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F. Recher, H. "Conservation and management of Australasian birds." Pacific Conservation Biology 3, no. 3 (1997): 171. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc970171.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Recher, Harry F. "Field guides, bird names, and conservation." Pacific Conservation Biology 23, no. 4 (2017): 315. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc17019.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Burd, Martin, C. Tristan Stayton, Mani Shrestha, and Adrian G. Dyer. "Distinctive convergence in Australian floral colours seen through the eyes of Australian birds." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 281, no. 1781 (April 22, 2014): 20132862. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2862.
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We used a colour-space model of avian vision to assess whether a distinctive bird pollination syndrome exists for floral colour among Australian angiosperms. We also used a novel phylogenetically based method to assess whether such a syndrome represents a significant degree of convergent evolution. About half of the 80 species in our sample that attract nectarivorous birds had floral colours in a small, isolated region of colour space characterized by an emphasis on long-wavelength reflection. The distinctiveness of this ‘red arm’ region was much greater when colours were modelled for violet-sensitive (VS) avian vision than for the ultraviolet-sensitive visual system. Honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) are the dominant avian nectarivores in Australia and have VS vision. Ancestral state reconstructions suggest that 31 lineages evolved into the red arm region, whereas simulations indicate that an average of five or six lineages and a maximum of 22 are likely to have entered in the absence of selection. Thus, significant evolutionary convergence on a distinctive floral colour syndrome for bird pollination has occurred in Australia, although only a subset of bird-pollinated taxa belongs to this syndrome. The visual system of honeyeaters has been the apparent driver of this convergence.
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Recher, Harry. "The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines." Pacific Conservation Biology 7, no. 2 (2001): 146. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc01146a.
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THIS large, expensive and beautifully produced volume arrived on my desk in October 1999. There it has sat while I awaited it to be reviewed elsewhere. My intention was, and is, to not only review the book, but to review the reviews. I now have reviews by Allan Burbidge and John Blyth (Western Australian Bird Notes 95: 3-5), Walter Boles (Australian Zoologist, in press), w. (Ted) Davis (The Wilson Bulletin, in press), Stephen Debus (Australian Bird Watcher 18: 320-321), Ned Johnson (The Condor 103: 200), and Allen Keast (Emu 100: 341-2). Of these, Boles, Johnson and Keast are recognised avian systematists, while Burbidge, Blyth, Davis and Debus, as I am, are just plain old ornithologists. I say this because an Australian avian systematist once told me that I had no right to comment on the names of Australian birds because I was only an ecologist, but that has never stopped me before and will not now, and it appears that I am in good company.
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Holmes, Richard T., and Harry F. Recher. "Search Tactics of Insectivorous Birds Foraging in an Australian Eucalypt Forest." Auk 103, no. 3 (July 1, 1986): 515–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/auk/103.3.515.
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Abstract The different ways birds searched for food in an Australian Eucalyptus forest led them to detect and capture different kinds of prey. Five major searching modes were identified among 23 common, mostly insectivorous bird species. These were distinguished largely by the rates, distances, and angles moved by birds while foraging and by their prey-capture behavior. Some bird species typically moved slowly, visually examining substrates at relatively long distances, and then took flight to capture prey (e.g. whistlers, flycatchers, muscicapid robins, cuckoos). Others moved at more rapid rates and either gleaned small prey from nearby substrates (e.g. thornbills, treecreepers) or flushed insects that were then pursued (e.g. fantails). Two species (Eastern Shrike-Tit, Falcunculus frontatus; White-eared Honeyeater, Meliphaga leucotis) were specialized substrate-restricted searchers, seeking invertebrate and carbohydrate foods among the exfoliating bark of Eucalyptus. The search tactics of birds in this south temperate Australian forest were similar to those of birds in a north temperate forest in New Hampshire, USA, previously reported by Robinson and Holmes (1982). The differences in food-searching behavior between these phylogenetically distinct avifaunas (e.g. search flight and prey-attack flight lengths, hop/flight ratios, foraging rates) reflect the effects of unique foliage structures (e.g. spacing of branches, arrangements of leaves) and food resources at each site. These findings support the hypothesis that habitat structure and food availability provide opportunities and constraints on how birds search for and capture food in forest habitats. These in turn are postulated to affect the success of particular bird species exploiting those habitats and thus influence bird community patterns.
