Comparison of atlas data to determine the conservation status of bird species in New South Wales, with an emphasis on woodland-dependent species

Barrett, G.; Silcocks, Andrew; Cunningham, Ross B.; Oliver, Damon L.; Weston, Michael A.; Baker, Jack

doi:10.7882/az.2007.003

Cited by 51 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…The abundance of Anseriformes was estimated by using reporting rate and bird-count data from Birds Australia (Barrett et al 2003). Atlas data were collected during the 'New Altas of Australian Birds' project 1998-2002 from 279 000 bird surveys by 7000 observers.…”

Section: Risk Profilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk-based surveillance of avian influenza in Australia's wild birds

Tracey¹

2010

Wildl. Res.

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Context. The epidemiology of avian influenza and the ecology of wild birds are inextricably linked. An understanding of both is essential in assessing and managing the risks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).Aims. This project investigates the abundance, movements and breeding ecology of Australia's Anseriformes in relation to the prevalence of low-pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) and provides risk profiles to improve the efficiency and relevance of wild-bird surveillance.Methods. Generalised linear models and analysis of variance were used to examine the determinants of Anseriformes abundance and movements in Australia, and the observed prevalence of LPAI in Australia (n = 33 139) and overseas (n = 93 344). Risk profiles were developed using poultry density, estimated LPAI prevalence, the abundance of Anseriformes, and the probability of Anseriformes moving from areas of HPAI epizootics.Key results. Analysis of Australian wild-bird surveillance data strongly supports other studies that have found the prevalence of LPAI in wild birds to be much lower (1%) in Australia than that in other countries (4.7%). LPAI prevalence was highly variable among sampling periods and locations and significantly higher in dabbling ducks than in other functional groups. Trends in Anseriformes movements, abundance and breeding are also variable, and correlated with rainfall, which could explain low prevalence and the failure to detect seasonal differences in LPAI in wild birds. Virus prevalence of faecal samples was significantly lower, whereas collecting faecal samples was 3-5 times less expensive and logistically simpler, than that of cloacal samples. Overall priority areas for on-going surveillance are provided for Australia.Conclusions. Previous surveillance has occurred in high-priority areas, with the exception of Mareeba (North Queensland), Brisbane and Darwin, and has provided valuable information on the role of wild birds in maintaining avian influenza viruses. However, several practical considerations need to be addressed for future surveillance.Implications. Long-term surveillance studies in wild birds in priority areas are required, which incorporate information on bird abundance, age, behaviour, breeding and movements, particularly for dabbling ducks. This is important to validate trends of LPAI prevalence, in understanding the main determinants for virus spread and persistence, and in predicting and managing future epizootics of HPAI in Australia.

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Section: Risk Profilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk-based surveillance of avian influenza in Australia's wild birds

Tracey¹

2010

Wildl. Res.

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“…The Topknot Pigeon represents an extant species that is not listed by any system as threatened, but can no longer be seen in its former glory in many parts of its range. Their abundance in NSW did not significantly improve between 1977-1981 and 1998-2002 according to data analysis of the Atlas of Australian Birds (Barrett et al 2007). While extensive shooting occurred for much of the 20th Century (Frith 1982;Date et al 1996), the depletion of these activities into this century may alleviate pressure on Topknot Pigeon populations.…”

Section: Concluding Thoughtmentioning

confidence: 94%

Historical insight on the Topknot PigeonLopholaimus antarcticusin the Illawarra rainforests through the 20th Century

Waterhouse

2015

Australian Zoologist

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Once seen in flocks of thousands, the 20th Century was a testing period for the Topknot Pigeon Lopholaimus antarcticus. Bountiful numbers of this frugivorous bird relied on large expanses of habitat to provide a steady supply of fruiting trees. The Illawarra rainforests, already ravaged by clearing in the 1800's, was reduced to what is today less than five percent of its original area. In response, the super-flocks became scarce in the early part of the 20th Century. While they were able to adapt by feeding off paddock rainforest trees, another trial came in the form of extensive shooting for their meat. This paper describes the relationship of people with the Topknot Pigeon in the Illawarra through eyewitness accounts from the last century. There is a particular focus on the persevering culture of shooting and the endeavours to eliminate this.

