Academic literature on the topic 'Australian birds'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the lists of relevant articles, books, theses, conference reports, and other scholarly sources on the topic 'Australian birds.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Journal articles on the topic "Australian birds"
1
F. Recher, H. "Conservation and management of Australasian birds." Pacific Conservation Biology 3, no. 3 (1997): 171. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc970171.
Full textAbstract:
This is a special issue of Pacific Conservation Biology on the conservation and management of Australasian birds. Originally, the papers were presented at the Southern Hemisphere Ornithological Congress (SHOC) held in October 1996 at Albany, Western Australia. The Congress was organized by the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union following discussions in 1990 at the International Ornithological Congress in Christchurch, New Zealand on the need for regular, scientific ornithological meetings in Australia. The intent of those discussions was for a meeting of Australian/New Zealand ornithologists every two years.
2
Kallioinen, RUO, JM Hughes, and PB Mather. "Significance of Back Colour in Territorial Interactions in the Australian Magpie." Australian Journal of Zoology 43, no. 6 (1995): 665. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo9950665.
Full textAbstract:
In eastern Australia, two forms of the Australian magpie occur: a white-backed form and a black-backed form. These two forms hybridise across northern Victoria and into South Australia. In this study the response of territorial magpies to caged intruders was examined. Pairs of adult male magpies were introduced into territories. Both were adult black-backed birds, but in each case one of them had its back painted white. The pair was introduced to each territory twice, with the bird that was painted white differing between times. The experiment was run in a population of black-backed birds and a population in the hybrid zone containing white-backed, black-backed and hybrid birds. In both cases, the residents were more aggressive towards the intruder with the white-back than they were to the black-backed intruder. We suggest that this may be because a white-backed bird posed more of a threat to residents than a black-backed bird.
3
Hamman, Evan. "Bilateral agreements for the protection of migratory birdlife: the implementation of the China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA)." Asia Pacific Journal of Environmental Law 22, no. 1 (May 2019): 137–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.4337/apjel.2019.01.07.
Full textAbstract:
Every year, millions of migratory birds journey along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF). The scope of the EAAF encompasses Asia Pacific nations like Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. The effective conservation of these birds rests upon the implementation of bilateral legal agreements as well as non-binding regional initiatives along this North-South nexus. This article evaluates the implementation of one of the most important bilateral bird agreements in the region – the China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA). The main obligations in CAMBA are identified; as are the legal initiatives adopted by both China and Australia which reflect CAMBA's obligations. Whilst Australian law makes specific reference to CAMBA, Chinese law is far less direct, though perhaps no less effective. The argument is made that the findings in this article have relevance for an improved understanding of the mechanisms for transboundary governance of migratory birdlife, especially in the Asia Pacific.
4
Recher, Harry F. "Field guides, bird names, and conservation." Pacific Conservation Biology 23, no. 4 (2017): 315. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc17019.
Full textAbstract:
This is an essay that began as a book review. The book reviewed is: ‘The Australian Bird Guide’ by Peter Menkhorst, Danny Rogers, Rohan Clarke, Jeff Davies, Peter Marsack and Kim Franklin, and published in 2017 by CSIRO Publishing, Clayton, Victoria, Australia (paperback, AU$49.95, ISBN 9780643097544). I enjoy reviewing books and particularly enjoyed reading and reviewing this one. I enjoyed it because the illustrations of birds are superb and because the decision of the authors to follow a global list of bird names provided me with an opportunity to once again raise questions about the names given to Australian birds. Thus, the review morphed into an essay: in part an account of my experiences over the past 60 years with field guides, names, and nomenclature, in part a book review, and in part a bit about the conservation of Australia’s birds.
5
Smith, Jonathan. "GENDER, ROYALTY, AND SEXUALITY IN JOHN GOULD'SBIRDS OF AUSTRALIA." Victorian Literature and Culture 35, no. 2 (June 29, 2007): 569–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1060150307051649.
Full textAbstract:
WHEN THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTand bird illustrator John Gould launched his monumental publication onThe Birds of Australialate in 1840, the cover of the serial parts bore the image of the lyre bird (Menura superba) and a prominent dedication, “by permission,” to the young and recently-married Queen Victoria (Correspondence2: 213; see Figure 4). A few months later, issuing the part with the plate and descriptive text for the lyre bird, Gould declaredMenura superba“an emblem for Australia among its birds” (Birds of Australiavol. 3, plate 14; see Figure 5). This visual juxtaposition of Victoria and the lyre bird also reflected an association between them in Gould's mind, the lyre bird serving as emblem not only for the Australian colonies but also for their Queen. The association became more explicit and was extended to include Victoria's Consort in the decades that followed, for althoughThe Birds of Australiawas completed in 1848, Gould issued irregular supplemental installments during the 1850s and 60s and published a two-volumeHandbook to the Birds of Australiain 1865. One of the first discoveries Gould announced and figured in theSupplementwas a new species of lyre bird, which he namedMenura albertiin 1850 to acknowledge Prince Albert's “personal virtues” and “liberal support.” In 1862, in a tribute likely inspired by the recent death of the Prince, Gould dividedMenura superbainto two species and christened the newly-created oneMenura victoriae, thereby providing his grieving queen with an avian namesake to accompany Albert's.
6
McGinness, Heather M., Anthony D. Arthur, and Julian R. W. Reid. "Woodland bird declines in the Murray–Darling Basin: are there links with floodplain change?" Rangeland Journal 32, no. 3 (2010): 315. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rj10016.
