Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Wildlife Research Wildlife Research Society
Ecology, management and conservation in natural and modified habitats
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > WR > WR04012
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 32(6)

Terrestrial avifauna of the Gippsland Plain and Strzelecki Ranges, Victoria, Australia: insights from Atlas data

James Q. Radford A B and Andrew F. Bennett A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Landscape Ecology Research Group, School of Ecology and Environment, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Vic. 3125, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: jradford@deakin.edu.au

Wildlife Research 32(6) 531-555 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR04012
Submitted: 13 February 2004  Accepted: 20 July 2005   Published: 18 October 2005

Abstract

The rate and spatial scale at which natural environments are being modified by human land-uses mean that a regional or national perspective is necessary to understand the status of the native biota. Here, we outline a landscape-based approach for using data from the ‘New Atlas of Australian Birds’ to examine the distribution and status of avifauna at a regional scale. We use data from two bioregions in south-east Australia – the Gippsland Plain and the Strzelecki Ranges (collectively termed the greater Gippsland Plains) – to demonstrate this approach. Records were compiled for 57 landscape units, each 10′ latitude by 10′ longitude (~270 km2) across the study region. A total of 165 terrestrial bird species was recorded from 1870 ‘area searches’, with a further 24 species added from incidental observations and other surveys. Of these, 108 species were considered ‘typical’ of the greater Gippsland Plain in that they currently or historically occur regularly in the study region. An index of species ‘occurrence’, combining reporting rate and breadth of distribution, was used to identify rare, common, widespread and restricted species. Ordination of the dataset highlighted assemblages of birds that had similar spatial distributions. A complementarity analysis identified a subset of 14 landscape units that together contained records from at least three different landscape units for each of the 108 ‘typical’ species. When compared with the 40 most common ‘typical’ species, the 40 least common species were more likely to be forest specialists, nest on the ground and, owing to the prevalence of raptors in the least common group, take prey on the wing. The future status of the terrestrial avifauna of the greater Gippsland Plains will depend on the extent to which effective restoration actions can be undertaken to ensure adequate representation of habitats for all species, especially for the large number of species of conservation concern.


Acknowledgments

We thank Geoff Barrett, Rory Poulter and Andrew Silcocks at Birds Australia for access to the Atlas data and their invaluable help and patience with data retrieval. We are especially indebted to the hundreds of dedicated volunteers who collected data for the Atlas. We are grateful to Richard Loyn, Greg Horrocks, Mick Bramwell, Mark Antos and Grant Palmer, who generously gave their time to scrutinise the species classifications. This project was funded by the Land and Water Australia Native Vegetation Program (Project DUV06), and the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment. We also thank Rob Price (DSE, Bendigo) for ongoing logistical and infrastructure support. Comments from two anonymous referees greatly improved earlier versions of this manuscript.


References

Andrèn, H. (1994). Effects of habitat fragmentation on birds and mammals in landscapes with different proportions of suitable habitat: a review. Oikos 71, 355–366.
Balmford A. (2002). Selecting sites for conservation. In ‘Conserving Bird Diversity: General Principles and Their Application’. (Eds K. Norris and D. J. Pain.) pp. 74–104. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.)

Barrett G., Silcocks A., Barry S., Cunningham R., and Poulter R. (2003). ‘The New Atlas of Australian Birds (1998–2001).’ (Birds Australia: Melbourne.)

Bellamy, P. E. , Brown, N. J. , Enoksson, B. , Firbank, L. G. , Fuller, R. J. , Hinsley, S. A. , and Schotman, A. G. M. (1998). The influences of habitat, landscape structure and climate on local distribution patterns of the nuthatch (Sitta europaea L.). Oecologia 115, 127–136.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Bennett A. F. (1999). ‘Linkages in the Landscape: the Role of Corridors and Connectivity in Wildlife Conservation.’ (IUCN: Gland.)

