Register      Login
Emu Emu Society
Journal of BirdLife Australia
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > MU > MU05021
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 106(2)

Aspects of Drooping Sheoaks (Allocasuarina verticillata) that influence Glossy Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus) foraging on Kangaroo Island

Tamra F. Chapman A B and David C. Paton A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Discipline of Environmental Biology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Present address: Department of Conservation and Land Management, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, Bentley, WA 6983, Australia. Email: tamrac@calm.wa.gov.au

Emu 106(2) 163-168 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU05021
Submitted: 3 May 2005  Accepted: 28 February 2006   Published: 19 May 2006

Abstract

Glossy Black-Cockatoos on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, rely primarily on the kernels contained in the seed-cones of the Drooping Sheoak (Allocasuarina verticillata) as their food source. This study expands on previous studies of Glossy Black-Cockatoos foraging on Kangaroo Island by examining selection of patches, trees, branches and cones. The Cockatoos appeared to maximise food intake per unit of foraging time by foraging in trees with higher seed-fill and kernel ratio. Although not conclusive, this study suggests breeding birds may be more selective of high seed-fill and kernel ratio than non-breeding birds. Within the canopy of the Sheoaks, the Cockatoos cropped cones from branches with high densities of cones present on them. The Cockatoos also showed a preference for foraging in large trees, which appears to reduce the number of movements they have to make between trees. This would both limit the energetic costs of foraging and limit exposure to predators.


Acknowledgments

This study was conducted as part of a Ph.D. project (Environmental Biology, University of Adelaide) and the Glossy Black-Cockatoo Recovery Program. It was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Research Award, with additional support from the Australian Research Council, the Wildlife Conservation Fund, the South Australian National Parks Foundation and the Save the Bush Fund. The methods for measuring cone- and seed-parameters were developed with Gabriel Crowley. Lynn Pedler and Stephen Garnett provided advice and logistical support in the field. The many people who assisted with field work are listed in Chapman (2005). James Bullock, Emma Crossfield, Anthony Freebairn, Olivia Mills, Sara Ormsby and Jane Ryan processed samples in the Environmental Biology Laboratory at the University of Adelaide. Gabriel Crowley reviewed and made significant improvements to earlier drafts of this paper. We used the laboratory facilities and administrative services of the Discipline of Environmental Biology at the University of Adelaide and at the Species and Communities Branch of the Department of Conservation and Land Management, Perth, to carry out this project.


References

Ball D., and Carruthers S. (1999). Vegetation mapping. In ‘A Biological Survey of Kangaroo Island, South Australia, 1989 and 1990’. (Eds A. C. Robinson and D. M. Armstrong.) pp. 159–185. (Heritage and Biodiversity Section, Department for Environment, Heritage and Aboriginal Affairs, South Australia: Adelaide.)

Benkman, C. W. (1987). Food profitability and the foraging ecology of Crossbills. Ecological Monographs 57, 251–267.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Boomsma C. D. (1972). ‘Native Trees of South Australia.’ (Woods and Forests Department: Adelaide.)

Cameron M. (2004). Ecology of the Glossy Black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami) in central New South Wales. Ph.D. Thesis, University of New England, Armidale, NSW.

Chapman T. F. (2005). Cone production by the Drooping Sheoak Allocasuarina verticillata and the feeding ecology of the Glossy Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus on Kangaroo Island. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Adelaide.

Chapman, T. F. , and Paton, D. C. (2005). The glossy black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus) spends little time and energy foraging on Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 53, 177–183.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Cooper C. (1999). The metabolic ecology of cockatoos in the southwest of Western Australia. B.Sc.(Honours) Thesis, University of Western Australia, Perth.

