated with wetland inundation. This rapid breeding response to inundation ismore typical of inland-adapted species. At sites with more persistent wetlands chats are presentthroughout the year, while occurrence at other sites is seasonal but with regular annual usage. Oneof these, Twelve-mile Creek near Rockhampton, was selected as a site to investigate patterns ofresource availability (freshwater inundation, food availability). Chat occurrence at this sitecoincided with the wet season (or occasional out-of-season inundation events), while breedingcoincided with peaks in invertebrate food availability. Dependence of chats on restricted parts ofmarine plain wetlands, and of breeding on wetland inundation, has highlighted the need to protectcritical catchments of such habitats from water harvesting activities.


Wanted: a bigger needle or a smaller haystack. Explaining and predicting the occurrence ofNight Parrots in a vast landscape.Steve Murphy, Allan Burbidge, Leo Joseph, Ian McAllan, Bill Venables and Edward King,Australian Wildlife Conservancy, PMB 925, Derby, WA 6728,[email protected]

The Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) is arguably Australia’s most threatened, least understoodand most cryptic bird. There has been a steady trickle of sightings since the last specimen wascollected in 1912. The recent discovery of two specimens in western Queensland inspires someconfidence in a population being found there. Currently, no-body can locate living Night Parrots ina systematic way and this is thwarting conservation attempts. Critical information regardingdistribution, habitat preferences, and spatio-temporal movements are lacking. To address this, weasked whether there were any consistent ecological signals among almost 200 Night Parrotsightings collated from the literature and unpublished anecdotes. We independently ranked thelikelihood of these sightings being Night Parrots using criteria that considered physical descriptions,behaviour and observer details. These ranks were incorporated into models, which specificallyaddressed whether rainfall (both interpolated rainfall data and satellite-derived NDVI) could beused to predict when Night Parrots might be encountered, and topography (based on a 9-seconddigital elevation model) to predict where they might be encountered. Preliminary results are as yetinconclusive, but they suggest that sightings may be more common in periods of above averagerainfall, and in moderately elevated areas of medium topographical complexity, thuspotentially narrowing down the spatio-temporal search window. This is in contrast to the commonlyemployed technique of surveying at isolated water during excessively dry periods. The data alsosuggest that there may have been some noticeable changes in the distribution of Night Parrots overthe last century.


Where does Hall's Babbler lie on the habitat specialist-generalist continuum?Dean Portelli, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New SouthWales, Sydney, NSW 2052, [email protected]

Habitat specialists generally have restricted distributions and/or specific habitat requirements andgenerally face a greater risk of extinction than habitat generalists. The Australian endemic Hall’sbabbler (Pomatostomus halli) is believed to be a specialist of mulga (Acacia aneura) and othersemi-arid and arid Acacia communities. However, since its relatively recent discovery in 1963 thespecies has been poorly studied. I studied a population of Hall’s babbler on Bowra Station insouthwest Queensland to examine the habitat requirements of this species and assess whether it is ahabitat specialist. Within a 4,400 ha study area I compared the structure and species composition ofvegetation communities at sites occupied by Hall’s babblers and sites where the species was absent.Hall’s babblers occupied habitat with greater tree canopy cover and density, and with a higherspecies richness of grasses. Most notably, the presence of Hall’s babbler was strongly associatedwith the presence of mulga. Using regional ecosystem mapping the association between mulga andHall’s babblers was also evident at the landscape scale across the entire station (14,700 ha). Thishabitat specificity of Hall’s babbler at a landscape scale has been further confirmed at additionalsites (e.g. Diamantina National Park), using data collected by volunteers. Finally, the distribution ofthe species closely matches that of Acacia woodlands and shrublands in eastern Australia. Thisresearch confirms that Hall’s babbler is a habitat specialist, as such the species may be vulnerable tohuman-induced habitat modification throughout the rangelands of eastern Australia


Mulga bird communities: effects of long-term and short-term variations in rainfall.Martin L. Cody, Dept. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA [email protected]

A total of 35 breeding bird censuses were conducted in mulga (Acacia aneura) bushland 1984-2007spanning the habitat range (QLD: 9 sites; NT: 7; SA: 9; WA: 10). Of 94 bird species censused, asubset (n=24) occurs far more frequently than predicted by neutral binomial models, and is termed“CORE” species. The 45 species that occur much less often than predicted by chance are termed“CASUAL” species, while the remaining 25 species are “PERIPHERAL.” The 35 sites averaged19.8±1.0SE species, with a mean density of 10.4±0.8SE I/ha.

An average 40 km separates census sites from the nearest meteorological stations. The long-termaverage (LTA) precipitation at these weather stations is 284mm ± 96SD, with 102mm ± 35SD(36%) falling in winter-spring (May-Oct). Sites with higher LTA precipitation support mulga thatis taller and denser, which in turn supports more species at higher densities. However, there is nodirect effect of LTA precipitation on species numbers and densities, only indirectly via thevegetation. Precipitation over the 6-month period prior to the census had the highly significanteffects on census data. Pre-census rainfall, compared and standardized between dry (50mm) andwet (250mm) years, produced: a) only minor effects on CORE species (±10% wet-to-dry), butmuch stronger effects of PERIPHERAL (±36%) and CASUAL (±74%) species; b) densities ofCORE species were affected more than numbers (±29% wet-to-dry), but again effects were greaterin PERIPHERAL (±44%) and CASUAL (±87%) mulga birds. Relative to others, the COREspecies remained relatively impervious to local rainfall variations.


Are flowering mistletoes a keystone resource in the arid zone woodlands of WesternAustralia?Suzanne H. Mather, 3 Hardy Road, Nedlands, WA 6009, [email protected]

The aim of this work was to test the veracity of the argument that mistletoe is a keystone resource.The questions to be answered were: does the presence of flowering mistletoe increase meliphagidabundance; is there variation in time spent foraging between different meliphagid species; does thesugar content affect meliphagid abundance and foraging time? Using a 20 minute repeat surveymethod at six arid zone woodland sites with different mistletoe and host species, a 2ha area of densemistletoe abundance was compared for species presence and richness with an adjacent site withoutthese plants. At each mistletoe site, the presence of meliphagids and total number of foraging visitswas recorded over 40 hours. Species density of >50% higher was recorded for the mistletoe sites.Results suggest that flowering mistletoe density and species may influence foraging visits with anaverage of 7.3 visits in a 240 mistletoe plant plot as opposed to 2.3 visits in a 30 plant plot, andAmyema spp. receiving more foraging visits (6.1–7.3 over 40 h) than the Lysiana spp. (2.3–2.6).White-fronted (Purnella albifrons), Singing (Lichenostomus virescens), Brown (Lichmeraindistincta) and Spiny-cheeked (Acanthagenys rufogularis) Honeyeaters were the most commonvisitors, averaging 204 to 290 seconds per foraging visit. The length of these nectar gatheringforaging visits suggests the value of this resource. The numbers of birds foraging did not appear tobe related to the varying nectar concentration values, measuring (9% to 25%), averaging 14.6%.However in areas where there is no other source of nectar, it is indicated that flowering mistletoeforms a significant part of the meliphagid species’ diet.