Full textAbstract:
Woodland bird population declines in Australia have been attributed to various factors including habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation. However, the influence of altered water availability in the landscape upon woodland bird populations has not been examined, particularly in terms of changes in flood regimes and subsequent loss of floodplain productivity. In this review, we examine the importance to woodland birds of floodplains, floods, and associated vegetation communities, highlighting potential links between declining water availability, habitat degradation, and bird populations. Floodplain woodlands and forests may be important refuges for woodland bird populations because (1) floodplain woodlands and forests comprise some of the largest and most continuous vegetation remnants in south-east Australia; and (2) floods intermittently supply water, sediment and nutrients that drive greater primary and secondary productivity than found in woodlands not subject to flooding. However, floodplains in south-east Australia have been subject to substantial flow regime change, driven predominantly by dams and irrigation water use. Consequently, habitat quality for woodland birds has been degraded, potentially exacerbating population declines. We suggest that despite such change, floodplain communities and their requisite floods remain of great importance for the persistence, productivity and diversity of woodland birds in Australian drylands. We hypothesise that (1) the influence of flooding upon primary and secondary productivity in floodplain and riparian zones is a key driver of resident bird populations, and a key determinant of nomadic/migratory bird use of a site; (2) alterations in flooding and consequent changes in productivity and condition of floodplain vegetation have contributed to observed declines in resident woodland birds in Australian drylands; and (3) the influence of flooding upon productivity extends beyond local populations of floodplain residents to non-floodplain populations via dispersal, and that floodplain woodlands often act as a source population for surrounding non-floodplain woodlands. We make several testable predictions regarding these hypotheses.
7
Ritchie, Robert J., and Penny Olsen. "Australian Birds of Prey." Journal of Wildlife Management 61, no. 4 (October 1997): 1453. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3802162.
Full text
8
Wooller, RD, KC Richardson, and DR Wells. "Allometric Relationships of the Gastrointestinal Tracts of Insectivorous Passerine Birds From Malaysia, New-Guinea and Australia." Australian Journal of Zoology 38, no. 6 (1990): 665. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/zo9900665.
Full textAbstract:
Beak length, gizzard width and intestinal length were all similarly related to body mass in gleaning, insectivorous, passerine birds from Malaysia, New Guinea and Australia. The remaining morphological difference between the three groups were attributable more to functional constraints than to phylogenetic affinities. The more tropical birds had slightly longer, but not proportionately narrower, beaks and smaller gizzards than comparable Australian birds. It is suggested that this stems from tropical species taking more soft-bodied and/or mobile prey than birds from the more arid Australian region.
9
Bhatta, Tarka Raj, Anthony Chamings, Jessy Vibin, Marcel Klaassen, and Soren Alexandersen. "Detection of a Reassortant H9N2 Avian Influenza Virus with Intercontinental Gene Segments in a Resident Australian Chestnut Teal." Viruses 12, no. 1 (January 13, 2020): 88. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v12010088.
Full textAbstract:
The present study reports the genetic characterization of a low-pathogenicity H9N2 avian influenza virus, initially from a pool and subsequently from individual faecal samples collected from Chestnut teals (Anas castanea) in southeastern Australia. Phylogenetic analyses of six full gene segments and two partial gene segments obtained from next-generation sequencing showed that this avian influenza virus, A/Chestnut teal/Australia/CT08.18/12952/2018 (H9N2), was a typical, low-pathogenicity, Eurasian aquatic bird lineage H9N2 virus, albeit containing the North American lineage nucleoprotein (NP) gene segment detected previously in Australian wild birds. This is the first report of a H9N2 avian influenza virus in resident wild birds in Australia, and although not in itself a cause of concern, is a clear indication of spillover and likely reassortment of influenza viruses between migratory and resident birds, and an indication that any lineage could potentially be introduced in this way.
10
Peisley, Rebecca K., Manu E. Saunders, and Gary W. Luck. "Providing perches for predatory and aggressive birds appears to reduce the negative impact of frugivorous birds in vineyards." Wildlife Research 44, no. 4 (2017): 334. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr17028.
Full textAbstract:
Context Birds active in vineyards in south-eastern Australia can reduce or enhance crop yields via their foraging activities (e.g. by consuming grapes or by preying on grape-eating species). Aims We examined the effectiveness of artificial perches in encouraging predatory birds into vineyards to scare frugivorous birds and consequently reduce the damage they cause to grapes. Methods We monitored 12 artificial perches for 4 months during the growing season, spread over six vineyards in north-eastern Victoria, and compared bird damage to grapes at these sites with control sites without perches. Key results We found that raptors did not use the artificial perches. However, the large and aggressive Australian magpie (Cracticus tibicen) commonly used perches and we recorded 38513 perch visits by this species. Grapevines around perch sites suffered >50% less grape damage (4.13% damage per bunch) than control sites (8.57% damage per bunch). Conclusions Our results suggest that providing artificial perches in vineyards can play a role in reducing frugivore damage to grapes. However, the effectiveness of perches can vary under different environmental conditions and certain perch types are not suitable for all predatory or aggressive birds. Implications Future research should focus on the potential role of large-bodied and competitively aggressive species such as the Australian magpie in altering the activity of smaller frugivorous birds in vineyards, and also on the optimum height and location of artificial perches within vineyards to increase visitation by other predatory or aggressive bird species.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Australian birds"
1
Gibson, Michelle Rene. "Movement ecology of Australian arid-zone birds." Thesis, Durham University, 2018. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/12778/.
