Download Eastern Bristlebird - Australia`s Threatened Birds

Species Conservation Summary
Eastern Bristlebird
Dasyornis brachypterus (Latham, 1802)
Dasyornithidae
Conservation status
Endangered B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv)
Reasons for listing
Extent of occurrence <5000 km2 and occupies
<500 km2, occurs at 5 locations and there is a continuing
decline in extent of occurrence, area occupied, habitat
quality and no. locations and subpopulations, particularly for the northern subspecies, though reintroductions
probably balance out the population losses
Status 2000
Endangered B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)
Status 1990
Endangered B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)
Taxonomy
D. b. brachypterus (eastern Victoria, southern and central
coastal New South Wales) is Endangered, D. b. monoides
(north-eastern New South Wales and south-eastern
Queensland) is Critically Endangered. Subspecies are not
supported by genetic analysis (Roberts et al. 2011), but
are nevertheless phenotypically distinct (Schodde and
Mason 1999).
Taxonomic uniqueness: high (1 genus/family, 3 species/
genus, 2 subspecies/species)
Range
There are 3 main areas where the species occurs.
D. b. monoides occurs on the Queensland/New South
Wales border including 12 locations across the Lamington, Border Ranges and Gibraltar Ranges National Parks.
D. b. brachypterus occurs on and near the central NSW
coast, including Barren Grounds Nature Reserve and
Budderoo National Park and the Bherwerre and Beecroft
Peninsulas around Jervis Bay. D. b. brachypterus also
occurs on the NSW/Victoria border including Nadgee
Nature Reserve and Croajingolong National Park (Baker
1997; Bramwell 2008). Small numbers occur elsewhere,
either remnants, natural colonists or the results of
planned translocations. A continuing decline in EOO
and AOO is likely given the localised extirpations in at
least the north.
Abundance
No more than 50 D. b. monoides are likely to persist
(Stewart 2006; D. Stewart pers. comm.; D. Rohweder
pers. comm.). Subpopulations of D. b. brachypterus
include about 1250 mature individuals at Barren
Grounds, 1200 at Jervis Bay and 300 at Nadgee/Howe
Flat. There are newly established subpopulations at Cataract of 50 individuals and about 10 at Red Rocks (Baker
1997, 1998, 2009). Population trends are assessed as
stable, with increasing translocated subpopulations in the
south balancing declines in the north.
Ecology
D. b. monoides mostly occurs in tall, dense, grassy groundcover in open Eucalyptus forests or woodlands, often
interspersed with, or within 750 m of, mature subtropical
rainforest. D. b. brachypterus primarily inhabits heathland, sedgeland and swamp communities, but also open
sclerophyll woodland or forest with an understorey of
shrubs, grass or Bracken Pteridium esculentum and occasionally in temperate rainforest (Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
2011). Population density increases until 10–20 years after
fire (Baker 2001; Bain and McPhee 2005). Feeds near the
ground, mainly on small invertebrates with some seeds
and small fruits (Gibson and Baker 2004). Breeds annually in spring, laying 2 eggs (Higgins and Peter 2002).
They breed readily in captivity and appear to have high
survival rates after translocation or captive breeding and
release. A generation time of 5.2 years (BirdLife International 2011) is derived from an average age at first breeding of 1.6 years, an annual survival of adults of 77.0%, and
a maximum longevity in the wild of 7.3 years, all values
elicited from an expert committee.
Threats
Extensive fire is currently the main threat (Baker 2000).
Both subspecies have been substantially affected by fire in
the last few decades. Fire destroys cover, but too infrequent
fire can cause the vegetation to become too dense for
nesting (Bain et al. 2008). However, bristlebirds can avoid
fire by moving to unburned areas and returning later when
conditions are more suitable (Bain et al. 2008). Predation
by foxes Vulpes vulpes and feral cats Felis catus is also significant (Lindenmayer et al. 2009). Other possible threats
include overgrazing, invasion of habitat by exotic plants
and disturbance by humans (Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
2011). Historically the range has been greatly reduced by
clearing for residential development, agriculture and forestry, and degraded by fire and grazing mammals.