Bird Behaviour

The Acoustic Adaptation Hypothesis: low frequency and vegetation density differences inallopatric populations of the Western Whipbird Psophodes nigrogularisAngela McGuire, School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University,[email protected]

The Acoustic Adaptation Hypothesis postulates that bird songs that are lower in frequency, havenarrower bandwidths, have more spacing between song elements, and consist of longer elementswill be more prominent in habitats with dense vegetation due to their more robust transmissionproperties. Songs sung at higher frequencies with more modulating bandwidths are more likely toscatter in dense vegetation, hence not reaching intended receivers as effectively. Hence, it can beassumed that bird song structure has been shaped by the surrounding habitat in order to enhancetransmission and minimise sound degradation. Many empirical studies have tested this hypothesisand produced varied results. In these studies, vegetation density has been given a generalclassification of ‘open’ or ‘closed’ but never a quantifiable measure. In our study, we quantifiedvegetation density in three allopatric populations of the Western Whipbird Psophodes nigrogularisin South Australia. The songs of this species differ in the variable, low frequency, across itsdistribution and hence this is an ideal species to test the Acoustic Adaptation Hypothesis.


Making a song and dance about it: the complex display of the superb lyrebird.Anastasia Dalziell, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics group, Australian National University,Canberra, 0200. [email protected]

Many birds communicate using elaborate vocal and visual displays. Complex displays are puzzlingbecause they are likely to be both more costly to produce and more difficult for a receiver tounderstand than simple signals. However, complex signalling may evolve in order to (a)communicate different messages or address different receivers or (b) solve problems in thetransmission and perception of the signal. Furthermore, the ability to produce a complex displayitself may convey information. This project investigated the structure and function of complexdisplay in the superb lyrebird; a species world famous for their extravagant displays incorporatingoriginal song, mimicry of other species as well as static and dynamic visual components. Thisproject found that a) males mimic a greater range of sounds than has previously been reported b)males use different song and mimicry components in different social and ecological contexts and c)song and dance components were highly coordinated. These results suggest that the complexity ofthe superb lyrebird display is in part driven by the need to communicate different messages and thatthe display of the superb lyrebird is more intricate than has been previously reported.


Long term changes in the dialects of North Island KokakoSandra V. Valderrama-Ortiz,, University of Waikato, Department of Biological Sciences, Hamilton3240, New Zealand, [email protected]

Song divergence and dialect formation are intriguing issues in the science of birdsong, evolutionand ecology. Special attention has been focused on geographic variation as it provides insights intothe processes of speciation and song learning. However, existing studies have been limited bysampling song over narrow time scales. As a result, there is a lack of information on long termchanges in dialects and how change might affect social interactions such as neighbour recognitionand mate choice. The North Island kokako is an endangered songbird endemic to New Zealand. Afew original populations survive in isolated areas, and also new populations have been establishedby transferring individuals from surviving populations. Newly-founded or supplementedpopulations include individuals from a single dialect and multiple dialects providing a uniqueopportunity to study the formation of new dialects as it occurs. I collected historical andcontemporary recordings and classified songs into phrases, themes and repertoires - preliminaryspectral analyses of the recorded material, (examining song structure, complexity and singingpatterns) will be presented to delineate long term changes in kokako dialects. The findings willprovide a foundation for studies examining the social relevance of songbird dialects and songlearning as well as evidence of the role dialects may have on the success of future translocationsand the efficacy of conservation efforts to preserve this species.


Remote-touch foraging: morphological and behavioural evidence for a new sensory system inibises.Susan Cunningham, Isabel Castro, Maurice Alley, Murray Potter, Tom Jensen, MalcolmCunningham, and Mic Pyne, Ecology Group, Institute of Natural Resources, Massey UniversityPrivate Bag 11-222 Palmerston North, New Zealand, [email protected]

Birds that forage by probing in sand, soil or mud substrates, or in water, must often use senses otherthan vision to find their prey. One such sense is remote-touch, a system based on the interception ofvibrations in the substrate produced by burrowing prey, or the evaluation of pressure patternsproduced by buried hard-shelled sessile prey. In probing birds, such as sandpipers (Scolopacidae)and kiwi (Apterygidae) this system is mediated by a complex bill-tip organ consisting of clusters ofmechanoreceptors housed within pits in the bone of the bill-tips. We provide the first morphologicaland histological evidence for the existence of this bill-tip organ in a third family of probing birds,the ibises (Threskiornithidae). We also present the first behavioural evidence that the MadagascarCrested Ibis (Lophotibis cristata urschi), at least, relies on its bill-tip organ to detect buried preyitems. We found bill-tip organs in ibis species using a wide range of habitat types frompredominantly terrestrial to predominantly aquatic, suggesting ibises may use remote-touch whenforaging both in water and in granular substrates. Our data also strongly suggest a link between bill-tip organ morphology and habitat use in probing birds – a pattern we believe warrants furtherinvestigation, as it may provide insight into the evolution of remote-touch in birds.


Nectar concentration affects sugar preferences in four Australian bird species.K. R. Napier1, T. J. McWhorter2, S. W. Nicolson3, P. A. Fleming1

1School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150,Australia, 2School of Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, SA 5371,Australia, 3Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, SouthAfrica, [email protected]

Diet preferences may reveal a great deal about the digestive physiology of birds and theirrelationship with food sources. Most importantly, diet preferences are likely to reflect physiologicalconstraints and therefore mechanisms of digestion. We have assessed the interaction between dietconcentration and sugar-type preferences of three nectarivorous bird species (rainbow lorikeetTrichoglossus haematonotus, red wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata, and New Hollandhoneyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae) and one frugivorous bird species (silvereye Zosteropslateralis). Each individual bird was offered paired energetically-equivalent diets: a sucrose solutionand hexose (1:1 mixture of glucose:fructose) solution over a range of diet concentrations from0·075 to 2 mol/L Sucrose Equivalents (SE). Similar patterns were found for all nectarivorousspecies. Intake on the most dilute diets was insufficient to maintain energy balance for severalspecies, suggesting that these birds faced physiological constraints. All species demonstrated apreference for hexose over sucrose when offered dilute diets, and sucrose (or no) preference onmore concentrated diets. A switch from hexose preference on dilute diets to sucrose preference onconcentrated diets has now been shown for American hummingbirds and flowerpiercers, Africansunbirds and Australian honeyeaters, lorikeets and silvereyes. The preference for hexose solutionson dilute diets suggests that reduced digesta retention time and low sugar concentration influencessucrose hydrolysis efficiency, whilst the absorption rate of monosaccharides is less limiting.Varying preferences suggest that the co-evolutionary relationships between birds and nectar sugarcomposition are likely to be similarly dynamic and environment dependent.


Waders

Diversity of waders at Pantai Trisik, Yogyakarta province, IndonesiaImam Taufiqurrahman, [email protected]

A field survey to study the diversity of waders at Pantai Trisik, Yogyakarta province, Indonesia,was carried out in April 2007-December 2008. Although known well as a location to watchmigratory waterbirds, especially waders, in Yogyakarta, there has not been an intensive surveypreviously.The study was conducted monthly by using walk-based surveys covering three wetland types.Previous records from many other sources are included. The results showed that there are 39 waderspecies from 5 families, 1 of Rostratulidae, 9 of Charadriidae, 24 of Scolopacidae, 1Recurvirostridae, 2 Phalaropodidae and 2 Glareolidae, recorded in the area. This total includessome of the more important and interesting records, such as Red (Grey) Phalarope Phalaropusfulicaria as new record for Indonesia, Nordmann’s Greenshank Tringa guttifer as new record forJava, three globally threatened species and several others for which there are few previous recordsfor Java.