Full textAbstract:
The movements of nomadic species are poorly understood, being highly dynamic over time and space. There is an urgent need to better understand this group as current conservation approaches appear not to be providing adequate protection. In this thesis, I evaluate a survey method to monitor this dynamic group, assess environmental variables driving their movements over time, and explore how rainfall structures the overall avian community. To date, no standardized, large-scale monitoring has been carried out for arid zone or nomadic species. In Chapter 2, I describe a protocol for surveying this group over five years using two survey methods. Detection probabilities and robust density estimates were generated for 64 species and showed the majority fluctuated markedly over time. Line transect surveys were more effective for species richness and abundance measures. This survey method provides the first standardized density estimates for this assemblage and can be easily repeated in future for this and other remote, arid biological communities. The movement characteristics of species with unpredictable, aseasonal movements are very poorly understood and difficult to measure. In Chapter 3, I develop a method for quantifying extent of bird movement by analysing changes in species’ site persistence and variability in inter-annual densities over time, and compare results with existing movement classifications. Continuous variation in extent of species movement indicated that a binary grouping of resident versus nomadic species is inappropriate. Existing movement classifications likely underestimate species movements within arid regions of their distribution, suggesting that caution is needed when using sweeping species-level classifications, especially for Australian birds whose movements can be heavily environment-dependent. Unlike regular migration, which is triggered by seasonal cues such as day length and temperature, movement in nomads is thought to be triggered by less predictable environmental conditions. In Chapter 4, I explore the relative influence of dynamic and static environmental variables on species abundance. Dynamic variables were more important for nomadic versus resident species but static variables were equally important for nomadic and resident species. These findings suggest that habitat structure is important to consider in addition to dynamic environmental features for understanding nomadic species movements. Pulse events are thought to be positively correlated with nomadic species movements and to play an important role in structuring arid biological communities. In Chapter 5, I investigate how structural changes observed in Australia’s arid bird community relate to rainfall and vegetation greenness. The importance of rainfall was mediated through vegetation growth and the community is dynamic at a local level but exhibits stability at a landscape level, underscoring the importance of connectivity between suitable habitats within this landscape to enable species to reshuffle among sites. In sum, my thesis highlights the importance of standardized data for enabling an empirical approach to understanding nomadic and arid-zone bird species. Findings will advance our understanding of these species’ dynamics and lay groundwork for improving protection of this group by identifying further research priorities.
2
Berry, Lainie 1975. "Nest predation in some Australian forest, woodland and shoreline-breeding birds." Monash University, Dept. of Biological Sciences, 2001. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/9088.
Full text
3
Palmer, Grant Campbell, and grant palmer@deakin edu au. "Ecological value of riparian zones to birds in forest landscapes." Deakin University. School of Life and Environmental Sciences, 2007. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20071115.083927.
Full textAbstract:
Riparian zones are a characteristic component of many landscapes throughout the world and increasingly are valued as key areas for biodiversity conservation. Their importance for bird communities has been well recognised in semi-arid environments and in modified landscapes where there is a marked contrast between riparian and adjacent non-riparian vegetation. The value of riparian zones in largely intact landscapes with continuous vegetation cover is less well understood. This research examined the importance of riparian habitats for avifauna conservation by investigating the ecological interactions contributing to the pattern of bird assemblages in riparian and adjacent non-riparian habitats. Specifically, the focus is on the bird assemblages of riparian zones and those of adjacent non-riparian vegetation types and the influence that associated differences in resource availabilities, habitat structure and conditions have on observed patterns.
This study was conducted in the foothill forests of the Victorian Highlands, south-east Australia. Mixed-species eucalypt (genus Eucalyptus) forests dominate the vegetation of this region. Site selection was based on the occurrence of suitable riparian habitat interspersed within extensive, relatively undisturbed (i.e. no recent timber harvesting or fire events) forest mosaics. A series of 30 paired riparian and non-riparian sites were established among six stream systems in three forest areas (Bunyip State Park, Kinglake National Park and Marysville State Forest). Riparian sites were positioned alongside the stream and the non-riparian partner site was positioned on a facing slope at a distance of approximately 750 m. Bird surveys were carried out during 29 visits to each site between July 2001 and December 2002.
Riparian sites were floristically distinct from non-riparian sites and had a more complex vegetation structure, including a mid-storey tree layer mostly absent from non-riparian sites, extensive fine litter and coarse woody debris, and dense ground-layer vegetation
(e.g. sedges and ground ferns). The characteristic features of non-riparian habitats included a relatively dense canopy cover, a ground layer dominated by grasses and fine litter, and a high density of canopy-forming trees in the smaller size-classes.
Riparian zones supported a significantly greater species richness, abundance and
diversity of birds when compared to non-riparian habitats. The composition of bird assemblages differed significantly between riparian and non-riparian habitats, with riparian assemblages displaying a higher level of similarity among sites. The strongest contributors to observed dissimilarities between habitat types included species that occurred exclusively in either habitat type or species with large contrasts in abundance between habitat types. Much of the avifauna (36%) of the study area is composed of species that are common and widespread in south-east Australia (i.e. forest generalists). Riparian habitats were characterised by a suite of species more typical of wetter forest types in south-east Australia and many of these species had a restricted distribution in the forest mosaic. Some species (7%) occurred exclusively in riparian habitats (i.e. riparian selective species) while others (43%) were strongly linked to these habitats (i.e. riparian associated species). A smaller proportion of species occurred exclusively (2%) in non-riparian habitats (i.e. non-riparian selective species) or were strongly linked to these habitats (10%; i.e. non-riparian associated species).
To examine the seasonal dynamics of assemblages, the variation through time in species richness, abundance and composition was compared between riparian and non-riparian sites. Riparian assemblages supported greater richness and abundance, and displayed less variation in these parameters, than non-riparian assemblages at all times. The species composition of riparian assemblages was distinct from non-riparian assemblages throughout the annual cycle. An influx of seasonal migrants elevated species richness and abundance in the forest landscape during spring and summer. The large-scale movement pattern (e.g. coastal migrant, inland migrant) adopted by migrating species was associated with their preference for riparian or non-riparian habitats in the landscape. Species which migrate north-south along the east coast of mainland Australia (i.e. coastal migrants) used riparian zones disproportionately; eight of eleven species were riparian associated species. Species which migrate north-south through inland Australia (i.e. inland migrants) were mostly associated with non-riparian habitats. The significant differences in the dynamics of community structure between riparian and non-riparian assemblages shows that there is a disproportionate use of riparian zones across the landscape and that they provide higher quality habitat for birds throughout the annual cycle.