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Chisholm, A. H. "Vocal Mimicry among Australian Birds." Ibis 74, no. 4 (April 3, 2008): 605–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.1932.tb00352.x.
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REPPAS, GP, WJ HARTLEY, and PA GILL. "Microfilaraemia in Australian native birds." Australian Veterinary Journal 72, no. 9 (September 1995): 356–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-0813.1995.tb07544.x.
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Ford, Julian. "Hybrid Zones in Australian Birds." Emu - Austral Ornithology 87, no. 3 (September 1987): 158–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mu9870158.
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Gaze, P. D. "The Atlas of Australian Birds." Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 15, no. 2 (June 1985): 228. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03036758.1985.10416847.
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C. Z. Woinarski, J., and H. F. Recher. "Impact and response: a review of the effects of fire on the Australian avifauna." Pacific Conservation Biology 3, no. 3 (1997): 183. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc970183.
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The literature concerning the impact of fire on avian communities and the response of birds to fire is reviewed for the Australian continent. There are few detailed long-term studies of the effects of fire on avian communities, but there is sufficient information on fire effects from a broad cross-section of Australian habitats to identify patterns of response to individual fires and to predict likely long-term effects. Some birds respond immediately to fire, taking advantage of temporarily increased availability of food. These birds include predators that are attracted to fires to feed on exposed, disoriented and fire-killed prey and seed-eaters that congregate in burnt habitats to feed on seeds released by the fire or on the seeds of rapidly maturing post-fire ephemerals. At least in eucalypt forests, there is an increase of arthropod abundance on the rapidly regenerating vegetation that may lead to increased abundances of some bird species. Depending on the severity of the fire and the amount of vegetation killed, most avian communities recover rapidly following single fires regardless of fire intensity. However, such fires may pose a significant threat to species with a restricted distribution, limited reproductive potential, poor dispersal ability and/or narrow habitat requirements. Birds persisting in fragmented habitats are particularly at risk. However, of greatest significance as a threatening process to avian communities are increases in fire frequency. Of the threatened species in Australia whose relationships with fire have been comparatively well-documented, almost all show a clear preference for less frequent fires. Detrimental fire regimes contributed to the extinction of two of the three bird species and three of the four subspecies which have disappeared from Australia since European colonization. Inappropriate fire management is now a factor in the threatened status of at least 51 nationally recognized threatened Australian bird taxa. In many environments (notably heath and mallee), inappropriate fire regimes are the main threat to declining bird species. In temperate eucalypt forest and woodland, as well as in heathlands, control burning is widely used to reduce the threat of wildfire. While, in general, the immediate impact of controlled burns is less than that of wildfire, the frequency of these fires can lead to floristic and structural changes in the vegetation. Although not well-documented, these vegetative changes adversely affect the avifauna. In Australia, the most detailed long-term studies suggest that frequent, low-intensity fires may lead to the decline and loss of some species which are now perceived as common and little affected by mild fires.
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Sazima, Ivan. "Waterbirds catch and release a poisonous fish at a mudflat in southeastern Australia." Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia 27, no. 2 (June 2019): 126–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf03544457.
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AbstractSeveral waterbird species prey on fishes, and usually use only one sensory mode to detect this prey: herons hunt visually guided, whereas ibises mostly search tactilely guided. I report herein events in which a heron and an ibis caught and released a poisonous fish at a mudflat in southeastern Australia. A Great Egret (Ardea alba) that targeted small gerreid fishes caught and immediately released the very toxic pufferfish Tetractenos hamiltoni, with bill washing and discomfort movements afterwards. Two Australian White Ibises (Threskiornis molucca) that probed for bottom-dwelling fishes and crabs caught and handled these pufferfishes for about 60 s, before releasing them. Next, the birds dipped the bill in the water and resumed hunting. Pufferfishes are rarely preyed on by birds, but an Australian bird that feeds on this fish type is the Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae), which eats the pufferfish Torquigener pleurogramma when it is nontoxic or less harmful.
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Jones, Darryl N., and Paul G. Finn. "Translocation of aggressive Australian magpies: a preliminary assessment of a potential management action." Wildlife Research 26, no. 3 (1999): 271. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr98062.