Banding and flagging of Australian Pied Oystercatchers Haematopus longirostris on the NewSouth Wales North CoastGreg. P. Clancy, 56 Armidale Road, Coutts Crossing, NSW 2460, [email protected]

One hundred and thirty-nine (139) Australian Pied Oystercatchers Haematopus longirostris werebanded on the New South Wales North Coast during the period 1979 to 2009. Since 2006 66 birdshave also been flagged with yellow alpha-numeric flags. Forty-four birds have been recovered atleast once (31.5% of all banded birds), 36 of these being flagged birds (54.5% of all flagged birds).Single and multiple recoveries of banded and flagged birds have occurred at natal sites and up to570 km south-west and 321 km north. Two way movements have been recorded with birdsobserved in Queensland returning to New South Wales. The oldest recovery is of an Oystercatcherbanded as an adult at Red Rock NSW, part of its band number was read 22 years, 11 months and 23days after banding. The second oldest was of a bird banded as a pullus (runner), also at Red Rock,which was recovered six times at two separate locations distinct from its banding site, the last timebeing 22 years 2 months 19 days after banding. The large increase in the recovery rate of birds overtime can be attributed to the use of alpha-numeric flags. They have a number of advantages overthe former practice elsewhere of placing a number of colour bands on the legs of Oystercatchers.


Population and Habitat Character of White-headed Stilt (Himantopus leucocephalus Gould,1837) in JavaSurya Purnama Biology Department, Science and Mathematics Faculty, State University ofYogyakarta, Jl. Colombo No. 1, Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Kutilang Indonesia Foundation forBird Conservation, Jl. Tegal Melati No. 64 A, Jongkang, Sleman, Yogyakarta, [email protected]

The White-headed Stilt (Himantopus leucocephalus) is poorly known in Indonesia. Information onthe species is only on basic observations recording with little on population sizes or habitat choice.In Sumatra, the bird has only been surveyed in detail at one location, whereas, in other islands, suchas Java, there are only casual records. Although stilts are protected according to Indonesian law,there is less interest to the species. Therefore, a more detailed study is needed, especially on itspopulation, habitat characteristics and any threats. Better information from Java is important,because the hunting rate, habitat conversion and other bird threats are higher than elsewhere inIndonesia.Mapping and mist nets were used to survey the species in Muara Gembong and Indramayu (WestJava), Demak and Trisik (Central Java/Yogyakarta) and Wonorejo (East Java) over 2 years, fromNovember 2006 until February 2009. A total of 312 birds were recorded in 32 surveys; and 41individuals were caught and measured. The species is more common on the north coast of Java thanon the south coast, because the north is dominated by fishponds, estuary and mudflat, whereas southis dominated by sand dunes. It was also found nesting at Muara Gembong, Indramayu andWonorejo in fishponds. Stilts were only recorded twice each at Demak and Trisik, because theformer is near an industrial area and the latter is dominated by sand dunes.


Brisbane Water estuarine bird assemblage in early AutumnMark V. Robinson1, 3 & Dan E. Roberts2

1Bioregen Ecological Assessment & Restoration, Urunga NSW 2455, 2BIO-ANALYSIS Pty Ltd, 7,Narara, NSW 2250, 3Current address: Byron Shire Council, [email protected]

The Brisbane Water estuary, on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway is near a major city (Sydney)and adjacent to a regional urban centre (Gosford-Wyong). A literature and data review coupledwith an early autumn survey were undertaken to be incorporated in an Estuary PoM. The fieldsurvey (20 minute area search; n=137) targeted tidal mudflats adjacent to mangroves, tidal mudflatsadjacent to development, tidal flats exposed in waterbody, mangroves stands, saltmarshes indisturbed and less disturbed habitats. Birds were classed into taxonomic/functional groups foranalysis.

Brisbane Water estuary is habitat for a variety of shorebirds, waterbirds and forest birds. There areat least 110 species (4 exotic) from 13 Orders, 34 families (1 exotic) and 79 genera (3 exotic)documented from Brisbane Water estuary. Fifty-one native and four feral species were recordedduring surveys. Twenty-six JAMBA, twenty-four CAMBA and twenty-one RoKAMBA arerecorded in the estuary. Eleven NSW Threatened Species legislation species are recorded includingthree during surveys (Bush Stone-Curlew; Pied Oystercatcher, Black Bittern).

Autumn surveys- the most species rich taxonomic/functional group were the insectivores (9 spp.),waders (8 spp.), piscivores (7 spp.), omnivores and waterfowl (ea. 6 spp.), seedeaters (5 spp.), largewading bird (4 spp.), medium wading bird (2 spp.), aerial-insectivore, carnivore and carnivore[diurnal raptor](ea. 2 spp.), omnivores-scavenger and insectivore/nectarivore (ea. 1spp.) The twomost frequently recorded species are large wading birds while the least frequent observed birdswere a piscivore, omnivore, medium wading bird, wader, insectivore and aerial insectivore (ea. 1spp) and 5 seedeater species.


Responses of wading birds and scavenging raptors to a novel food source: the invasive canetoad.Christa Beckmann and Richard Shine, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney,NSW 2006, [email protected]

Invasive species can lead to dramatic loss of native species and ecosystem change, and have beenranked as the third greatest threat to bird populations globally. In some cases, however, the arrivalof an invasive species may have positive, not negative, impacts on some components of the nativeecosystem: for example, the invader may provide a new food resource for predators or scavengers.The cane toad (Bufo marinus) is one of the world's most infamous invasive species, and hasadversely affected populations of many of Australia's native predators (snakes, lizards, quolls).Remarkably, studies on the ecological impact of cane toads largely have ignored birds andscavengers. We investigated behavioral responses of native Australian wading birds and scavengingraptors to this novel and toxic food source in two separate experiments. First, we presented free-ranging wading birds with cane toad tadpoles and metamorphs, and alternative native prey in choicetrials. The birds avoided the toads, but did consume the native prey when presented alone. Whentoads were presented together with native prey, the number of native prey consumed decreased,suggesting that the presence of toads may interfere with birds foraging on native food items. In oursecond experiment, we presented free-ranging avian scavengers with road-killed cane toads andfrogs, and monitored off-take rates and preferences. Overall, raptors exploit this novel food sourceto provide significant additional resources, but (presumably reflecting their powerful toxins) toadsare less preferred than native frogs if a choice is available.


Status and Conservation of Australasian Seabirds

Plenary

Forty-one years of birth, life and death in Little Penguins– do we know what’s going on yet?Peter Dann, Research Department, Phillip Island Nature Park, P. O. Box 97, Cowes, Phillip Island,Victoria, 3922, [email protected]

Little Penguins on Phillip Island have been intensively studied and managed for the past 41 years.This research, initiated by the Penguin Study Group in 1968, was prompted by the appetite forbiological information of the 100,000s of visitors who came to watch the “Penguin Parade’annually. Since 1980, this study has been augmented by a group of full-time scientists and studentsand the purposes for research/monitoring have diversified. Some parameters, such as breedingproductivity and mass, have been estimated annually or monthly respectively (mass now monitoreddaily automatically), while others have been collected more frequently and over shorter time scalese.g. diet and foraging ranges. Time scales of current interest in this study range from intra-generational (monthly/seasonal) to life-time demography through to decadal variation in climateand beyond.

