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Animals that breed in cavities formed through decay or mechanical damage often face limitations to reproduction due to a shortage of nest sites. Artificial nests are commonly deployed to increase the short‐term availability of breeding sites for these species. Often this is an effective approach; however, artificial nests are costly and may be ignored by the target species or inadvertently benefit nontarget species. Here we consider the use of modified natural hollows and artificial nest sites to support endangered Norfolk Island green parrots Cyanoramphus cookii. We recorded the characteristics of all modified and artificial nests in the Norfolk Island National Park and used 8 years of nesting data to study nest selection by green parrots and introduced crimson rosellas Platycercus elegans. Artificial nests (those lacking a natural base) were never used by green parrots. Nests with thicker walls were more likely to be used by green parrots, but there was no nest site characteristic that predicted frequency of use. Crimson rosella nest use was not predicted by any of the nest characteristics measured. A better understanding of the reasons behind green parrots' avoidance of artificial nests and preference for thicker nest walls is required to inform the future design and management of nest sites. Our study shows that evaluation of how artificial sites are used by the target species is important to maximize the efficacy of conservation efforts.

Little is known about the distribution and ecology of the cryptic and unique marsupial mole. In this paper we report on the habitat preferences and surfacing behaviour of marsupial moles on the basis of surface sign surveys conducted in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Ayers Rock Resort over a 12-month period by Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park staff and traditional owners. A key aim of the study was to assess the potential viability of using surface sign as a rapid, non-intrusive alternative to traditional survey methods. We found that surfacing occurred widely across the study area, but that it was highly variable both across survey sites and over time. Significant relationships existed between surface sign counts and environmental variables, including fire age, timing of significant rainfall events, presence of infrastructure and the cumulative rainfall received in the preceding three months. We concluded that the use of marsupial mole surface sign is likely to be a useful method for monitoring the distribution, abundance and habitat requirements of this cryptic species.

Accurate detection of invasive rodents is essential to guide appropriate management responses, including effective control. Due to the arboreal behaviour of some invasive rodent species, above-ground monitoring may provide managers with a clearer picture of rodent presence. Numerous ground-based rodent monitoring tools have been tested and compared, but how these tools perform in an arboreal context is unknown. Our study sought to compare the strata-specific detection capability of three widely applied rodent monitoring tools using a nested design. Over two month-long periods, we deployed 180 monitoring stations at the ground, mid-storey and canopy across 30 forested sites. Each monitoring station consisted of a camera trap, chew card and tracking tunnel positioned to detect rodent presence. Device agreement was high, with all devices detecting rodent presence at 50% of stations. Chew cards were the most sensitive above-ground tool, implied by positive rodent detection 90% of the time, while tracking tunnels and camera traps generated a positive detection 74% and 75% of the time respectively. Low equipment costs also made chew cards the most cost-effective method. Detection performance differed according to the strata in which the device was deployed, thus a combination of methods that includes camera traps and chew cards was most effective when implementing a three-dimensional rodent monitoring network in forested settings. While not all methods are equal, traditionally ground-based rodent monitoring devices can be used to effectively monitor arboreal rodent activity. We provide evidence-based guidance for invasive rodent monitoring in an arboreal context to support future invasive rodent population control or eradication programs.