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Australian magpies are the cause of a major wildlife-management conflict in suburban areas throughout Australia. Mitigation of this conflict is becoming increasingly difficult in some locations because of community opposition to the destruction of the birds involved, which remains a common management solution of many wildlife agencies. Translocation – the capture and release elsewhere – of offending birds has been advocated but never seriously evaluated. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of translocation as a means of eliminating magpie attacks. We also attempted to assess the impact of the approach on both the translocated birds and those remaining in the territory. A total of 20 aggressive magpies, all males, were captured and released at distances 17–150 km from the place of capture. Most birds released more than 30 km away were not seen again; two birds released less than 30 km away returned quickly and were recaptured. A single bird re-established itself on its original territory several months after capture. In many cases, new males had replaced the captured birds within days. There was no evidence of negative behavioural interactions between these males and the resident females or chicks. While the technique is effective in reducing the human–magpie conflict at specific locations, our lack of knowledge of the fate of translocated males, as well as several other issues, suggests that this approach be used only in extreme circumstances.
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Stewart, Alistair. "Becoming-Speckled Warbler: Re/creating Australian Natural History Pedagogy." Australian Journal of Environmental Education 27, no. 1 (2011): 68–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0814062600000082.
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AbstractThe speckled warbler and other woodland birds of south-eastern Australia have declined dramatically since European settlement; many species are at risk of becoming locally and/or nationally extinct. Coincidently, Australian environmental education research of the last decade has largely been silent on the development of pedagogy that refects the natural history of this continent (Stewart, 2006). The current circumstances that face the speckled warbler, I argue, is emblematic of both the state of woodland birds of south-eastern Australia, and the condition of natural history pedagogy within Australian environmental education research. In this paper I employ Deleuze and Guattari's (1987) philosophy “becoming-animal” to explore ways that the life and circumstances of the speckled warbler might inform natural history focused Australian environmental education research. The epistemology and ontology ofbecoming-speckled warbleroffers a basis to reconsider and strengthen links between Australian natural history pedagogy and notions of sustainability.
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Recher, Harry F. "The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010." Pacific Conservation Biology 18, no. 3 (2012): 215. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc130215.
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THIS is the third Action Plan for Australian Birds produced since 1992 by Stephen Garnett and his colleagues. Each reviews the conservation (threatened) status of the 1266 indigenous bird taxa (species and distinct populations; excluding vagrants) found in Australia and its territories. Threats, important habitats, and gaps in information are given for each taxon listed. Twenty-seven taxa are extinct, with 20 critically endangered, 60 endangered, 68 vulnerable, and 63 near threatened. One-thousand and twenty-eight are taxa of “least concern” and are not listed. For each threatened taxon the reasons for listing are explained, the taxon’s past and present distribution and abundance given, and the threats the taxon faces summarized. There is also a brief account of each taxon’s ecology and a bibliography of relevant publications. Recommendations are made for conservation action, including research, with the aim of minimizing threats and ensuring the taxon’s survival. Status is assessed using the criteria of the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
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WILSON, CLEVO, and CLEM TISDELL. "Knowledge of birds and willingness to support their conservation: an Australian case study." Bird Conservation International 15, no. 3 (September 2005): 225–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0959270905000419.
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This case study concentrates on the extent of knowledge among the Australian public of Australia's tropical bird species, and their willingness to support their conservation. In order to place this issue in context, we provide background information on the status of Australian bird species, focusing attention on species that occur in tropical Australia. Then, using questionnaire survey results, we consider the hypothesis that the public's support for the conservation of different bird species depends on their understanding of the species' existence and status. Based on results from a sample of residents in Brisbane, Queensland, we found that knowledge of bird species that occur exclusively in the Australian tropics (including tropical Queensland) was very poor compared with that of those occurring in the Brisbane area that are relatively common. Experimental results indicated that when respondents in the sample had an option to allocate A$1,000 between 10 bird species listed in the survey, they allocated more funds to the better-known and more common species, unless they were provided with balanced information about all the selected species. With balanced information, the average allocation to bird species confined mostly to the Australian tropics, particularly those threatened, increased. This demonstrates the conservation implications of information provision about bird species. The results showed that public education can play a crucial role in attempts to conserve bird species that are poorly known and threatened.
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Janney, Eathan, Hollis Taylor, Constance Scharff, David Rothenberg, Lucas C. Parra, and Ofer Tchernichovski. "Temporal regularity increases with repertoire complexity in the Australian pied butcherbird's song." Royal Society Open Science 3, no. 9 (September 2016): 160357. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160357.