There is a common perception at large that four decades of study leaves little to be discovered butthis view is dependent upon the purposes for the monitoring and research. Although the usefulnessof long-term studies has been questioned periodically, they have enjoyed great favour with avianecologists and have been influential in shaping avian ecology over the past 50 years. In this talk Iwill present a case study of the essential elements of this long-term study of penguins, giveexamples of appropriate time scales for measuring various parameters and the different reasons formonitoring and discuss the usefulness of this long-term study to an understanding of the biology ofLittle Penguins and their conservation.


Status and conservation needs for Australian ProcellariiformesNicholas Carlile, David Priddel and Barry Baker, Department of Environment, Climate Change andW a t e r , P O B o x 1 9 6 7 , Hurs tv i l le BC, NSW 1481, Aus t ra l ia ,[email protected]

The significant global decline in seabirds, particularly Procellariiformes, has been heavilypromulgated during the last few decades. This has lead to a range of specific conservation actionsbeing undertaken at state, national and international levels. This presentation reviews the progressmade, along with the resultant changes in status and conservation needs of the 43 species ofProcellariiformes that breed within Australia. Nationally 25 species are considered threatened,others are listed as threatened under various state legislations. In the last decade the downlisting ofGould’s Petrel from endangered to vulnerable under New South Wales legislation has been the onlyimprovement in conservation status of any of these species. In 2002, a review highlighted twospecific threats for Australian Procellariiformes: interaction with fisheries operations at sea andpredation by exotic pests on land. Management of the at-sea threats is being addressed through anational threat abatement plan and various international treaties. In addition, several Australianislands have been cleared of exotic mammalian pests and other, more ambitious, eradications areplanned for Macquarie and Lord Howe islands. Unfortunately, while conservation action hasprogressed, the knowledge base of most Australian Procellariiformes has changed little in recenttimes. Population trends are known for only a select handful of species. Lack of basic informationon population demography limits our ability to assess the outcomes of conservation action.


Australian Seabird Responses to Climate ChangeLynda E. Chambers1, Bradley C. Congdon2, Nic Dunlop3, Peter Dann4, Carol Devney5

1Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, Bureau of Meteorology, GPO Box 1289,Melbourne, Vic 3001, Australia. 2Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Cairns,Qld 4870, Australia, 3Conservation Council (WA), 2 Delhi Street, West Perth, WA 6005, Australia,4Research Department, Phillip Island Nature Park, PO Box 97, Cowes, Vic 3922, Australia, 5

AIMS@JCU, Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia,[email protected],

Seabirds in the Australian region are influenced by climatic and oceanographic variation andchange, which manifests through changes in distribution, success and timing of breeding, chickgrowth and survival of adults and immature birds. Changes already observed including: southwardrange movements, reduced breeding success and altered breeding timing.However, for many seabirds and regions limited information is available on prey distributions andbiology, foraging and movement patterns, and the ability of species to alter prey species or life-cycle timing. All of these factors make generalisations about potential impacts of future climatechange and adaptive capacity in seabirds difficult. However, southward expansion of breedingcolonies will be limited by available habitat and the distribution of prey species. Sea level rise islikely to reduce existing breeding habitat, particularly for burrow and surface nesting species onlow-lying islands – at least in the short term.In many cases, regional or more localised assessments of resilience or adaptive capacity may berequired, with data obtained specifically for that purpose. Examples of adaptation options include:managing breeding habitats to increase resilience to climate change, reducing or eliminating non-climatic threats to improve the likelihood of autonomous adaptation and reducing anthropogeniccompetition for resources. Further research and monitoring of key species are clearly requiredincluding the determination of which species and systems are more vulnerable to climate change,where generalisations about impacts and adaptation can be made and which species may serve mosteffectively as indicators of climatic impacts on higher trophic predators.


A Seabird Colony Database for New Zealand.Robyn Blyth_, Kerry-Jayne Wilson_ and Susan Waugh_, 1. 41 Jutland St, North Beach,Christchurch, New Zealand, 2. Ecology Department, Lincoln University, Canterbury, 3. Forest andBird, Wellington, [email protected]

Approximately 86 species of seabirds breed in New Zealand at thousands of breeding sites. Formost species the location of breeding sites is poorly documented and there are estimates of colonysize for very few locations. What information we have is scattered through hundreds of publishedand unpublished sources. Accurate knowledge of colony distribution, population size andpopulation trends is known only for Australasian gannet, some albatross species and those otherspecies known to be endangered. For other species the lack of a central repository for colony datahinders conservation. This database has been funded by the Forest and Bird Protection Society inresponse to needs identified in the State of New Zealand's Seabirds report published by OSNZ.Once completed this database will allow us to identify species and sites in need of management andwill help identify conservation priorities for New Zealand seabirds. The database will also be usedto identify candidate sites for Important Bird Areas for Birdlife Internationals World Bird Database.Here we present an overview of progress made so far, and make an appeal for further unpublishedinformation.


Customary harvest and long term viability of muttonbirds in the Marlborough Sounds, NewZealand: implications for retaining traditional cultural heritageAmelia Geary, Nicola Nelson, Kristina RamstadAllan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, VictoriaUniversity of Wellington, Wellington, New [email protected]

Sooty shearwaters (t_t_, muttonbird, Puffinus griseus) are New Zealand’s most abundant seabirdand were once an important seasonal source of food for local M_ori in the Marlborough Sounds.Harvest of this long-lived seabird typically occurred on offshore islands but ceased in the 1960s. Asis the case with seabirds globally, pressures from pollution, climate change and fisheries threatenthese now relatively small island populations of the Marlborough Sounds. Local iwi (M_ori tribes)would like to resume low level harvests of these birds to retain their traditional knowledge of themuttonbirding practice. With biological data from three island populations in the MarlboroughSounds and harvest information from local M_ori, we conducted population viability simulationsusing the programme VORTEX to determine the resilience of these populations to resumed harvest.Results indicate that all populations have low rates of intrinsic population growth (r = 0.004 to0.019), but that some populations are more resilient than others to harvest. Harvest rates greaterthan two chicks every ten years could have serious repercussions to one population’s long termviability. Better monitoring of the populations is required before any harvest is resumed, andpopulations should be carefully selected for any future customary harvest.


Recovery and post-breeding migration of Providence PetrelDavid Priddel and Nicholas CarlileDepartment of Environment, Climate Change and Water, PO Box 1967, Hurstville BC, NSW 1481,Australia, [email protected]

The Providence Petrel (Pterodroma solandri) is endemic to Australia; it breeds on only two oceanicislands off the east coast of mainland Australia. Due to its restricted breeding distribution it is listedas vulnerable under Australian legislation. The population on Lord Howe Island is expanding inboth size and distribution following the removal of feral populations of pigs, cats and goats.Although threats on land have largely been addressed for the Providence Petrel, we know littleabout the threats at sea. The pelagic distribution of this species, particularly during the non-breedingseason, is poorly known. With the advent of smaller geo-location loggers the at-sea movements ofsmall seabirds can now be investigated. Although accuracy is low, the data provide, for the firsttime, annual migration routes and at-sea locations of foraging activity during the non-breedingperiod. Here we present some preliminary results of the post-breeding trans-equatorial migrationand movements of Providence Petrel breeding on Lord Howe Island.


