Download woodland birds - Natural Resources South Australia

YOU CAN HELP
The following steps can improve your woodland’s health and help conserve woodland
birds:
Fence native vegetation and manage stock grazing
Uncontrolled stock access can permanently damage native vegetation, particularly the
under-storey. Fence your native vegetation to manage stock access and protect existing
habitat for woodland birds.
Care for paddock trees
Paddock trees are an iconic part of our landscape and provide important shelter for
stock… but did you know they are vitally important for many woodland bird species?
They provide an important stepping stone across the landscape and many old paddock
trees contain numerous nesting hollows. Many old paddock trees are dying and are
not being replaced. Consider planting paddock trees or fencing some regenerating
seedlings with wire guards to provide paddock trees for future generations.
Revegetate some of your property
Native vegetation can benefit on-farm productivity and also provide habitat for
woodland birds. You could increase the size of an existing bush block, plant a
native shelterbelt, fence and plant out a corner of your paddock, or revegetate an
unproductive area of your farm.
Create a corridor or native shelterbelt
Some woodland birds, such as the Southern Emu-wren, have difficulty moving across
open landscapes. This can make them vulnerable to wildfires, disease, drought,
competition and predation. By reconnecting isolated patches of bushland we can help
small birds to move safely across the landscape.
WOODLAND BIRDS South East, South Australia
Woodlands in South-Eastern Australia are renowned for their rich and varied bird life.
Unfortunately one in five woodland birds is threatened or in decline. Although only
13% of native vegetation cover remains, the South East of South Australia provides
significant habitat for a diverse range of woodland birds including several threatened
species.
REMNANT WOODLANDS IN GOOD CONDITION
WOODLAND BIRDS
South East, South Australia
Large hollow
IM
Barking Owl
IM
White-winged Chough
IM
DK
Intact mid-storey
Painted Button-quail
Restless Flycatcher
DK
Southern Emu-wren
DK
Brown Treecreeper
Perching branches
Weed
free
Leave dead standing and fallen timber
Decaying timber provides resources for many native animals. If you must clean up fallen
limbs, check to see if any of them contain hollows and consider whether you could
put the fallen logs in a tree line, create a nest box with them, or donate them to a
conservation organisation who may be able to find a use for them.
DK
Minimise spray drift
Chemicals can damage or kill native plants and insects that woodland birds rely
on. Avoid chemical sprays drifting on to paddock trees, shelterbelts and remnant
vegetation.
Tawny Frogmouth
BM
South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo
Fallen timber
Diverse
groundcover
Leaf litter
BH
DK
Peaceful Dove
Rufous Whistler
IM
Hooded Robin
WK
White-throated Treecreeper
Control pest plants and animals
Many weeds can choke our bushland and introduced pests like rabbits and deer
consume native plants; and foxes and cats eat native birds. By doing your part to
control pest plants and animals you can help to improve the condition of habitat for
woodland birds.
Monitor Noisy Miners
Noisy Miners are very teritorial and drive other birds from their patch. If you have Noisy
Miners in your patch it is likely that there will be almost no other small bird species
there. A control program including habitat modification may need to be implemented
to enable other smaller birds to occupy the area (contact Natural Resources South East
for advice).
Get involved in conservation initiatives
There are lots of ways you can help woodland birds. Volunteer at a planting day, join
a local Friends Group, Landcare Group or BirdLife South East SA, assist with woodland
bird monitoring, adopt some local bushland or plant local native species in your garden.
BG
Australian Owlet-nightjar
DK
Blue-winged Parrot
IM
Black-chinned Honeyeater
IM
White-eared Honeyeater
IM
Mistletoebird
DI
Chestnut-rumped Heathwren
DK
Striated Pardalote
IM
Varied Sittella
For further information contact:
Natural Resources South East 08 8735 1177
Or visit www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/southeast/home
BirdLife South East SA [email protected]
Or visit http://birdlife.org.au/locations/birdlife-south-east-sa
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Photographs donated by: Bob Green BG, Dan Harley DH, Bryan Haywood BH, Dennis
Kuhlmann DK, Wendy Kuhlmann WK, Luke Leddy LL, Bob McPherson BM, Ian Morgan IM,
Sarah Thomas ST, Jonathan Tuck JT, Dean Ingwersen DI, Tim Field TF, Claire Gaughwin CG
Cover photograph: Eastern Yellow Robin, taken by Jonathan Tuck
Content: Natural Resources South East and BirdLife South East SA. Some content adapted
from Corowa District Landcare Woodland Birds brochure
SOUTH EAST SA
DH
Government
of South Australia
Government
of South Australia
Bush Stone-curlew
IM
Sacred Kingfisher
WK
Eastern Spinebill
IM
Crested Shrike-tit
IM
Dusky Woodswallow
DK
White-browed Babbler
IM
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike
IM
Diamond Firetail
DEGRADED WOODLANDS IN POOR CONDITION
MODIFIED WOODLANDS IN MODERATE CONDITION
Regeneration
All trees are the
same age
Scattered paddock trees
Modified mid-storey
ST
Southern Boobook
LL
Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo
DK
IM
A few hollows
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Rufous Songlark
LL
Grey Shrike-thrush
DK
Spotted Pardalote
Mid-storey absent
BG
Australian Magpie
Noisy Miner
Heavily grazed
May be lightly grazed
Bare ground
Some weed species
IM
Grey Butcherbird
DK
Crimson Rosella
DK
Grey Currawong
Grey Fantail
TF
Brown-headed Honeyeater
DK
Common Bronzewing
DK
Little Wattlebird
Musk Lorikeet
CG
Laughing Kookaburra
DK
DK
DK
White-browed Scrubwren
IM
White-naped Honeyeater
DK
Fan-tailed Cuckoo
IM
Silvereye
LL
Eastern Yellow Robin
DK
Superb Fairy-wren
IM
Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo
JT
Red-browed Finch
LL
Scarlet Robin
DK
Golden Whistler
LL
Brown Thornbill
DK
New-Holland Honeyeater
DK
Galah
IM
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
No leaf litter
Little Raven
DK
BG
Jacky Winter
CG
Weeds & pasture
grasses dominant
DK
Rainbow Lorikeet
DK
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
BG
Red-rumped Parrot
DK
Eastern Rosella
DK
White-plumed Honeyeater
DK
Red Wattlebird
DK
Willie Wagtail