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Music maintains a characteristic balance between repetition and novelty. Here, we report a similar balance in singing performances of free-living Australian pied butcherbirds. Their songs include many phrase types. The more phrase types in a bird's repertoire, the more diverse the singing performance can be. However, without sufficient temporal organization, avian listeners may find diverse singing performances difficult to perceive and memorize. We tested for a correlation between the complexity of song repertoire and the temporal regularity of singing performance. We found that different phrase types often share motifs (notes or stereotyped groups of notes). These shared motifs reappeared in strikingly regular temporal intervals across different phrase types, over hundreds of phrases produced without interruption by each bird. We developed a statistical estimate to quantify the degree to which phrase transition structure is optimized for maximizing the regularity of shared motifs. We found that transition probabilities between phrase types tend to maximize regularity in the repetition of shared motifs, but only in birds of high repertoire complexity. Conversely, in birds of low repertoire complexity, shared motifs were produced with less regularity. The strong correlation between repertoire complexity and motif regularity suggests that birds possess a mechanism that regulates the temporal placement of shared motifs in a manner that takes repertoire complexity into account. We discuss alternative musical, mechanistic and ecological explanations to this effect.
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Recher, Harry F. "Foraging behaviour of mulga birds in Western Australia. II. Community structure and conservation." Pacific Conservation Biology 24, no. 1 (2018): 87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc17032.
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Mulga (Acacia aneura) woodlands dominate much of arid and semiarid Australia. Although mulga woodlands are floristically and structurally diverse, the composition of the mulga avifauna is consistent across the continent, with 50–70% of bird species shared between sites and a high proportion of migratory and nomadic species. A comparison of avian foraging guilds in mulga woodlands in the Murchison and Gascoyne Bioregions of Western Australia with those in the Northern Territory identified nine guilds. All guilds occurred at the three locations studied during wet years. The number of bird species, species’ abundances, and the number of guilds declined on the Western Australian sites when there was less rain. Despite the commonality of guilds and species between sites, there were differences between sites and years in the grouping of species, with many species best associated with two or more guilds. These differences reflected differences between locations and wet and dry years in the food resources available to birds, which affected how species foraged. Particularly noticeable were the differences between sites and years in migratory and nomadic birds, which in Western Australia and the Northern Territory were the most abundant birds during wet conditions, but largely absent when conditions were drier.
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DAVIS, WILLIAM E. "THE DIRECTORY OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS: PASSERINES." Wilson Bulletin 113, no. 1 (March 2001): 126–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1676/0043-5643(2001)113[0126:ol]2.0.co;2.
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Jones, D., and Allen Keast. "The Directory of Australian Birds. Passerines." Emu - Austral Ornithology 100, no. 4 (November 2000): 341–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mu00920.
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Chesser, R. Terry. "Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds." Systematic Biology 58, no. 6 (October 6, 2009): 659–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syp071.
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Lill, Alan, and Peter J. Fell. "Egg Composition in Some Australian Birds." Emu - Austral Ornithology 90, no. 1 (March 1990): 33–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mu9900033.
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Cracraft, Joel. "Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds." Pacific Conservation Biology 15, no. 2 (2009): 148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc090148.
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The Australian avifauna is one of most biologically important in the world. For its size, it has the highest diversity and endemism of any continent. Importantly, as a key piece of Gondwana, it was at a crossroads for the early history of modern birds (Neornithes). Indeed, it has phylogenetically deep lineages of palaeognaths, galliforms, anseriforms, caprimulgiforms, parrots, and songbirds. Moreover, patterns of endemism and diversity are well-marked and provide a natural laboratory for the study of speciation and diversification. All of this is why studies of the systematics and taxonomy of Australian birds are so important, for without a clear understanding of the taxonomic limits of taxa and their relationships we cannot hope to make progress toward answering critical evolutionary questions. Nor can we provide the systematic framework for comparative studies in the organismal sciences, especially behaviour, ecology, and conservation biology.
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Cracraft, Joel. "Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds." Pacific Conservation Biology 16, no. 1 (2010): 67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc100067.