Growth, emergence and provisioning of providence petrel chicks Pterodroma solandri –implications for translocationDaniela Binder1, Richard Kingsford, David Priddel, and Nicholas Carlile, 1 Honours Graduate,Biological Earth and Environmental Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052,[email protected]

The providence petrel Pterodroma solandri was extirpated from its traditional breeding sites onNorfolk Island, Australia by 1800. As a consequence, the influx of marine nutrients to the islandsubstantially diminished, resulting in a reduction in tree growth and vigor. The species now breedsalmost exclusively on Lord Howe Island. Re-establishing a population on Norfolk Island isessential to restore their keystone role in this ecosystem and would also significantly improve theconservation status of this vulnerable species. Translocation of chicks is only the known means ofre-establishing colonies of seabirds. Providence petrel are highly philopatric, so only chicks thathave not yet imprinted on their natal colony can be transferred, but techniques to identify suitablyaged chicks are lacking. We investigated the timing of first emergence, growth and provisioning ofchicks during the 2008 breeding season on Lord Howe Island, Australia to provide the informationnecessary to develop such techniques. The optimal time for translocation of providence petrelchicks, based on first emergence and chick development, was between 31 and 26 days. The bestindicator of chick age was wing length. Chicks selected for translocation should have wingsmeasuring 180–199 mm, have loss of down on their wing but none on their head, belly, rump ornape and weigh at least 620 g. Parental feeding probability decreased from 0.38 during the period44-21 days before fledging to 0.07 in the last five days before fledging with mean meal size about84 g. This should be supplemented artificially for translocated birds. The information gainedthrough this study means that translocation of the providence petrel can now be undertaken withconfidence.


Getting the message out 1, Working with community groupsKerry-Jayne Wilson1 and Karen Mayhew2, 1West Coast Blue Penguin Trust and EcologyDepartment, Lincoln University, Canterbury, 7647, New Zealand, 2West Coast Blue Penguin Trust,33 Fraser Street, Ross, West Coast 7812, New Zealand, [email protected]

Throughout Australasia ever more seabird populations are threatened at sea and on land. In NewZealand we have as many threatened seabirds as non-marine species, yet the Department ofConservation no longer employs dedicated seabird specialists. Conservation related research inUniversities and research institutions is similarly terrestrially biased.People conserve what they value and value only what they know. To most people seabirds aremysterious beings out there beyond the horizon, not birds they have experienced in person.Seabirds need a better profile. Working with community groups is an effective way to heightenpeoples’ awareness, knowledge and respect for seabirds.The West Coast Blue Penguin Trust (WCBPT) was formed by local residents concerned at thedecline in blue penguins nesting locally. The WCBPT undertakes research that quantifies threatsand devises strategies to combat them, plus a community arm which provides opportunity forlaypeople to learn about penguins and participate in their conservation. The WCBPT holdscommunity events where experts describe penguin biology and conservation, predator trappingworkshops and supports local groups to trap predators and monitor penguins. Working withchildren is important, at local schools and beach festivals children can participate in interactivegames and art activities that have conservation learning outcomes. The annual ‘census’ encouragesa sense of environmental guardianship.The West Coast has other seabirds of greater conservation concern so why the emphasis on bluepenguins? This was the charismatic species residents knew. A challenge ahead is to increaseawareness of those less visible species.


Getting the message out 2: Working through the artsNicholas Carlile, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, PO Box 1967, HurstvilleBC, NSW 1481, Australia, [email protected]

Acknowledgement of the plight of seabirds and the conservation actions taken to protect them isoften limited to occasional newsprint articles or as end pieces to the evening news. Generally, thepublic’s appreciation of these issues is highly coloured by feel-good movies like Happy Feet orwildlife documentaries that tend to gloss over the threats that beset this declining group of birds.Tapping into the creative arts is one way to enlighten, inspire and educate people about the realissues of seabird conservation. This approach not only provides those who are already ecologicallyaware with potential solutions, it reaches those in our communities that would not normally beexposed to such issues. In this presentation I describe two very different forms of the creative artsused to promote a conservation message about seabirds. One is a very personal view—a music clip,viewable on the internet. The other is a themed pottery class that began in a local primary schoolbut soon grew to involve schools from within the broader region. Whatever the approach, it is animperative that any message presented gives the recipient tangible actions that they can undertake.Whether the message is general (e.g. only eat fish caught by sustainable fisheries) or specific (e.g.don’t land on a particular island), people must be empowered to act in a positive way to protectseabirds.


Ecology of Seabirds

The effects of data-logger attachment on breeding Short-tailed ShearwatersMark J. Carey, Department of Environmental Management and Ecology, La Trobe University,Wodonga, Victoria, 3690, Australia, [email protected]

Concern has been raised about the potential negative effects of attaching tracking devices to anumber of seabird species. Of particular concern are their possible effects on a bird’s reproductiveand foraging performances. The extra weight carried by the individual, design of the device andlocation of attachment, all potentially have serious effects on an individuals’ flight, diving andforaging abilities. These devices may also lead to a bias in results or an inaccurate interpretation ofthese results as birds with them may not be behaving ‘normally’. Here, the possible effects of a5.4g Global Light Sensing (GLS) data-logger attached to a modified aluminium band wereinvestigated on Short-tailed Shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) breeding on Great Dog Island,Furneaux Group, Tasmania. Return rates, breeding success and body condition were comparedbetween equipped and non-equipped birds over two breeding seasons from 2007 - 2009. Noevidence of negative effects of data-loggers on return rates, egg size, chick quality or adult bodycondition were found. These results suggest that appropriate data-loggers are a relatively benignmethod of obtaining at-sea foraging and behavioural information from seabirds. Monitoringtracked individuals and their reproductive output should be considered an integral part of all futureGLS studies.


Diet of Gould’s Petrel and environmental impacts on species conservationLana McGee, 69 Probert St, Newtown, NSW 2042, [email protected]

Conservation programs on Gould’s Petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera leucoptera), to date, havefocused on protecting nesting sites and improving breeding success. Threats to long-termconservation of seabirds can also be evaluated by identifying the environmental impacts on foragespecies populations. Physical analysis of stomach contents is an effective method for determiningthe diet of seabirds. Gould’s Petrel spends its life at sea, with mature adults only coming to land tocourt and breed. Over a two day period in March 2009 the stomach contents of 82 chicks and 6adults of Gould’s Petrel were collected on Cabbage Tree Island, off Port Stephens NSW. Fishotoliths and cephalopod lower beaks were examined physically, and identified using plates,descriptions and keys. Initial examination identified neritic and coastal cephalopods as a majordietary category (species to be confirmed). The content data suggest that this is an opportunisticfeeder which, at this time, is foraging in coastal areas of the south-western Tasman Sea possiblynear Tasmania. Forage species availability is affected by Tasman Sea currents, the Subtropical frontand the Tasman front. Threats to forage availability include coastal development, pollution andincreased temperature due to climate change.