Cooper, C. , Withers, P. C. , Mawson, P. R. , Bradshaw, S. D. , Prince, J. , and Robertson, H. (2002). The metabolic ecology of cockatoos in the southwest of Western Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 50, 67–76.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Doran J., and Hall N. (1983). Notes on fifteen Australian casuarina species In ‘Proceedings of the Casuarina Ecology, Management and Utilisation. Proceedings of an International Workshop, Canberra, Australia, 17–21 August 1981’. (Eds S. J. Migdley, J. W. Turnbull and R. D. Johnson.) pp. 19–52. (CSIRO: Melbourne.)

Grémillet, D. (1997). Catch per unit effort, foraging efficiency, and parental investment in breeding Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo carbo). International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Journal of Marine Science 54, 635–644.
Higgins P. J. (Ed.) (1999). ‘Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Vol. 4: Parrots to Dollarbird.’ (Oxford University Press: Melbourne.)

Holimon, W. C. , Benkman, C. W. , and Willson, M. F. (1998). The importance of mature conifers to red crossbills in southeast Alaska. Forest Ecology and Management 102, 167–172.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Jessop J. P., Toelken H. R., and Black J. M. (1986). ‘Flora of South Australia.’ 4th edn. (D. J. Woolman, Government Printer: Adelaide.)

Joseph L. (1980). ‘Report on studies on the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo and Glossy Black Cockatoo conducted for the Department for the Environment in 1979 and 1980.’ (Department of Environment and Planning: Adelaide.)

Joseph, L. (1982). The Glossy Black-Cockatoo on Kangaroo Island. Emu 82, 46–49.
Krebs J. R. (1978). Optimal foraging: decision rules for predators. In ‘Behavioral Ecology: An Evolutionary Approach’. (Eds J. R. Krebs and N. B. Davies.) pp. 23–63. (Blackwell: Oxford, UK.)

Maurer B. (1996). Energetics of avian foraging. In ‘Avian Energetics’. (Ed. C. Carey.) pp. 250–279. (Chapman and Hall: New York.)

Naef-Daenzer, B. , and Keller, L. F. (1999). The foraging performance of Great and Blue Tits (Parus major and P. caeruleus) in relation to caterpillar development, and its consequences for nestling growth and fledging weight. Journal of Animal Ecology 68, 708–718.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Paltridge A. (1994). The feeding and nesting resources of the Glossy Black-Cockatoo on western Kangaroo Island, South Australia. B.A.(Honours) Thesis, University of Adelaide.

Pepper, J. W. (1993). A new food source for the Glossy Black Cockatoo. South Australian Ornithologist 31, 144–145.
Pepper J. W. (1996). The behavioral ecology of the Glossy Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Michigan.

Pepper, J. W. (1997). A survey of the South Australian Glossy Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus) and its habitat. Wildlife Research 24, 209–223.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Prime W. D., Garnett S. T., and Pedler L. P. (1997). Census of the Glossy Black-Cockatoo on Kangaroo Island 12–27 October 1997. Report for the Glossy Black-Cockatoo Recovery Plan, Environment Australia, Canberra.

Pyke, G. H. , Pulliam, H. R. , and Charnov, E. L. (1977). Optimal foraging: a selective review of theory and tests. Quarterly Review of Biology 52, 137–154.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Quinn G. P., and Keough M. J. (2002). ‘Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists.’ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.)

Royama, T. (1970). Factors governing the hunting behaviour and selection of food by the Great Tit (Parus major L.). Journal of Animal Ecology 39, 619–668.
Sindel S., and Lynn R. (1989). ‘Australian Cockatoos.’ (Singil Press: Austral, NSW.)

Walsberg G. E. (1983). Avian ecological energetics. In ‘Avian Biology VII’. (Eds D. S. Farner, J. R. King and K. C. Parkes.) pp. 161–220. (Academic Press: New York.)

Wheelwright, N. T. (1993). Fruit size in a tropical tree species: variation, preference by birds, and heritability. Vegetatio 107/108, 163–174.
Zar J. H. (1999). ‘Biostatistical Analysis.’ 4th edn. (Prentice-Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ.)

Zwicker, S. M. , and Walters, J. R. (1999). Selection of pines for foraging by Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. Journal of Wildlife Management 63, 843–852.