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The Australian avifauna is one of the most biologically important in the world. For its size, it has the highest diversity and endemism of any continent. Importantly, as a key piece of Gondwana, it was at a crossroads for the early history of modern birds (Neornithes). Indeed, it has phylogenetically deep lineages of palaeognaths, galliforms, anseriforms, caprimulgiforms, parrots, and songbirds. Moreover, patterns of endemism and diversity are well-marked and provide a natural laboratory for the study of speciation and diversification. All of this is why studies of the systematics and taxonomy of Australian birds are so important, for without a clear understanding of the taxonomic limits of taxa and their relationships we cannot hope to make progress toward answering critical evolutionary questions. Nor can we provide the systematic framework for comparative studies in the organismal sciences, especially behaviour, ecology, and conservation biology.
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Perrins, Christopher. "Ecology of birds—an Australian perspective." Biological Conservation 54, no. 1 (1990): 80–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0006-3207(90)90046-r.
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Thao, Le Nguyen Nguyen. "The theme of nature in The Thorn Birds." Science & Technology Development Journal - Social Sciences & Humanities 4, no. 2 (June 5, 2020): 357–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.32508/stdjssh.v4i2.552.
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The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (1937-2015) is one of the most popular Australian novels in Vietnam, which is mentioned in the curriculum of Australian Studies – a major of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City). In general, the themes which mainly attract readers’ attention are the great love story between Meggie Cleary – a beautiful, tough woman and Ralph de Bricassart – an ambitious Catholic priest, and (or) an inevitable tragedy resulted from the conflict between the love for God and that for man. However, exerting much focus on human relationships in The Thorn Birds makes it hard to see another important “figure” – nature – as well as the relationship between human and nature in the West of Australia, the main setting of the novel where the climate is harsh, unique and sometimes unpredictable. Since the theme of nature accounts for a large content of the novel, The Thorn Birds is likely to be an interesting subject to eco-critical studies. In this paper, from the perspective of ecocriticism, we try to point out how the theme of nature is treated in this novel, including how the figure of nature being depicted, how the human-nature relationship being dealt with and how nature is embracing human life and “telling” human stories. We also indicate the possible connection between literature and daily human life, and between a 1977 Australian novel which tells us the stories of the natural cycle, the bushfires, the imported animals, etc. and the unusual wildfires which occurred in this country at the beginning of the year 2020. In addition, by evaluating as a typical Australian novel from eco-critical perspectives, we hope to introduce a new approach to conduct research on Australian literature at the Department of Australian Studies and for other researches of literature major in the University.
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Jansen, Justin J. F. J. "Towards the resolution of long-standing issues regarding birds collected during the Baudin expedition to Australia and Timor (1800–1804): specimens still present, and their importance to Australian ornithology." Journal of the National Museum (Prague), Natural History Series 186, no. 1 (December 1, 2017): 51–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/jzh-2018-0003.
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Abstract This paper is a follow-up to Jansen 2014 and Jansen 2016b. There are 228 Australian bird specimens preserved in European museums today, collected in 1801–1803 during the expedition commanded by Nicolas Baudin to Australia and Timor. No less than 397 specimens accumulated during the Baudin expedition still survive. The Australian bird collection made during and preserved from the Baudin expedition was the most significant up to that time, though subsequently surpassed by the collecting activities of John Gilbert (1838–1845), John Gould (1838–1840) and Jules Verreaux (1842–1852). The Baudin Timor (Moluccas) collection is likewise notable in size, with 117 bird specimens still preserved; it was the first collecting executed by Westerners and subsequently brought back to Europe, later surpassed by the collecting activities of Salomon Müller (1828–1829), Alfred Wallace (1858–1861) and Heinrich Bernstein (1860–1864). In this article, I present data on Baudin specimens in Europe’s oldest museum collections. I also traced other birds collected in Australia from the second half of the 18th century and first decade of the 19th century. I furthermore comment on the possible sources of some material, whether the specimens are still in existence, and finally, the importance of the Baudin expedition for Australian ornithology.
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Phibbs, D. V., P. J. Groves, and W. I. Muir. "Leg health of meat chickens: impact on welfare, consumer behaviour, and the role of environmental enrichment." Animal Production Science 61, no. 12 (2021): 1203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/an19511.