Estimation of survival and age-at-first-return of grey-faced petrels (Pterodroma macropteragouldi) breeding in the Bay of Plenty, New ZealandChris Jones, Landcare Research, P.O. Box 40, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand, Hugh Clifford, DavidFletcher, Paul Cuming, and Phil Lyver, [email protected],

We used banding records of 5844 adult birds and 928 chicks in a mark-recapture framework toestimate apparent annual survival of adult and young grey-faced petrels (Pterodroma macropteragouldi) from two colonies in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand between 1991 and 2008. We alsoestimated the age of first return (AFR) of young birds. After accounting for transience effects,which were greater at the mainland site (Mauao, Mt. Maunganui) than on a nearby island(Motuotau), the apparent annual adult survival rate was 0.89. Apparent annual survival of youngbirds between fledging and two years of age was 0.844 for Mauao and 0.865 for Motuotau. Around50% of fledglings that return to their natal colony do so by four years of age, and by age six, theprobability of a fledgling returning is approximately 1.0. These are the first robust estimates ofdemographic parameters for this species and they will be useful in the development of models toguide the sustainable traditional harvest of petrel chicks by Maori from offshore islands.


The effect of proximity to habitat features on breeding success of Blue penguins (Eudyptulaminor), West Coast, South Island, New Zealand.Jasmine Braidwood 1, Janine Kunz 3, and Kerry-Jayne Wilson 1,2, 1 Ecology Department, LincolnUniversity, Canterbury, New Zealand 7647, 2 West Coast Blue Penguin Trust, West Coast, SouthIsland, New Zealand, 3 Centre for Nature Conservation, Georg-August University, Göttingen,Germany, [email protected]

The distribution of Blue Penguin nests was mapped in three South Westland colonies and fiveBuller colonies, and breeding success and nest occupancy were examined in relation to vegetationtype, nest type, distance to sea, and proximity to predator traps and bait stations.In both regions, the breeding success in coastal forest was lower (72.3%) than breeding success indense tangled scrubland (91.65%), perhaps related to the added protection scrubland providesagainst predators. Nest type also influenced breeding success. Nests located in substrate (soil, sand)under vegetation, in caves or under rock crevices had a higher breeding success than nests dug intoopen ground. This could be due to protection from predators or a more robust substrate.In both regions, nests closer to predator traps and bait stations had higher breeding success thanthose further away, suggesting that predators may prey less on nests located closer to traps and baitstations. Nests close to the sea were more successful that those further inland. In both regions, thedensity of Blue penguin nests was negatively correlated with distance to landing sites, suggestingthat penguins preferred shorter travel paths between the sea and burrows, to avoid high energycosts. Nests closer to tracks or roads were more successful than nests further away.There was no significance difference in breeding success between colonial and isolated breeders ineither region. Proximity to hightide line, scrubline, waterbodies, roads, traps and bait stations didnot influence the occupancy of nests in this study.


The trouble with ‘Wideawakes’ (Sterna fuscata) on Lord Howe Island.Lisa O’Neill, PO Box 3303, North Nowra NSW 2541, Australia, [email protected]

The Sooty Tern is the most common breeding seabird on Lord Howe Island, an oceanic island offNSW. The species was traditionally harvested for its eggs during the 19th and much of the 20th

century. The population size and breeding success of this NSW endangered species now fluctuatessignificantly from year to year. This is thought to be the result of changes in the regional sea surfacetemperatures brought about by eddies penetrating from the tropics, strongly influenced by the ElNino cycle.

The fluctuations of sooty tern numbers on the island do not go unnoticed. In ‘good’ years, the ternsrequire extra nesting space and tend to congregate on the foredune of the largest ocean beach, whichitself is an obstacle that tourist-laden aircraft negotiate daily. Add several thousand wheeling ternsto the dune top and you have a grave problem. This paper outlines the biology of the species on theisland, its changing fortunes and considers the threat of bird strike for aircraft and potentialsolutions to the problem.


Seabird bycatch in New Zealand fisheriesEdward Abraham and Finlay Thompson, Dragonfly, PO Box 27535, Wellington 6141, NewZealand, www.dragonfly.co.nz

Seabirds are caught in New Zealand commercial fisheries. These captures are reported by Ministryof Fisheries observers when they are on board vessels. In this talk, we describe work being done toestimate the total catch of seabirds in selected fisheries from the observer data. Statistical modelsare built for captures in trawl, surface longline and bottom longline fisheries, for five species groups(white-capped albatross, white-chinned petrel, sooty shearwater, other albatross and other birds).The models allow extrapolation from the kills during observed fishing, to the kills on unobservedfishing. Data from the five period covering the 2002-03 to 2006-07 fishing years are presented. Theestimation allows the efficacy of recently introduced mitigation measures to be evaluated.


Migration

Regional breeding and migration strategies based on intensive volunteer census anddemographic monitoring.C. John Ralph, Redwood Sciences Laboratory, Judit K. Szabo, University of Queensland, St Lucia,Queensland, Australia , Leo Salas PRBO Conservation Science, Petaluma, California USA, JaredWolfe and Josée Rousseau US Forest Service, Arcata, California, USA 95521, [email protected]

Effective conservation requires in-depth knowledge of the life history strategies of migratory andresident birds which we have blended into a unique combination of census and demographic data.Recently new analytical tools have appeared on the scene, that can provide critical information onthe interactions between demographics, habitat and climatic dynamics, interactions with otherspecies, and the timing of bird movements and physiological events. In our region we likely havethe densest concentration of monitoring stations in the world: about 120 mist-netting stations andover 20,000 census stations in an area of about 500 kilometres on a side. Operating these stationsregularly from early spring through late autumn, and applying new statistical visualization andanalytical tools, gives us reliable information for many species and their conservation. Wedemonstrate though power analyses how these answers would be impossible without the availabilityof this large complex of data sets generated by a multitude of observers. Coupled with thedemonstration of web-based data, it provides several powerful tools to the investigator and to theanalyst. We have discovered that within a species, regional differences can be as profound as thosebetween species, and as critical to their survival. For example we have found plasticity in migrationand dispersal strategies can show that species have a surprising amount of ability to adapt todifferent climatic conditions between years, an ability hitherto thought to be the provenance of birdsin much more stochastic environments.


Re-examination of the epic transoceanic migration of the long-tailed cuckoo Eudynamystaitensis (Aves: Cuculidae)Brian J Gill, Auckland Museum, Auckland, New Zealand, [email protected]

Long-tailed cuckoos (Eudynamys taitensis; 125 g) breed only in New Zealand, parasitising threespecies of Mohoua (Pachycephalidae). After performing perhaps the most remarkable overwatermigration of any land bird, they winter in a vast arc of Pacific islands extending 10,000 km fromPalau (134.5°E) to Henderson Island (Pitcairn group; 128.3°W). Such an epic migration by sosmall a bird was originally doubted. After systematic collecting of birds on south Pacific islands bythe Whitney South Sea Expedition (1920-32), a 1937 paper by Bogert established the bare details ofthe migration. This study aims to reassemble data on the long-tailed cuckoo’s migration, usingspecimens and literature records. The sexes are alike, but juveniles (spotted back, rufousunderparts) are readily distinguishable from adults (barred back, white underparts), allowing newanalysis of migration patterns in relation to age. Preliminary results show that many birds in thewintering grounds have intermediate plumage (are presumably moulting from juveniles to adults).At the start of the breeding season (October-December) practically all birds in New Zealand areadults, and juveniles in museum collections are overwhelmingly restricted to late summer andautumn. This establishes that all juveniles in New Zealand are young-of-the-year. One of the threehosts (yellowhead M. ochrocephala) is now critically endangered. This must mean that thepopulations of cuckoos adapted to parasitising yellowheads are endangered or extinct now, inproportion to the decline of their host. Certain Pacific islands to which the yellowhead-cuckoosmigrated may now lack cuckoos.