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“…Their foraging behaviours strongly target ground-dwelling prey (Higgins & Peter 2002) which reduces the need to adopt multiple invertebrate sampling techniques. Additionally, ground-dwelling prey are likely to be more strongly influenced by agricultural practices like grazing and run off (Barrett et al 2007;Watson 2011) …”

Section: Suitability Of Study Region and Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Habitat loss and fragmentation, combined with land-use intensification, have placed enormous pressure on woodland-dependent biota resulting in reduced abundance and occurrence (Ford et al 2001;Barrett et al 2007;Vié et al 2009). Even previously common, widespread taxa are in decline (Szabo et al 2011;Stevens & Watson 2013) which could have alarming knock-on effects on both the structure and function of ecosystems (Gaston & Fuller 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Woodland birds are bearing the brunt of continued land-use change with habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation posing the greatest threats to population persistence (Ford et al 2001;Barrett et al 2007;Vié et al 2009). Determining the processes through which landscape modifications impact populations has proved challenging because patterns of population change have been inconsistent within species and across regions (Barrett et al 2003;Maron & Lill 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Why are woodland-dependent avian insectivore populations vulnerable to declines in highly-modified landscapes?

Cosgrove¹

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Habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation are the leading causes of faunal population declines.Substantial effort has been invested in identifying how these landscape changes are related to population parameters. However, to effectively mitigate declines, we must understand the underlying mechanisms impacted by landscape change. Woodland-dependent avian insectivores seem particularly vulnerable, and decline at rates disproportionately greater than other foraging guilds. This pattern suggests that reduced food availability in less-wooded landscapes may be a contributing factor. However, the evidence supporting this hypothesis is sparse. I adopted a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the mechanisms driving population changes of an avian insectivore in highly-modified landscapes by integrating physiological indices with measures of prey availability and landscape structure. First, I presented a framework for conceptualising how the spatiotemporal scale of fragmentation influences the mechanisms impacting populations. I then used the eastern yellow robin (Eopsaltria australis) in the Brigalow Belt South bioregion of southern Queensland to test the importance of local and landscape factors on robin site occupancy, prey density, and robin condition. I also investigated whether an index of chronic stress could be used to predict changes to robin occurrence and identify potential threats to the population. I concluded this work by conducting a supplementary feeding experiment to determine whether food availability was causing the variation in robin condition. A pilot study conducted in the study region four years earlier found that robins were more physiologically stressed (had higher heterophil:lymphocyte ratios) in sites with less woodland in the surrounding landscape, but site occupancy was unrelated to woodland cover. Re-examining the same study system, I established that woodland cover was now the strongest predictor of iii occupancy. While woodland cover at a local scale (within 500 m) was important for robin persistence, woodland cover at a broader scale relevant to dispersal movements (within 5 km) was not. While my stress index could not accurately predict the precise locations of future extirpations, patterns of stress indices (birds were more stressed where woodland cover was lower) did foreshadow a change to the pattern of occurrence. Extirpations from sites with low levels of woodland cover were balanced by colonisations of more-wooded sites. Surprisingly, I found that arthropod prey density was greater at sites that had less surrounding woodland. This result was primarily driven by a large number of Formicidae (ants). However, Formicidae have low nutritional value and once they were excluded from the results, soil moisture, not woodland cover, became the primary determinant of arthropod density. I predicted that robin condition would be strongly associated with arthropod density, but this was not the case. Instead, robins had elevated stress levels at sites with apparently more-favourable...

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Comparison of atlas data to determine the conservation status of bird species in New South Wales, with an emphasis on woodland-dependent species

Cited by 51 publications

References 30 publications

Risk-based surveillance of avian influenza in Australia's wild birds

Risk-based surveillance of avian influenza in Australia's wild birds

Historical insight on the Topknot PigeonLopholaimus antarcticusin the Illawarra rainforests through the 20th Century

Why are woodland-dependent avian insectivore populations vulnerable to declines in highly-modified landscapes?

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