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The Australian and global chicken meat industries have benefited from rapid improvements in the efficiency of chicken meat production that have been predominantly achieved through genetic selection, optimisation of bird nutrition and improved bird health. However, this has also resulted in morphological changes in the bird with an increase in the prevalence of leg health disorders. Compromised leg health can cause pain and lameness and bodes poorly for bird wellbeing, bird mortality, and economic returns. There are also implications for the consumer who is increasingly mindful of animal welfare and is demanding more welfare friendly products. Accurate on-farm assessment of bird leg health has challenges due to the diversity of leg disorders and the variety of techniques used to assess their severity and impact. Overall prevalence of leg disorders shows great variability between properties (farms) and flocks. Opportunities to improve bird leg health have been the focus of considerable research which has frequently included an evaluation of environmental enrichment as a means to reduce lameness and improve bird mobility. To this end, currently in Australia, 78% of chicken meat is produced under the conditions of the Australian RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme, which requires perches in the birds’ environment. However, the value of perches in providing enrichment and improving bird welfare is unclear. Therefore, this review explores animal welfare and consumer attitudes towards meat chicken welfare, describes leg disorders, outlines techniques for assessing leg health and discusses opportunities to enrich the birds’ environment to improve bird mobility and leg health.
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Pigott, Louis J. "Silvester Diggles (1817–1880), Australian ornithologist." Archives of Natural History 31, no. 2 (October 2004): 253–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/anh.2004.31.2.253.
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Silvester Diggles, a gifted natural history artist and amateur naturalist with interests in entomology and ornithology, flourished in Australia in the third quarter of the nineteenth century. He wrote and illustrated (but published only in part) The ornithology of Australia (1865–1870) which appeared not long after John Gould's The birds of Australia (1840–1848). This paper examines Diggles' role as a bird artist, explores his standing as an ornithologist and seeks to unravel some of the complexities of his book in both published and unpublished components.
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Groves, Peter J. "Impact of parasites on Australian laying hen welfare." Animal Production Science 61, no. 10 (2021): 1031. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/an19693.
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Cage housing systems separate the hen from her excreta and, thus, break the transmission cycle for most internal parasites. However, production systems where the birds are on litter or have access to the outdoors allow parasite life-cycle completion and, hence, these systems have seen a resurgence of intestinal parasites (worms, coccidia and histomonads). Effective registered anthelminthics are few in Australia and there are no registered products available to treat tapeworms in hens that are laying eggs for human consumption. Hence, internal parasites represent a challenge to the welfare of free-range and cage-free flocks. This is even more problematic in ‘organic’ production systems, as none of the effective treatments can be used. This is a considerable welfare issue for the organic system of production where the only measure available is lengthy range-area resting. External parasites can infest birds in any production system, although these too are regarded as more likely in extensive systems. Parasites are increasing in the layer industry and this is compounded by the parasites’ ability to infest a variety of bird species, making introduction from wild birds a significant source. New antiparasitic treatments that can be used during egg production for human consumption will be required in future.
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Steele, William K., and Michael A. Weston. "The assemblage of birds struck by aircraft differs among nearby airports in the same bioregion." Wildlife Research 48, no. 5 (2021): 422. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr20127.
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Abstract ContextBird–aircraft collisions impose an economic cost and safety risk, yet ecological studies that inform bird hazard management are few, and to date no study has formally compared species’ strike profiles across airports. In response to strike risks, airports have implemented customised management on an airport-by-airport basis, based on the assumption that strike risk stems from prevailing local circumstances. We tested this assumption by comparing a decade of wildlife–aircraft strikes at three airports situated in the same bioregion (likely to have similar fauna) of Victoria, Australia. AimTo compare the assemblage of wildlife struck by aircraft at three major airports in the same bioregion. MethodStandardised wildlife strike data were analysed from three airports (Avalon, Melbourne and Essendon Airports), in the Victorian Volcanic Plains bioregion, central Victoria, Australia. Ten discrete 1-year sampling periods from each airport were compared, spanning the period 2009–19. Bird data were comparable, and data on mammals were considered less reliable, so emphasis was placed on birds in the present study. ResultsIn total, 580 bird strikes were analysed, with the most commonly struck species being Australian magpie (Cracticus tibicen; 16.7%), Eurasian skylark (Alauda arvensis; 12.2%), Australian pipit (Anthus australis; 12.1%), masked lapwing (Vanellus miles; 5.9%), nankeen kestrel (Falco cenchroides; 5.0%), house sparrow (Passer domesticus; 4.8%), welcome swallow (Hirundo neoxena; 4.3%) and tree martin (Petrochelidon nigricans; 4.0%). The assemblage of birds struck by aircraft over the decade of study differed between airports. The most commonly struck species drove the assemblage differences between airports. Conclusions and implicationsIn the present study system, airports experienced discrete strike risk profiles, even though they are in the same bioregion. The airports examined differed in terms of air traffic movement rates, aircraft types, landscape context and bird hazard management effort. Given that strike risks profiles differ among airports, customised management at each airport, as is currently the case, is supported.