To examine the ecological mechanisms by which riparian assemblages are richer and
support more individual birds, the number of ecological groups (foraging, nest-type and body mass groups) represented, and the species richness of these groups, was compared between riparian and non-riparian assemblages. The structurally complex vegetation and distinctive habitat features (e.g. aquatic environments, damp sheltered litter) provided in the riparian zone, resulted in the consistent addition of ecological groups to riparian assemblages (e.g. sheltered ground invertebrates foraging group) compared with non-riparian assemblages. Greater species richness was accommodated in most foraging, nest-type and body mass groups in riparian than non-riparian assemblages. Riparian zones facilitated greater richness within ecological groups by providing conditions (i.e. more types of resources and greater abundance of resources) that promoted ecological segregation between ecologically similar species. For a set of commonly observed species, significant differences in their use of structural features, substrates and heights were registered between riparian and non-riparian habitats.
The availability and dynamics of resources in riparian and non-riparian habitats were examined to determine if there is differential availability of particular resources, or in their temporal availability, throughout the annual cycle. Riparian zones supported more abundant and temporally reliable eucalypt flowering (i.e. nectar) than non-riparian habitats throughout the annual cycle. Riparian zones also supported an extensive loose bark resource (an important microhabitat for invertebrates) including more peeling bark and hanging bark throughout the year than at non-riparian sites. The productivity of eucalypts differed between habitat types, being higher in riparian zones at most times for all eucalypts combined, and for some species (e.g. Narrow-leaved Peppermint Eucalyptus radiata). Non-riparian habitats provided an abundant nectar resource (i.e. shrub flowering) at particular periods in the annual cycle. Birds showed clear relationships with the availability of specific food (i.e. nectar) and foraging resources
(i.e. loose bark). The demonstration of a greater abundance of resources and higher primary productivity in riparian zones is consistent with the hypothesis that these linear strips that occupy only a small proportion of the landscape have a disproportionately high value for birds.
Riparian zones in continuous eucalypt forest provide high quality habitats that contribute to the diversity of habitats and resources available to birds in the forest
mosaic, with positive benefits for the landscape-level species pool. Despite riparian and non-riparian habitat supporting distinct assemblages of birds, strong linkages are maintained along the riparian-upslope gradient. Clearly, the maintenance of diverse and sustainable assemblages of birds in forest landscapes depends on complementary management of both riparian and non-riparian vegetation.
4
Rollinson, Daniel J., and n/a. "Synanthropy of the Australian Magpie: A Comparison of Populations in Rural and Suburban Areas of Southeast Queensland, Australia." Griffith University. Australian School of Environmental Studies, 2004. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20040924.152124.
Full textAbstract:
The urbanised environment provides ecologists with unique situations in which to undertake ecological study. It has been said that urbanisation is like a natural experiment; we often have populations of animals that have gone from living in natural or semi-natural environments to living in a highly modified anthropogenic environment. These situations provide ideal settings to study the ecological and behavioural differences that may develop in populations located in different habitats. Urbanisation typically results in a minority of species dominating the fauna, and this thesis aimed to examine one such species, the Australian magpie. Despite the magpie being a common and well-liked suburban bird, the majority of previous research on this species has been undertaken within rural or exurban locations. This thesis aimed to examine what actually happens to the species when it lives in the suburban environment. In particular I focused on specific behavioural and ecological features, to see if there were any particular adaptations the suburban magpies showed and also if the suburban habitats provide certain resources favourable to the magpies and what ecological effects these may have. Comparisons of the territory structure and resources of rural and suburban magpies showed that although many features of the territory are similar between rural and suburban locations, notably the choice of native nest trees, magpie territories within suburban areas were smaller and contained more anthropogenic features. The reduced territory size may possibly be related to a greater abundance of key food resources also evident within suburban areas. Furthermore, suburban magpies are more successful in their foraging attempts, again possibly reflecting a more abundant food supply in suburbia and also the simplified nature of suburban foraging areas might facilitate more successful foraging. The increased foraging success is likely to explain the greater provisioning rate to nestling suburban magpies. Suburban magpies also utilised human provided foods. I quantified the extent of wildlife feeding within many of the suburban study sites of this thesis (through the use of questionnaire surveys). In each of the locations it was evident that at least one person (usually more) was providing a regular supply of food to wildlife and magpies appeared to be the main recipients of this food. Previous ecological studies suggest the provision of extra food to avian populations is likely to affect the breeding ecology, and this was so for magpies. The suburban populations initiated breeding significantly earlier than rural magpies. To test the influence of food, supplementary food was provided to rural magpies, not currently receiving any additional human provided foods. The fed rural magpies initiated breeding before control rural magpies (i.e. not receiving any additional food) but suburban magpies still initiated breeding before all other groups. This suggests additional factors present within suburbia, such as warmer temperatures, may also control the timing of breeding in magpies. Magpies in rural and suburban locations lived within different vertebrate communities. Within suburban magpie territories a greater number of intrusions were made by domestic animals, notably dogs (Canis lupus) and cats (Felis domesticus). The frequency of raptors entering the territorial areas occupied by magpies appears to suggest such events are more common in rural areas. The number of humans entering magpie territories was obviously greater in the more populated suburban areas and the majority of magpies responded neutrally to humans. However a group of magpies that previously exhibited extreme aggression towards humans were found to have a greater frequency of aggressive interactions with potential predatory intruders, which were primarily humans. Subsequent examination of the level of corticosterone from this aggressive group of magpies found that a high level of aggressive interactions with potential predators and humans is reflected in higher level of corticosterone, which may have implications for further behavioural and even physiological changes. An ability to habituate to human in urbanised areas is a key attribute of successful synanthropic species. Comparisons of magpies disturbance distances at different points along the urban gradient (the gradient that runs from the urbaised city to natural wildlands) found suburban magpies only responded to humans when they had approached to a close distance (often less than one metre) and many simply walked away to avoid the approaching human. Rural and exurban magpies responded to humans at greater distances than suburban magpies. The distance at which they responded to the human was usually 100 meters plus, and these magpies always flew away. A continuation of this investigation over a temporal scale again found the large difference in response to humans, with suburban magpies exhibiting a decreased response towards humans. However, a certain proportion of responses from suburban magpies were also aggressive. The examination of disturbance distance over the breeding season found that in suburban magpies the responses of most disturbance distance variables remained similar between breeding stages. Rural magpies, however, exhibited variation in their responses towards humans depending on the stage of breeding. It is suggested that the response of rural magpies may be a typical fear response towards an unusual potential threat. The studies presented in this thesis show that magpies have the behavioural capacity to take advantage of resources in suburban landscapes that are not available or are in lessor supply in rural landscapes, it is these abilities that facilitate the magpies synanthropy.