Observer differences in detection of avian migration eventsA.O. Nicholls 1,2 and C.C. Davey 1,1. Canberra Ornithologists Group, PO Box 301, Civic Square,ACT 2608, 2. Institute of Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Thurgoona, NSW2640, [email protected]

Recently there has been a world wide upsurge in community supported monitoring programs. Thishas provided scientists with new opportunities to elucidate habitat preferences and changes inabundance but it is difficult to establish the reliability of the data collected. We explore the firsttwenty five years of data from a community monitoring program run by Canberra OrnithologistsGroup to investigate how data from two groups of observers can be used to document cuckoomigration events. The two groups of observers differ with respect to the number of years they haverecorded the abundance of avian species in their garden; the first have recorded data for a minimumof twenty years and the second group a maximum of three years. We explore the similarities anddifferences of the data recorded by the two groups of observers in terms of the frequency that thefirst arrival date could be calculated for each year and ask if there are significant differencesbetween the two groups in terms of the observed first arrival date. For three of the commonspecies, Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo, Pallid Cuckoo and Fan-tailed Cuckoo the two groups ofobservers appear to see the arrivals at the same time. In contrast, for Shining Bronze-Cuckoo theshort term observers record the arrival some four week latter than the long term observer group.First arrival dates determined for the two groups of observers appear to show no change over thetwenty fives years of the survey for all four common species.


Spatio-temporal patterns of body condition and age ratios deduced from capture data inmigrating Passerines in north-western USAJudit K. Szabo, C. John Ralph, Daniel Fink, Peter L. Ralph, Leo Salas, The Spatial Ecology Lab,University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia, [email protected]

In the last dozen years an invaluable dataset has been compiled through the cooperative, volunteer-based Landbird Monitoring Network of the Americas (LAMNA). In this study, we analysed capturedata to explore regional migration strategies for eleven Passerine species. Data originates frommore than one hundred constant-effort banding stations located over a range of habitats in NorthernCalifornia and Southern Oregon, from coastal rainforest to high altitude shrub steppe desert 500 kminland. We used Bagged Decision Trees to investigate change in weight (used as surrogate for bodycondition) through time and space using fat score, wing, age, capture location, year and date aspredictors. We found marked differences in condition, inland being energetically harder on somemigratory species. This suggests that coastal habitats may play a more important adaptive role thaninland habitats. Age ratio patterns showed a strong coastal effect (higher percentage of probablymisoriented young on the coast) in four species (all strong migrants), weaker effect in two (migrantand weak migrant), no pattern for three (migrant, weak migrant and resident); and reverse coastaleffect in two (both residents). Overall, some species had clear regional patterns in both bodycondition and age ratios: birds in coastal habitats behaving quite differently from those in inlandregions. The strength of these patterns depended on the degree of migratory behaviour in thespecies or the population, even over a relatively small area of 250,000 square km. Identifying thecritical times and locations is crucial to focus conservation efforts for migratory species.


Plumage reflectance and feather wear in migratory shorebirdsPhil F. Battley, Craig P. Steed, Jesse R. Conklin, Zhijun Ma, Theunis Piersma and Jim Wilson,Ecology Group, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand,[email protected]

Breeding plumages of birds can serve several important roles in social interactions including matechoice and territory defence, as well as providing crypsis benefits to ground-nesting species. Intheory, pre-breeding moults should occur as close in time as possible to the breeding season, if a‘fresh’ plumage is a better signalling medium than a worn one. This does not happen for manylong-distance migrants, in which moult may occur substantially or even completely on the non-breeding grounds, and start as much as four months before breeding. Here, using spectrometry, weinvestigate whether the visual properties of the breeding plumages of migratory shorebirds varies(a) between populations that differ in the length of their migration (and hence how long is spentactively migrating) and (b) over time as birds migrate towards the breeding grounds. We collectedbreeding plumage feathers of Bar-tailed Godwit, Red Knot and Great Knot from different non-breeding or staging sites across their ranges, and from godwits on the breeding grounds in Alaska.We will discuss how the reflectance of the melanin-derived reddish breast or mantle featheringvaries in these groups, and how feather wear (breakdown of hooks and barbules, measuredmicroscopically) affects this. The next stage of the research is to measure melanin levels in thefeathers to determine whether longer-migrating populations invest less in their feathers andconsequently incur greater feather damage during migration.


Ecology

Determining optimal sampling effort for a landscape monitoring program for forest birdsRod Kavanagh 1, Trent Penman 1, Matthew Stanton 1, Patrick Tap 2 and Duncan Vennell 3

1 Forest Science Centre, NSW Department of Primary Industries, West Pennant Hills, NSW,Australia; 2 Forests NSW, Dubbo, NSW, Australia; 3 Department of Environment and ClimateChange, Narrabri, NSW, Australia, [email protected]

Biodiversity monitoring at multiple scales is needed for reporting status and trends in ecologicalsustainability, and to assess progress towards the achievement of State Plan Biodiversity Targets.Decisions about the allocation of sampling effort at each monitoring point, regardless of itslocation, involve trade-offs between the time-cost of surveys and the power of the monitoringdesign to detect changes in species presence or abundance. There is a need to determine theoptimal sampling effort for landscape monitoring programs for forest birds and other taxonomicgroups. We recorded 100 forest bird species at 81 points during a pilot monitoring program in thePilliga forests of north-western NSW. Simulations using a sub-sampling method were made todetermine the variation in bird species richness according to sampling plot size, number of samplingplots at each location, and number of visits to each plot. The time required for each samplingoption was recorded. We found that it was feasible to reliably record (i.e. with 90% confidence)about 30% of the forest avifauna in standardised species monitoring programs. These species wererepresentative of a number of ecological guilds and included some listed as “threatened”. Plot size,number of plots and number of visits all had important influences on species richness and speciesdetectability. Optimal sampling effort was determined by the capacity to sample more than onelocation per day. This required visits to fewer plots at each location and, accordingly, resulted infewer species detected with high levels of confidence. Our maximum sampling effort wasinsufficient to record all species known to be present, such that, additional visits or targetedresearch on selected priority species may be required. A statewide (national) grid offers potential asa framework for unbiased sampling of “resource condition” for species and habitat surrogates, andalso a solid platform from which to assess changes over time.