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Tracey, John P. "Risk-based surveillance of avian influenza in Australia's wild birds." Wildlife Research 37, no. 2 (2010): 134. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr09152.
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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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TAYLOR, HOLLIS. "Whose Bird Is It? Messiaen's Transcriptions of Australian Songbirds." Twentieth-Century Music 11, no. 1 (March 2014): 63–100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1478572213000194.
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AbstractThis article examines the meeting point of Olivier Messiaen, Australia and birdsong, particularly as it relates to the transcription of pied butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis) vocalizations. It draws upon correspondence from Messiaen to the Australian ornithologist Sydney Curtis, printed here for the first time, as well as two recordings not previously available to musicologists, from which Messiaen transcribed. Both the recorded birdsong models and Messiaen's transcription of them in hiscahiersare subjected to sonographic and waveform analysis. In analytical scrutiny of eight of these transcriptions, I demonstrate that Messiaen's pied butcherbird transcriptions conform to their models in a partial and highly personal way. I propose a provisional template for Messiaen's approach to birdsong transcription, in order to answer Alexander Goehr's question: ‘Why do birds sound like birds, but Messiaen's birds sound like Messiaen?’
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Woinarski, JCZ, and SC Tidemann. "The Bird Fauna of a Deciduous Woodland in the Wet-Dry Tropics of Northern Australia." Wildlife Research 18, no. 4 (1991): 479. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr9910479.
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Censuses of birds were made monthly from October 1986 to October 1987 in a deciduous woodland in the Australian Northern Territory. Additional limited counts of granivorous birds were made in March and April 1988. The woodland was selected for the study because it contains a population of the endangered Gouldian finch (Erythrua gouldiae). The species composition of birds was temporally unstable; this was associated with the marked wet-dry seasonality. For some foraging groups (e.g. nectarivores, foliage-gleaners), diversity was correlated with resource availability. Although the species composition of birds of this site is not very similar to that of any other surveyed area, it falls within the range encompassed by that of woodlands across tropical Australia, and is distinct from that of open and closed forests in the same region. Tropical savanna woodlands and open forests differ in composition of their foraging groups compared with their temperate counterparts. The species richness of granivores, hawking insectivores, nectarivores and terrestrial omnivores at this site is unusually high. The changing composition of bird species in this tropical woodland site suggests that many birds in this environment undergo substantial regional movements. The conservation of such species demands large and heterogeneous reserves, a strategically located reserve system and/or sympathetic management of land outside reserves.
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Warne, Rowena M., and Darryl N. Jones. "Evidence of target specificity in attacks by Australian magpies on humans." Wildlife Research 30, no. 3 (2003): 265. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr01108.
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Although attacks on humans by Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen) are a source of significant wildlife–human conflict in urban areas of Australia, little is known about the patterns of attack by these birds. Such information is essential for the development of sound management plans for this species. We examined the attack behaviour of 48 aggressive magpies from Brisbane during September–October 1999, paying particular attention to the types of intruders targeted. All attacking birds were male. A clear majority (71%) of birds attacked only one intruder type, with about half attacking pedestrians only; similar proportions targeted cyclists (8%) only and mail deliverers (10%) only. While all intruding cyclists and mail deliverers were attacked, magpies did not attack all pedestrian intruders, suggesting possible discrimination within this category. Management implications for these intruder types are discussed.
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Spennemann, Dirk H. R., Melissa Pike, and Maggie J. Watson. "Bird impacts on heritage buildings." Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development 8, no. 1 (February 6, 2018): 62–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jchmsd-07-2016-0042.