5
Zharikov, Yuri. "Feeding ecology of shorebirds (Charadrii) spending the non-breeding season on an Australian subtropical estuarine flat /." St. Lucia, Qld, 2002. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe16734.pdf.
Full text
6
Ishigame, Go. "Biological effects of backyard feeding the Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) in south-east Queensland /." [St. Lucia, Qld.], 2004. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe18294.pdf.
Full text
7
Watson, James Edward Maxwell. "Bird responses to habitat fragmentation at different spatial scales : illustrations from Madagascan and Australian case studies." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2004. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:abbeb257-d2b1-4c4a-bb87-195c51995e38.
Full textAbstract:
Despite increasing publicity, habitat loss and fragmentation remain a serious threat to biodiversity. The main objectives of this research were (i) to study the effects of forest fragmentation on the distribution and abundance of resident birds in the fragmented littoral forests of southeastern Madagascar and temperate woodlands of southeastern Australia at three spatial scales (patch, landscape and regional) and (ii) to place the results of these case studies within the realms of the equilibrium theory of island biogeography and its descendent theories, to ascertain whether it is appropriate to use these theories to derive conservation scenarios within these threatened regions. Deforestation of Madagascar's remaining forests is considered a global concern due to both its current high intensity and the small amount of forest claimed to be remaining on the island. Surprisingly, very few studies have considered the impacts of forest fragmentation on bird diversity in Madagascar. A multi-scale study on the effects of littoral forest fragmentation and degradation on birds is therefore a major step forward for bird conservation on the island. Furthermore, prior to this study no known work has been conducted on the avifauna within the threatened littoral forests of eastern Madagascar. My results indicated that (i) the littoral forests contained bird species assemblages that were unique when compared to neighbouring forest habitats, (ii) many forest-dependent bird species were significantly affected by habitat structure and especially proximity to forest edge and (iii) many forest-dependent species were affected by landscape factors such as remnant shape and remnant size. No relationship was found between measures of landscape composition, remnant 'isolation' and bird distribution within littoral forest remnants.
8
Rogers, Andrew M. (Andrew Munro). "Avian assemblages of invasive Australian Acacia thickets in the Western Cape." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/20303.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Human-modified habitats form increasingly large components of landscapes, threatening biodiversity and creating challenges for conservation. In some cases altered habitats form entirely novel ecosystems that may support new combinations of species and species abundances, and create habitat space in otherwise transformed landscapes. In the Western Cape of South Africa, woody invasive species contribute to landscape-level habitat transformation and form novel ecosystems. Invasive Australian Acacia species are especially problematic in lowland areas where they create dense thickets and substantially transform both biotic communities and abiotic processes. Despite the prominence of Acacia thickets across the Western Cape, their ability to support native fauna is not well understood and the objective of this study was to assess the significance of Acacia thickets as habitat for the region’s avifauna. Birds were surveyed in Acacia thickets in the south-western Western Cape in three seasons to examine species richness, abundance and functional abundance. Furthermore, I examined the extent to which differences in patch-level vegetation structure alter bird communities. Between survey sites and seasons, significant variation was observed in assemblage richness, density, median body size and biomass. Variation in vegetation density, stem density, mean vegetation height and total canopy cover best explained variation in bird assemblages. Eighty species were estimated to utilize Acacia thickets and assemblages had a mean density of 7.78 birds per ha. The most abundant feeding guilds were the mixed feeders and insectivores. The median body size observed was 15.2 g and the body size frequency distribution of all species in Acacia spanned a similar range compared to the body size frequency distribution for the species list for the entire Western Cape. The mean biomass of bird communities was 0.224 kg per ha. Using data on bird density and biomass, Acacia thickets across the Fynbos Biome support and estimated average of over 21 million birds with a combined biomass of over 600 thousand kg. This study found that Acacia thickets in the Western Cape support a subset of the region’s birds with the most abundant species being small mixed feeders, which are also frequently urban-adapted. Compared with other habitat types, Acacia support bird assemblages with moderate species richness and density. This study shows that Acacia thickets, as a novel habitat, provide a significant amount of habitat space in a highly transformed landscape and highlights the need for comprehensive evaluation of altered habitats before assumptions are made about their ecological value.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Getransformeerde habitatte maak vermeerderend groot deel uit van die omgewing, dit bedreig biodiversiteit en skep groter uitdagings vir bewaring. In sommige gevalle vorm hierdie getransformeerde habitatte geheel nuwe ekosisteme wat moontlik nuwe kombinasies van spesies en spesie volopheid kan onderhou. Verder skep nuwe ekosisteme habitat spasie in anders veranderde landskappe. In die Wes-Kaap van Suid-Afrika dra die Australiese Acacia indringer spesies is veral problematies in laagliggende areas, aangesien dit digte ruigtes vorm, asook beide die biotiese gemeenskappe en die abiotiese prosesse aansienlik transformeer. Ten spyte daarvan dat daar volop Acacia ruigtes in die WesKaap is, word min verstaan van hul vermoë om inheemse fauna te onderhou. Die hoofdoel van hierdie studie was om die belang van Acacia ruigtes as habitat vir die area se voëllewe te bepaal. Voël-opnames in die suidwestelike dele van die Wes-Kaap is gedoen in Acacia ruigtes oor drie seisoene, om spesierykheid, volopheid en funksionele volopheid te ondersoek. Verder is die mate waartoe verskille in die plotte van die plantegroei struktuur, die voëlgemeenskappe verander, geondersoek. Daar was aansienlike variasie waargeneem in die spesiesamestelling rykheid, voorkoms digtheid, mediaan liggaamsgrootte en biomassa van die voëls tussen die onderskeie voëlopnaam plotte en die seisoene. Die variasie in plantegroei digtheid, stam digtheid, mediaan plantegroeihoogte en totale kroonbedekking verduidelik hierdie variasie in spesiesamestelling die beste. Tagtig voëlspesies Acacia ruigtes benut en die populasiesamestelling het ‘n gemiddelde digtheid van 7,78 voëls per ha. Die mees algemene voel-voeding-guldes was die gemengde-voedsel-vreters en insekvreters. Die median liggaamsgrootte waargeneem was 15,2 g en die liggaamsgrootte frekwensieverspreiding van alle spesies in Acacia ruigtes is ooreenkomstig met die liggaamsgrootte frekwensieverspreiding vir die spesielys vir die hele Wes-Kaap. Die gemiddelde biomassa van voel gemeenskappe was 0.224 kg per ha. Acacia ruigtes oor die fynbosbioom wat ‘n geskatte gemiddelde van meer as 21 miljoen voels ondersteun, met ‘n gesamentlike biomassa van meer as 600 duisend kg. Hierdie studie het bevind dat Acacia ruigtes in die Wes-Kaap ‘n onderafdeling van die streek se voels ondersteun, met die mees algemene spesies as die klein gemengde-voedsel-vreters, wat ook dikwels stedelik aangepas is. In vergelyking met ander habitattipes ondersteun Acacia ruigtes voel samestellings met matige spesierykheid en digtheid. Hierdie studie toon dat die Acacia ruigtes, as ‘n nuwe habitat, ‘n beduidende hoeveelheid habitat ruimte in ‘n hoogs getransformeerde omgewing skep en beklemtoon die behoefte aan ‘n omvattende evaluering van veranderde habitatte, voor aannames gemaak word oor hul ekologiese waarde.