Secrets of an ecologically successful African parrotRutledge S. Boyes and Mike R. Perrin, School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, Universityof Kwazulu-Natal, Private Bag XO1, Scottsville 3209, South Africa, [email protected]

Meyer’s Parrot Poicephalus meyeri ha s the widest distributional range of any African parrot,exceeding that of the African Rose-ringed Psittacula krameri and Red-faced Lovebird Agapornispullarius. Meyer’s Parrots are distributed throughout subtropical Africa with strongest associationswith riverine forest and associated dry Acacia-Combretum or Miombo woodlands (e.g.Brachystegia woodlands), and secondary growth around cultivation in areas associated with theseforest habitat types. EO Wilson put forward that persistence of a phyletic line through geologicaltime is the key measure of ecological success. Ecological success is, therefore, a function of thenumber of species in the monophyletic group, occupation of unusual adaptive zones, extent ofdistributional range, and fluctuations in population size and status. As the most abundant (are theymore abundant than Senegal Parrots?) and widespread Poicephalus parrot, understanding theadaptive zone of Meyer’s Parrot is central to better understanding their ecological success. So, whyare Meyer's Parrots so successful in comparison with other Poicephalus parrots? Their secret lies intheir wide trophic niche breadth in comparison with other Poicephalus parrots, their affinity forriverine forest communities and associated dry woodlands, and their ability to breed successfullyduring winter in the African subtropics. Winter breeding is made possible by feeding on parasiticinsect larvae incubating inside (e.g. Bruchid larvae) or feeding on (e.g. Red Marula caterpillar) podsand fruits in their diet – these insect larvae may vary in different catchments and latitudes. As aresult of this cryptic food resource they are able to breed when no other competing cavity-nestingbird species are nesting and predation levels are significantly lower. In addition, other Poicephalusparrots do not utilise dry Acacia/Brachystegia/Combertum marginal woodlands, but inhabitspecialised regional forest habitat. River catchments, basins and valleys likely function as corridorsfor gene flow and contact between Meyer’s Parrot subspecies across subtropical Africa, thusfacilitating colonization and sub-speciation.


Population size and ecology of Milky Stork Mycteria cinerea in Sumatra, Indonesia

Muhammad Iqbal, [email protected]

The Milky Stork Mycteria cinerea is currently listed as Vulnerable because it has undergone a rapidpopulation decline due to ongoing loss of coastal habitat, human disturbance, hunting and trade. Itsstatus in Indonesia is less well known, but although good numbers can still be found at sites insouthern Sumatra there are reports that numbers have declined considerably. During 2008-2009, thepopulation of Milky Storks in Sumatra was surveyed. The main goal was to obtain basic data onthe current population of Milky stork on the east coast of Sumatra, which will help in theconservation of the species. Interviews with local people and forestry officials were principalsource of information on Milky Stork. Interviews with local people may identify further populationsand potential breeding areas. Terrestrial surveys were conducted both on foot and by using boats.Trip routes were planned on roads and tracks that cross as many river and tributaries as possible.Densities of Milky Stork were assessed in eastern Sumatra from the coastline at Lampung in thesouth to Aceh in the north. The standard site description and waterbird count forms (AsianWaterbird Census form) were designed and tested by Wetlands International. A total number of 497Milky Storks was counted during the 2008-2009 survey in Sumatra. The highest count duringsurvey period was 322 individuals in South Sumatra and the lowest count for Milky stork was 11individuals in Aceh. The low number in Aceh could be due to the impact of losing breeding habitat.Compared with the previous data from 1984-1986 and 2001-2007, it is clear that Milky Storkpopulations have declined. Although this survey could not cover all of the east coast of Sumatra, itis suspected that the maximum number of Milky Stork is not more than 2000 individuals. Thisestimate is based on this survey, recent information from local people, local birders, local universitystudent/teachers and historical records of Milky stork in Sumatra. On 17 June 2008 after a gap of 20years (2 September 1988), a Milky Stork breeding colony was found in Sumatra on Kumpai Lake(02º26’01.7”S 105º34’52.8”E). In the accessible parts, we found 31 Milky Stork nests and 65–75adult birds. It is estimated that there were 100–115 nests at the site. The colony was located in openmangrove back-swamps, some 6–7 km from the coast, with nests 2–20 m up in mostly dead treeswithin a flooded area about 15 ha in extent. No predation of young Milky Stork was seen during thesurvey. However, the tracks of a monitor lizard Varanus salvator were seen near a tree where MilkyStorks were nesting. We also found at least 81 young birds feeding with adults on the coast of theBanyuasin peninsula in October 2008, indicating successful breeding by this species in 2008.Contrary to the observations of Swennen and Marteijn (1987) that mudskippers are a major part ofthe dietary of the Milky Stork, we found that they mostly fed on catfishes Arius spp. The mainthreats to the survival of the species are human disturbance, hunting and habitat loss. Theexploitation of eggs and chicks was identified as the principal threat to the continued survival of thebreeding colonies.


Niche Separation in African Parrots.Mike R Perrin, School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal,Private Bag XO1, Scottsville 3209, South Africa, [email protected]

Several taxa of African parrots are segregated by body mass, and the three size classes differmarkedly in Hutchinsonian ratios. Greatest distributional overlap occurs between the large parrots(Psittacus and Poicephalus species) where niche separation equates with forest type and altitude,body mass, and feeding specialization. Several African parrot species of different body mass inhabitthe same specialized habitat type e.g. afromontane yellowwood forest (Cape Parrot Poicephalusrobustus and Yellow-faced Parrot P. flavifrons) or semi-arid scrub (Rüppell’s Parrot P. ruepelli andthe Rosy-faced Lovebird Agapornis rosicollis). All of the small Poicephalus parrots are allopatricalthough four species show partial distributional overlap with the similar-sized African Rose-ringedParakeet Psittacula krameri. Coexistence between this parakeet and the four small Poicephalusspecies in their semi-arid environment may be mediated through low densities, different foragingbehaviours (with respect to flight and bill morphology) and / or ecophysiology. Most lovebird(Agapornis) species are allopatric whereas the sympatric equatorial Red-faced Lovebird A.pullarius and Swindern’s Lovebirds A. swinderianus are separated by habitat and dietarypreferences. Dietary specializations include feeding primarily on figs, grass seeds or the kernels ofyellowwood fruits.


Ecology of the Yellow-plumed Honeyeater: Studies and Hypotheses from the Great WesternWoodlandsHarry F. Recher1 and William E. Davis Jr.2 1. School of Natural Sciences, Edith Cowan University,Joondalup, WA 6027, PO Box 154, Brooklyn, NSW 2003, 2. Boston University, 23 KnollwoodDrive, East Falmouth, MA 02536, USA, [email protected]

The Yellow-plumed Honeyeater (Lichenostomus ornatus) is a small to medium sized (14 – 24 gm)honeyeater (Meliphagidae) that has declined in abundance over most of its range in south-westernAustralia. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters form extensive colonies within the most productive eucalyptwoodlands from which they exclude other honeyeaters and smaller insectivores. They are canopyforagers and are most abundant in woodlands with mature trees and a relatively closed canopy.Although they take nectar and visit flowering eucalypts outside the colonial areas, Yellow-plumedHoneyeaters rely on lerp and honeydew for energy and take canopy arthropods primarily bygleaning and hawking. Foliage is the most frequently used foraging substrate, but Yellow-plumedHoneyeaters also probe under decorticating bark for honeydew. Shifts in foraging substrates appearrelated to changes in resource availability. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters are sensitive to the effectsof drought, failing to nest during dry seasons, and abandoning less productive habitats. The declineof Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters in the South West can be attributed partially to habitatfragmentation associated with clearing for agriculture and urban expansion. However, declines innon-fragmented forests in the higher rainfall zones is predicted to be a consequence of declininghabitat productivity and changed forest structure associated with a legacy of poor forestmanagement.

5th australasian ornithological conference 2009 armidale,...

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