Conservation objectives
1. An increasing population
2. Viable populations at more than 5 locations
Information required
1. Impacts of introduced predators, particularly in
combination with fire
2. Reasons for the failure of the Nadgee subpopulation
to recover
Management actions required
1. Establish and maintain a viable captive population of
D. b. monoides
2. Prepare and implement fire management plans for all
subpopulations
3. Develop contingency plans in case of fire including
emergency evacuation, assisted habitat recovery and
translocation
© Birds Australia 2011
Published by CSIRO Publishing, http://www.publish.csiro.au/
Citation: Garnett ST, Szabo JK, Dutson G (2011) The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Current eligibility against IUCN Red List Criteria
IUCN
category
A
Criteria eligibility
Not applicable: past, current or future population
declines are thought unlikely to exceed 20% in any
3-generation period
IUCN Red List assessment data
Estimate
Reliability
Extent of occurrence
trend
1270 km2
decreasing
medium
medium
Area of occupancy
trend
214 km2
decreasing
medium
medium
2550
stable
high
medium
B
Endangered: EOO <5000 km2, AOO <500 km2, at ≤5
locations with plausible future threat, inferred
continuing decline in EOO, AOO, habitat quality, no.
locations, no. subpopulations
No. subpopulations
7
low
C
Not applicable: no continuing population decline or
extreme fluctuations
No. locations
17
low
D
Not applicable: population >1000 mature individuals,
>5 locations
Generation time
E
Not applicable: no population viability analysis
undertaken
4. Control foxes and cats where vulnerable to predation,
particularly after large-scale fire
5. Control weeds that are incompatible with bristlebirds
6. Undertake further translocations and or
reintroductions
Bibliography
Bain D, McPhee N (2005) Resurveys of the Eastern Bristlebird
Dasyornis brachypterus in central-eastern New South Wales
1999–2001: their relationship with fire and observer competence. Corella 29.
Bain DW, Baker JR, French KO, Whelan RJ (2008) Post-fire
recovery of eastern bristlebirds (Dasyornis brachypterus) is
context-dependent. Wildlife Research 35, 44–49.
Baker J (1997) The decline, response to fire, status and management of the Eastern Bristlebird. Pacific Conservation Biology
3, 235–243.
Baker J (1998) ‘Eastern Bristlebird Recovery Plan 1997–2002’.
NSW NPWS, Sydney.
Baker J (2000) The Eastern Bristlebird: cover-dependent and
fire-sensitive. Emu 100, 286–298.
Baker J (2001) Population density and home range estimates for
the Eastern Bristlebird at Jervis Bay, south-eastern Australia. Corella 25, 62–67.
Baker J (2009) Assessment of Eastern Bristlebird habitat: refining understanding of appropriate habitats for reintroductions. Ecological Management and Restoration 10, S136–S139.
BirdLife International (2011) ‘Species factsheet: Dasyornis
brachypterus’. Retrieved 17 January, 2011 from <http://
www.birdlife.org/>.
Bramwell MD (2008) The Eastern Bristlebird Dasyornis
brachypterus in East Gippsland, Victoria, 1997–2002. Australian Field Ornithology 25, 2–11.
No. of mature individuals
trend
Largest subpopulation
Global population share
1250
medium
5.2 years
low
100%
high
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population
and Communities (2011) Dasyornis brachypterus. In ‘Species
Profile and Threats Database’. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities,
Canberra. Retrieved 24 February, 2011 from <http://www.
environment.gov.au/sprat>.
Gibson L, Baker J (2004) Diet of the Eastern Bristlebird Dasyornis brachypterus in New South Wales. Corella 28, 79–81.
Higgins PJ, Peter JM (Eds) (2002) Handbook of Australian, New
Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 6: Pardalotes to Spangled Drongo. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
Lindenmayer DB, MacGregor CA, Wood JT, Cunningham RB,
Crane M, Michael D, Montague-Drake R, Brown D, Fortescue M, Dexter N, Hudson M, Gill M (2009) What factors
influence rapid post-fire site re-occupancy? A case study of
the endangered Eastern Bristlebird in eastern Australia.
International Journal of Wildland Fire 18, 84–95.
Roberts DG, Baker J, Perrin C (2011) Population genetic structure of the endangered Eastern Bristlebird, Dasyornis
brachypterus; implications for conservation. Conservation
Genetics.
Schodde R, Mason IJ (1999) The Directory of Australian Birds:
Passerines. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Stewart DA (2006) ‘Recovery plan for the northern population
of the Eastern Bristlebird Dasyornis brachypterus monoides
2007–2011’. Report to the Department of the Environment
and Heritage, Canberra. Queensland Parks and Wildlife
Service, Brisbane.
Comments received from
Jack Baker, Tim Holmes, David Rohweder,
David Stewart
© Birds Australia 2011
Published by CSIRO Publishing, http://www.publish.csiro.au/
Citation: Garnett ST, Szabo JK, Dutson G (2011) The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.