9
Shephard, Jill, and n/a. "A Multi-Scale Approach to Defining Historical and Contemporary Factors Responsible for the Current Distribution of the White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster (Gmelin, 1788) in Australia." Griffith University. Australian School of Environmental Studies, 2004. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20041012.142221.
Full textAbstract:
The White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster is widespread in Australia, but has been the subject of conservation concern due to suggested localised declines and extinctions. Regionalised monitoring programmes have addressed some aspects of local concern, however a broader approach is needed to gain an understanding of large-scale processes affecting long-term persistence at scales equivalent to the species Australian range. Ultimately, the ability to predict change in population size over time accurately depends on the scale of analysis. By necessity, ecological studies using direct sampling techniques are often made across spatial scales smaller than a species geographic range and across relatively short time frames. This seems counter-intuitive considering that long-term species persistence is often dependent on large-scale processes. The principal aim of this thesis was to identify historical and contemporary forces responsible for the current pattern of population structure in H. leucogaster. This required a multi-scale approach, and the resulting research uses genetic, distributional and morphometric data. Haliaeetus leucogaster is a large territorial raptor that historically has been associated with coastal regions, lakes and perennial river systems. It has an extensive worldwide distribution from the western coast of India throughout the Indomalaysian region, Papua New Guinea and Australia. By virtue of the species' large-scale distribution, in Australia it is fairly cosmopolitan in its use of habitat and prey types. Haliaeetus leucogaster is monomorphic for adult plumage colouration, but in body size displays reversed sexual dimorphism with female birds significantly larger. A discriminant function based on 10 morphometric characters was 100% effective in discriminating between 19 males and 18 females that had been sexed using molecular genetic methods. Re-classification using a jackknife procedure correctly identified 92% of individuals. The discriminant function should be a viable alternative to genetic sexing or laparoscopy for a large proportion of individuals within the Australo-Papuan range of this species; and can also be used to identify a small proportion of "ambiguous" individuals for which reliable sexing will require those other techniques. I used mitochondrial (mtDNA) control region sequence data to investigate the current distribution of genetic variation in this species at the continental level and within and between specified regional units. I was specifically interested in identifying breaks in genetic connectivity between the west and east of the continent and between Tasmania and the Australian mainland. Overall, genetic diversity was low and there was no significant level of genetic subdivision between regions. The observed genetic distribution suggests that the population expanded from a bottleneck approximately 160 000 years ago during the late Pleistocene, and spread throughout the continent through a contiguous range expansion. There is insufficient evidence to suggest division of the population into different units for conservation management purposes based on the theoretical definition of the 'evolutionary significant unit'. It is clear from the analysis that there are signatures of both historical and contemporary processes affecting the current distribution. Given the suggestion that population expansion has been relatively recent, additional sampling and confirmation of the perceived pattern of population structure using a nuclear marker is recommended to validate conservation monitoring and management at a continental scale. To determine the existence of perceived population declines across ecological time scales, I analysed the Australian Bird Atlas Data to identify the extent and pattern of change in range and density of the species between three Atlas Periods (1901-1976, 1977-1981 and 1998-2001) using a new standardised frequency measure, the Occupancy Index (OI) for 1° blocks (approx. 100km2) across the continent. At the continental scale, there was no significant difference in the spatial extent of occupancy between Atlas Periods. However, there were considerable changes in frequency and range extent between defined regions, and there were distinct differences in the pattern of change in OI between coastal and inland blocks over time. Coastal blocks showed much more change than inland blocks, with a clear increase in the use of coastal blocks, accompanied by a decrease in inland blocks, during the 1977-1981 Atlas Period, relative to both other Atlas Periods. The over-riding factor associated with distributional shifts and frequency changes was apparently climatic fluctuation (the 1977-1981 period showing the influence of El Nino associated drought). The impression of abundance was strongly dependent on both the temporal and spatial scale of analysis. To test for correspondence between geographic variation in morphology and geographic variation in mtDNA I analysed morphometric data from 95 individuals from Australia and Papua New Guinea. First, the degree of morphometric variation between specified regions was determined. This was then compared with the pattern of genetic differentiation. There was a strong latitudinal cline in body dimensions. However, there was no relationship between morphometric variation and patterns of genetic variation at least for mtDNA. Females showed a pattern of isolation by distance based on morphometric characters whereas males did not. Three hypotheses to explain the pattern of morphometric variation were considered: phenotypic plasticity, natural selection and secondary contact between previously isolated populations. I conclude that the pattern of morphometric variation is best explained by the suggestion that there is sufficient local recruitment for natural selection to maintain the observed pattern of morphometric variation. This implies that gene flow may not be as widespread as the mtDNA analysis suggested. In this instance either the relatively recent colonisation history of the species or the inability of the mtDNA marker to detect high mutation rates among traits responsible for maintaining morphometric variation may be overestimating the levels of mixing among regions. As might be expected given the physical scale over which this study was conducted, the pattern of genetic, morphometric and physical distribution varied dependent on the scale of analysis. Regional patterns of genetic variation, trends in occupancy and density and morphometric variation did not reflect continental patterns, reinforcing the contention that extrapolation of data from local or regional levels is often inappropriate. The combined indirect methodologies applied in this study circumvent the restrictions imposed by direct ecological sampling, because they allow survey across large geographic and temporal scales effectively covering the entire Australian range of H. leucogaster. They also allow exploration of the evolutionary factors underpinning the species' current distribution.
