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Subspecies Conservation Summary Hooded Robin (south-eastern) Melanodryas cucullata cucullata (Latham, 1802) Petroicidae Conservation status Near Threatened A2bc+3c+4bc Reasons for listing Declining across a substantial proportion of its range based on surveys and local extirpations, probably at 20–29% within 3 generations (16 years), because of the many ongoing effects of 2 centuries of habitat loss and fragmentation Status 2000 Near Threatened A2bc+3c+4bc Status 1990 Near Threatened A2bc+3c+4bc Taxonomy M. c. melvillensis (Tiwi Is., Northern Territory) is Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct). Two other subspecies are Least Concern, as is the species Taxonomic uniqueness: medium (14 genera/family, 2 species/genus, 4 subspecies/species) Range This subspecies occurs in south-eastern Australia from Yorke Peninsula, South Australia, to far south-east Queensland, intergrading with M. c. westralensis in the northern Murray-Darling basin (Schodde and Mason 1999). It has been extirpated from many habitat fragments and regions across its range, particularly in the wetter areas of the south and east (Robinson 1993; Barrett et al. 1994; Paton et al. 1994; Fitri and Ford 1996; Robinson and Traill 1996; Olsen et al. 2005; Priday 2010; Ford 2011). Abundance Taking the AOO only from records in the Birds Australia database since 1998, which is certain to be an underestimate given many occupied areas will not have been visited, and assuming a density of 5.5 birds/km2 (average of creek and non-creek values in Pilliga Scrub; Date et al. 2002) gives a population of about 30 000 in the 5000 km2 Pilliga Scrub, which may be optimal habitat, and a total of 165 000 altogether (H. Ford in litt.). This population has been declining in agricultural landscapes for many decades (Robinson 1993, Robinson and Traill 1996). The reporting rate declined by 41% in NSW between the 1977–1981 and 1998–2002 Atlases, with no variation between bioregions (Barrett et al. 2007). The greatest declines appear to have been in the eucalypt-dominated woodlands to the south and east of its range with populations in acacia and casuarina woodlands faring better (D. Watson in litt.), possibly because soils and litterdwelling prey are richer in such communities (Watson et al. 2000; Watson 2011). Populations on the drier fringe of the range may also be less likely to decline, e.g. Port Wakefield, SA (Taylor 1987). The overall rate of decline is difficult to estimate but is inferred here from ongoing habitat loss and degradation to be 20–29% in 3 generations (16 years). Ecology Inhabits dry eucalypt and acacia woodlands and shrublands, with an open understorey, some grassy areas, and a complex ground layer. Occurrence in agricultural landscapes is correlated with habitat patch size, tree canopy cover, shrub cover, ground cover, logs, fallen branches and litter (Watson et al. 2003). Particularly favours the edges of open vegetation dominated by ungrazed or lightly grazed native perennial tussock-grassland next to timbered native vegetation cover on moderately deep to deep soils (Priday 2010). Feeds on insects and small lizards from the ground by pouncing from perches, preferring sites where there is small fallen timber (Antos et al. 2008). Builds a cup nest and usually lays 2 eggs. Breeding pairs or groups defend exclusive nesting territories of c.6 ha, but have larger winter home ranges of c.18 ha, sometimes up to 50 ha (Fitri and Ford 2003a,b; Higgins and Peter 2002), although they can be present in patches as small as 2.9 ha (Montague-Drake et al. 2009). As most Petroicidae are highly mobile, it is assumed that there is still 1 subpopulation. A generation time of 5.3 years (BirdLife International 2011) is derived from an age at first breeding of 1.0 years (Higgins and Peter 2002) and a maximum longevity in the wild of 9.6 years (Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme). Threats One of a suite of declining temperate woodland species (Reid 1999; Montague-Drake et al. 2009). Like many of these species (e.g. Jacky Winter Microeca fascinans, Crested Bellbird Oreoica gutturalis), Hooded Robins are an aridadapted species and the declines are in the wetter portions of their distribution. Historical clearance destroyed much © 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 Near Threatened: past, current and anticipated population declines of 20–29% over periods 3 generations (16 years) suspected from monitoring, contracting AOO and deteriorating habitat quality B Not applicable: EOO >20 000 km2, AOO >2000 km2 C Not applicable: population >10 000 mature individuals D Not applicable: population >1000 mature individuals, >5 locations E Not applicable: no population viability analysis undertaken habitat with that in the agricultural regions now fragmented and suffering from extinction debt (Ford 2011). Birds in fragments can suffer such high nest predation that they produce too few recruits to compensate adult mortality (Ford et al. 2009) and are subject to competition with Noisy Miners Manorina melanocephala (Maron and Lill 2005). These pressures on the robins may be compounded by a reliance on what is becoming a depauperate terrestrial fauna (Watson 2011). Probable ongoing threats include inappropriate fire regimes, particularly those that lead to an increase in understorey density (H. Ford in litt.), firewood collection and tidying of farmland, grazing by stock, rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus and kangaroos Macropus spp., increased predation from introduced mammals and invasive weeds (Willson and Bignall 2009). Most of these threats are greater at habitat edges so are exacerbated by fragmentation. Conservation objectives 1. Stable populations maintained in key