Nest-records of the Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis

Abstract

Seven hundred and seventy nest-record cards of the Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis were available at the end of the 1980-1 breeding season, about one-quarter being from the Moruya district of New South Wales. They provided details but little new information on habitat, nests and nest sites, except that the birds probably nest high in forest trees more often than was supposed. Laying was at intervals of about 27 hours. Clutch size averaged 2.33 without any detectable differences between years, places or altitudes but increasing from 2.16 before to about 2.5 after October. The incubation period was just under 16 days and the nestling period 10-14 days. Breeding success was about 30%, apparently decreasing from 33% before October to about 20% in November and December; the most frequent clutch size (2) was most frequently successful but clutches of three raised more young per nest than did clutches of two. The breeding season started at the end of July or in early August and stopped quite abruptly at the end of December, with the main peak of laying from mid-September to mid-October. More nests were started before 31 August in Victoria than at Moruya. The analysis was dominated and distorted by the quantity and quality of records from Moruya and few useful comparisons could be made between the results from there and from elsewhere.