10
Tubelis, Dárius Pukenis. "Patch-matrix interactions and bird species conservation in a plantation-dominated landscape in Australia." Connect to this title online, 2005. http://tede.ibict.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=327.
Full textBooks on the topic "Australian birds"
1
Molly, Trounson, ed. Australian birds. 2nd ed. French Forest, N.S.W: PR Books, 1989.
Find full text
2
Australian artists, Australian birds. North Ryde, NSW, Australia: Angus & Robertson, 1989.
Find full text
3
The great Australian birdfinder. Sydney: Lansdowne Press, 1986.
Find full text
4
Geddes, Margaret. Australian birds: A celebration. Scoresby, Vic: Five Mile Press, 2012.
Find full text
5
Winters, Bob. Australian guide to birds. Melbourne: Wilkinson Publishing, 2008.
Find full text
6
Field guide to Australian birds. Archerfield, Qld: Steve Parish Publishing, 2000.
Find full text
7
Field guide to Australian birds. Archerfield, Qld: Steve Parish Pub., 2004.
Find full text
8
Goodsir, Don. Fascinating Australian birds: A pictorial guide. Melbourne: Brolga Pub., 2011.
Find full text
9
Parish, Steve. Australian birdlife. Broomall, PA: Mason Crest Publishers, 2003.
Find full text
10
Slater, Raoul. Growing up with Australian birds. Archerfield, Qld: Steve Parish Publishing, 2007.
Find full textBook chapters on the topic "Australian birds"
1
Filippich, L. J. "First Aid in Birds." In Care and Handling of Australian Native Animals, 53–62. P.O. Box 20, Mosman NSW 2088, Australia: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, 1990. http://dx.doi.org/10.7882/rzsnsw.1990.005.
Full text
2
Morgan, Dai K. J., John G. Innes, and Joseph R. Waas. "Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen Latham, 1802)." In Invasive birds: global trends and impacts, 183–93. Wallingford: CABI, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1079/9781789242065.0183.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract This chapter describes the common terminologies, taxonomy, morphology, geographical distribution, physiology, diet, behaviour, reproduction, habitats, ecology, invasion pathways, environmental impact, control and human use of the Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen).
3
Daniels, Grant, and Jamie Kirkpatrick. "Ecology and Conservation of Australian Urban and Exurban Avifauna." In Ecology and Conservation of Birds in Urban Environments, 343–70. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43314-1_17.
Full text
4
Munro, Ursula. "Life-History and Ecophysiological Adaptations to Migration in Australian Birds." In Avian Migration, 141–54. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2003. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-05957-9_9.
Full text
5
Moore, Grace. "Beasts, Birds, Fishes, and Reptiles: Anthony Trollope and the Australian Acclimatization Debate." In Animals in Victorian Literature and Culture, 65–82. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-60219-0_4.
Full text
6
"Australian Mudnesters." In Birds of Australia, 338–39. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9781400865109.338.
Full text
7
"Australian Climate and Rainfall." In Birds of Australia, 11. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9781400865109.11.
Full text
8
"COUNTING TERRESTRIAL BIRDS: USE AND APPLICATION OF CENSUS PROCEDURES IN AUSTRALIA." In Australian Zoological Review 1. Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, 1989. http://dx.doi.org/10.7882/rzsnsw.1989a.003.
Full text
9
"Birds." In Wildlife of Australia, 54–257. Princeton University Press, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9781400846825-005.
Full text
10
"An Eye for a Predator: Lateralization in Birds, with Particular Reference to the Australian Magpie." In Behavioural and Morphological Asymmetries in Vertebrates, 61–71. CRC Press, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781498713375-11.
Full textConference papers on the topic "Australian birds"
1
Seitz, Tobias, Florian Mathis, and Heinrich Hussmann. "The bird is the word." In OzCHI '17: 29th Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction. New York, NY, USA: ACM, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3152771.3152773.
Full text
2
Mielczarski, W., and M. Widjaja. "Analysis of bids and re-bids of generators in the Australian National Electricity Market." In IEEE Power Engineering Society. 1999 Winter Meeting (Cat. No.99CH36233). IEEE, 1999. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/pesw.1999.747271.
Full text
3
Widholm, Scott, and Mariappan Jawaharlal. "Analysis of Cassowary Casques for Shock Absorption." In ASME 2016 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/imece2016-65120.
Full textAbstract:
The cassowary, a large flightless bird native to Australia, is best known for the helmet-like casque on its head. This casque looks like a large bony fin, but actually is a hollow structure made of keratin. Because the cassowary uses this casque to ram trees to knock down fruit, it is thought that the structure might provide much of the shock-absorbing qualities needed to keep the head safe. This analysis is a first look into this possibility.