sites across its range Information required 1. Population densities and trends in arid parts of the range 2. Criteria for sites where management investment to save robin populations is warranted 3. Appropriate management interventions for isolated subpopulations including predator and competitor control, fire regime and ground cover manipulation Management actions required 1. Monitor key sites, particularly where there are management interventions 2. Develop guidelines for the management of robin populations in fragments 3. Promote ecological management of woodland remnants on private land 4. Design conservation and regeneration plans at a landscape level 5. Protect all woodland in which robins are known to be resident from clearing 6. Place all areas of public land that contain the robins under secure conservation management, particularly IUCN Red List assessment data Estimate Reliability 1 100 000 km2 stable high high Area of occupancy trend 10 000 km2 decreasing low high No. of mature individuals trend 165 000 decreasing low high Extent of occurrence trend No. subpopulations No. locations Generation time Global population share 1 medium >10 high 5.3 years high 100% high those in timber reserves, transport corridors and local government land 7. Using appropriate incentives, undertake extension with landholders who have suitable woodland habitat to promote sound management of remnants and encourage greater connectivity between habitat patches 8. Promote revegetation and land reclamation that recreates woodland habitat with a full complement of biodiversity, including the robin 9. Control and reduce firewood collection from areas occupied by the robins, promoting wood-lot development close to markets, and reduce grazing densities where necessary Bibliography Antos MJ, Bennett AF, White JG (2008) Where exactly do ground-foraging woodland birds forage? Foraging sites and microhabitat selection in temperate woodlands of southern Australia. Emu 108, 201–211. Barrett G, Ford HA, Recher HF (1994) Conservation of woodland birds in a fragmented rural landscape. Pacific Conservation Biology 1, 245–256. Barrett GW, Silcocks AF, Cunningham R, Oliver D, Weston MA, Baker J (2007) Comparison of atlas data to determine the conservation status of bird species in New South Wales, with an emphasis on woodland-dependent species. Australian Zoologist 34, 37–77. BirdLife International (2011) ‘Species factsheet: Melanodryas cucullata’. Retrieved 17 January, 2011 from <http://www. birdlife.org/>. Date EM, Ford HA, Recher HF (2002) Impacts of logging, fire and grazing regimes on bird species assemblages of the Pilliga Woodlands of New South Wales. Pacific Conservation Biology 8, 177–195. Fitri L, Ford HA (1997) Status, habitat and social organisation of the Hooded Robin Melanodryas cucullata in the New England region of New South Wales. Australian Bird Watcher 17, 142–155. Fitri L, Ford HA (2003a) Breeding biology of Hooded Robins Melanodryas cucullata in New England. Corella 27, 68–74. Fitri L, Ford HA (2003b) Foraging behaviour of Hooded Robins Melanodryas cucullata in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. Corella 27, 61–67. © 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. Ford HA (2011) The causes of decline of birds of eucalypt woodlands: advances in our knowledge over the last 10 years. Emu 111, 1–9. Ford HA, Walters JR, Cooper CB, Debus SJS, Doerr VAJ (2009) Extinction debt or habitat change? Ongoing losses of woodland birds in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Biological Conservation 142, 3182–3190. Reid JRW (1999) ‘Threatened and declining birds in the New South Wales Sheep-Wheat Belt: I. Diagnosis, characteristics and management’. Consultancy report to NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra. Robinson D (1993) Vale Toolern Vale: the loss of our woodland birds. Wingspan March, 1–4. Higgins PJ, Peter JM (Eds) (2002) Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 6: Pardalotes to Spangled Drongo. Oxford University Press, Melbourne. Robinson D, Traill BJ (1996) ‘Conserving Woodland Birds in the Wheat and Sheep Belts of Southern Australia’. RAOU (Birds Australia), Melbourne. Maron M, Lill A (2005) The influence of livestock grazing and weed invasion on habitat use by birds in grassy woodland remnants. Biological Conservation 124, 439–450. Schodde R, Mason IJ (1999) The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne. Montague-Drake RM, Lindenmayer DB, Cunningham RB (2009) Factors affecting site occupancy by woodland bird species of conservation concern. Biological Conservation 142, 2896–2903. Olsen P, Weston M, Tzaros C, Silcocks A (2005) The state of Australia’s birds 2005. Woodlands and birds. Supplement to Wingspan 15, 1–32. Paton DC, Carpenter G, Sinclair RG (1994) A second bird atlas of the Adelaide region. Part 1: Changes in the distribution of birds: 1974–75 vs 1984–85. South Australian Ornithologist 31, 151–193. Priday SD (2010) Beyond the ‘woody remnant’ paradigm in conservation of woodland birds: habitat requirements of the Hooded Robin (Melanodryas cucullata cucullata). Emu 110, 118–124. Watson DM (2011) A productivity-based explanation for woodland bird declines: poorer soils yield less food. Emu 111, 10–18. Watson DM, Mac Nally RC, Bennett AF (2000) The avifauna of remnant Buloke (Allocasuarina luehmanni) woodlands in western Victoria. Pacific Conservation Biology 6, 46–60. Willson A, Bignall J (2009) ‘Regional recovery plan for threatened species and ecological communities of Adelaide and the Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia’. Department for Environment and Heritage, South Australia. Comments received from David Baker-Gabb, Hugh Ford, Damon Oliver, Steve Priday, David Watson © 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.