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Purpose There is much anecdotal evidence that birds and their droppings are a major problem for the heritage profession. The purpose of this paper is to examine how serious heritage practitioners consider the bird impact to be. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted of 59 Australian heritage professionals of between one and >20 year’s experience in the field. Findings Bird impacts were not considered of major concern to buildings. The longer experience a practitioner had, the less likely the impacts were considered an issue. Feral pigeons were deemed the most problematic, followed by cockatoos, starlings, swallows, seagulls, mynas, sparrows, cormorants, ibis, ducks and birds of prey. The professionals ranked common deterrent methods. The highest-ranking deterrents were bird netting and bird spikes, but they were only considered moderately effective. The costs of installation and maintenance, as well the ease of installation, were all deemed significantly less important than the physical impact, the aesthetic sympathy and the effectiveness of a deterrent method. Practical implications This study indicates that the impact of birds on buildings in Australia may be of less concern than previously thought, and may be driven by other factors (i.e. aesthetics, commercial companies) rather than actual effects. Originality/value This is first study of its kind that surveyed the experiences of a wide range of heritage practitioners.
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Miller, G. H., J. W. Magee, M. L. Fogel, and M. K. Gagan. "Detecting human impacts on the flora, fauna, and summer monsoon of Pleistocene Australia." Climate of the Past Discussions 2, no. 4 (August 18, 2006): 535–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/cpd-2-535-2006.
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Abstract. All of Australia's largest mammalian vertebrates became extinct 50 to 45 ka (thousand years ago), shortly after human colonization. Between 60 and 40 ka Australian climate was similar to present and not changing rapidly. Consequently, attention has turned toward plausible human mechanisms for the extinction, with proponents for over-hunting, ecosystem change, and introduced disease. To differentiate between these options we utilize isotopic tracers of diet preserved in eggshells of two large, flightless birds to track the status of ecosystems before and after human colonization. δ13C preserved in their eggshells monitor a bird's dietary intake in the weeks to months before egg-laying. More than 500 dated eggshells from central Australia of the Australian emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), an opportunistic, dominantly herbivorous feeder, provide a continuous 140 kyr dietary δ 13C reconstruction. More than 350 dated eggshells from the same region of the heavier, extinct, giant bird Genyornis newtoni define its dietary intake from 140 ka until its extinction about 50 ka. Additional dietary records for both species were developed from two distant regions. Dromaius eggshell dietary δ13C reveals an unprecedented reduction in the bird's food resources about 50 ka, coeval in all three regions, suggesting conversion at that time of a tree/shrub savannah with occasionally rich grasslands to the modern desert scrub. We speculate that ecosystem collapse across the arid and semi-arid zones is a consequence of systematic burning by early humans. Genyornis diet everywhere is more restricted than in co-existing Dromaius, implying a more specialized feeding strategy. These data suggest that generalist feeders, such as Dromaius, were able to adapt to a changed vegetation regime, whereas more specialized feeders, such as Genyornis, became extinct. The altered vegetation may have also impacted Australian climate. Changes in the strength of climate feedbacks linked to vegetation and soil type (moisture recycling, surface roughness, albedo) may have weakened the penetration of monsoon moisture into the continental interior under the new ecosystem. Climate modeling suggests such a shift may have reduced monsoon rain in the interior by as much as 50%.
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MacMillen, R. E., and R. V. Baudinette. "Water Economy of Granivorous Birds: Australian Parrots." Functional Ecology 7, no. 6 (December 1993): 704. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2390192.
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GOULD, JOHN. "1. DESCRIPTION OF TWO NEW AUSTRALIAN BIRDS." Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 33, no. 1 (July 6, 2010): 198–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1865.tb02319.x.
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Cooney, Stuart J. N., David M. Watson, and John Young. "Mistletoe nesting in Australian birds: a review." Emu - Austral Ornithology 106, no. 1 (March 2006): 1–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mu04018.
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Woehler, Eric. "Climate change adaptation plan for Australian birds." Australasian Journal of Environmental Management 22, no. 2 (April 3, 2015): 262–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2015.1042130.
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Rogers, Daniel J. "The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010." Ecological Management & Restoration 13, no. 3 (September 2012): e18-e18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-8903.2012.00670.x.
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Symonds, Matthew R. E., and Christopher N. Johnson. "Species Richness and Evenness in Australian Birds." American Naturalist 171, no. 4 (April 2008): 480–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/528960.
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