4
Liu, Yuee, Jinglan Zhang, Dian Tjondronegoro, and Shlomo Geve. "A Shape Ontology Framework for Bird Classification." In 9th Biennial Conference of the Australian Pattern Recognition Society on Digital Image Computing Techniques and Applications (DICTA 2007). IEEE, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/dicta.2007.4426835.
Full text
5
Mitchell, Simon, Simon Jones, Eckehard Lorenz, Andreas Eckardt, Karin Reinke, and Peter Moar. "Comparison of MODIS and bird in detecting wildfires over large areas in an Australian context." In IGARSS 2012 - 2012 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium. IEEE, 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/igarss.2012.6351236.
Full text
6
Zircon*, Indra, Robert Hall, and Benyamin Sapiie. "Late Neogene History of the Bird's Head Area, West Papua, Indonesia: An Insight From Detrital Zircon." In International Conference and Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia 13-16 September 2015. Society of Exploration Geophysicists and American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1190/ice2015-2206292.
Full text
7
Lawrence, William T., Marc L. Imhoff, Thomas D. Sisk, and David Stutzer. "Bird habitat mapping in the Kakadu National Park, Australia, using synthetic aperture radar (NASA/JPL AIRSAR)." In Third International Asia-Pacific Environmental Remote Sensing Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere, Ocean, Environment, and Space, edited by Stephen G. Ungar, Shiyi Mao, and Yoshifumi Yasuoka. SPIE, 2003. http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.472697.
Full text
8
Fischer, Sarah, Andrew Edwards, Patrice Weber, Stephen Garnett, and Timothy Whiteside. "The Bird Assemblage of the Darwin Region (Australia): Twenty Years, No Change <sup>†</sup>." In 1st International Electronic Conference on Biological Diversity, Ecology and Evolution. Basel, Switzerland: MDPI, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/bdee2021-09448.
Full text
9
Zhang, Hui, Jianfeng Yao, Xiang Li, and Kai Zhao. "Maximising the Value of Multi-Sensor Streamer Data via MAZ Processing." In International Petroleum Technology Conference. IPTC, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.2523/iptc-21435-ms.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract The North West Shelf of Australia contains a late Paleozoic to Cenozoic sedimentary succession, which attains a thickness of over 10 km and is dominated by Triassic to Lower Cretaceous sediments. The deeper plays exist at multiple stratigraphic levels including oil-prone Jurassic sediments and faulted gas-prone Triassic sediments. The area has been proven difficult as far as seismic imaging is concerned, particularly over the Madeline trend. The presence of a hard, rugose water bottom, strong reflectors beneath the water bottom, and shallow Tertiary carbonates make the Dampier Sub-basin vulnerable to multiple contamination, amplitude distortion, lower signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and unreliable AVO response. Poor seismic quality in the data has been a significant barrier to reducing exploration risk. In the 1990s, East Dampier (1992, blue polygon in Figure 1) and Keast (1997, yellow polygon in Figure 1) seismic data were acquired in East-West and North-South directions respectively, in an effort to better understand the impact from the shallow complex overburden. To address these challenges, the Demeter survey was acquired in 2003 (black polygon in Figure 1) with a denser acquisition grid. The overall seismic quality was improved, but the results still contained a significant level of residual multiples. Later, the Fortuna survey, the most comprehensive multi-sensor seismic survey on the North West Shelf of Australia to date, was acquired in 2014 with the aim to provide better subsurface imaging (pink polygon in Figure 1) from different acquisition perspectives. The data was processed with advanced processing technology, including shallow water demultiple, deghosting and high definition tilted orthorhombic velocity model building (Birdus et al., 2017). However, the final results were still suffering from a number of challenges, specifically: 1) strong residual multiple in near offsets, 2) low S/N ratio, particularly at reservoir level, and 3) inconsistency from near to far stack resulting in unreliable AVO. In this paper, the Dixon area (green polygon), considered as the most challenging area in the Dampier Sub-basin, was chosen as the testing area for our work. By integrating high-end imaging technology, for example dual-sensor deghosting, multi-survey surface related multiple elimination (MAZ-SRME), and multi-azimuth processing (MAZ stack), we will illustrate how we have overcome many of these imaging challenges.
10
Aminmansour, Sina, Frederic Maire, and Christian Wullems. "Video Analytics for the Detection of Near-Miss Incidents on Approach to Railway Level Crossings." In 2014 Joint Rail Conference. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/jrc2014-3811.
Full textAbstract:
Recent modelling of socio-economic costs by the Australian railway industry in 2010 has estimated the cost of level crossing accidents to exceed AU$116 million annually. To better understand causal factors that contribute to these accidents, the Cooperative Research Centre for Rail Innovation is running a project entitled Baseline Level Crossing Video. The project aims to improve the recording of level crossing safety data by developing an intelligent system capable of detecting near-miss incidents and capturing quantitative data around these incidents. To detect near-miss events at railway level crossings a video analytics module is being developed to analyse video footage obtained from forward-facing cameras installed on trains. This paper presents a vision base approach for the detection of these near-miss events. The video analytics module is comprised of object detectors and a rail detection algorithm, allowing the distance between a detected object and the rail to be determined. An existing publicly available Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG) based object detector algorithm is used to detect various types of vehicles in each video frame. As vehicles are usually seen from a sideway view from the cabin’s perspective, the results of the vehicle detector are verified using an algorithm that can detect the wheels of each detected vehicle. Rail detection is facilitated using a projective transformation of the video, such that the forward-facing view becomes a bird’s eye view. Line Segment Detector is employed as the feature extractor and a sliding window approach is developed to track a pair of rails. Localisation of the vehicles is done by projecting the results of the vehicle and rail detectors on the ground plane allowing the distance between the vehicle and rail to be calculated. The resultant vehicle positions and distance are logged to a database for further analysis. We present preliminary results regarding the performance of a prototype video analytics module on a data set of videos containing more than 30 different railway level crossings. The video data is captured from a journey of a train that has passed through these level crossings.