Bennett, A. F. , and Ford, L. A. (1997). Land use, habitat change and the conservation of birds in fragmented rural environments: a landscape perspective from the Northern Plains of Victoria, Australia. Pacific Conservation Biology 3, 244–261.
Bennett A. F., Lumsden L. F., and Menkhorst P. W. (1987). Mammals of the mallee region of south-eastern Australia. In ‘Mediterranean Landscapes in Australia: Mallee Ecosystems and their Management’. (Eds J. Noble and R. Bradstock.) pp. 191–220. (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)

Bennett A. F., Backhouse G., and Clark T. (Eds) (1995). ‘People and Nature Conservation: Perspectives on Private Land Use and Endangered Species Recovery.’ (Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales: Sydney.)

Berry, L. (2001). Breeding biology and nesting success of the eastern yellow robin and the New Holland honeyeater in a southern Victorian woodland. Emu 101, 191–197.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Bildstein K. L., Brett J. J., Goodrich L. J., and Viverette C. (1995). Hawks Aloft Worldwide: a network to protect the world’s migrating birds of prey and the habitats essential to their migration. In ‘Nature Conservation 4: The Role of Networks’. (Eds D. A. Saunders, J. L. Craig and E. M. Mattiske.) pp. 504–516. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Blakers M., Davies S. J. J. F., and Reilly P. N. (1984). ‘The Atlas of Australian Birds.’ (Royal Australian Ornithologists Union: Melbourne.)

Bromham, L. , Cardillo, M. , Bennett, A. F. , and Elgar, M. (1999). Effects of stock grazing on the ground invertebrate fauna of woodland remnants. Australian Journal of Ecology 24, 199–207.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Clarke K. R., and Warwick R. M. (1994). ‘Change in Marine Communities: an Approach to Statistical Analysis and Interpretation.’ (Plymouth Marine Laboratory: Plymouth.)

Cunningham, R. B. , Lindenmayer, D. B. , Nix, H. A. , and Lindenmayer, B. D. (1999). Quantifying observer heterogeneity in bird counts. Australian Journal of Ecology 24, 270–277.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) (1997). ‘Victoria’s Biodiversity: Directions in Management.’ (Department of Natural Resources and Environment: Melbourne.)

Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) (2000). Threatened Vertebrate Fauna in Victoria 2000: A systematic list of vertebrate fauna considered extinct, at risk of extinction or in major decline in Victoria. Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Melbourne.

Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) (2002). ‘Victoria’s Native Vegetation Management. A Framework for Action.’ (Department of Natural Resources and Environment: Melbourne.)

Donald, P. F. , and Fuller, R. J. (1998). Ornithological atlas data: a review of uses and limitations. Bird Study 45, 129–145.
Emison W. B., Beardsell E. M., Norman F. I., Loyn R. H., and Bennett S. C. (1987). ‘Atlas of Victorian Birds.’ (Department of Natural Resources and Environment & Royal Australian Ornithologists Union: Melbourne.)

Fahrig, L. (1998). When does fragmentation of breeding habitat affect population survival? Ecological Modelling 105, 273–292.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Garnett S. T., and Crowley G. M. (2000). ‘The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000.’ (Environment Australia: Canberra.)

Gaston K. J. (1994). ‘Rarity.’ (Chapman and Hall: London.)

Gaston, K. J. , and Rodrigues, A. S. L. (2003). Reserve selection in regions with poor biological data. Conservation Biology 17, 188–195.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Gibbons D. W., Reid J. B., and Chapman R. A. (1993). ‘The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1988–1991.’ (T. and A.D. Poyser: London.)

Gilmore, A. M. (1977). A survey of vertebrate animals in the Stradbroke area of South Gippsland, Victoria. Victorian Naturalist 94, 123–128.
Land Conservation Council (LCC) (1980). Report on the South Gippsland Study Area, District 2. Land Conservation Council, Melbourne.

Land Conservation Council (LCC) (1982). Report on the Gippsland Lakes Hinterland Area. Land Conservation Council, Melbourne.

Land Conservation Council (LCC) (1987). Report on the Latrobe Valley Special Investigation. Land Conservation Council, Melbourne.

Lindenmayer, D. B. , Cunningham, R. B. , Donnelly, C. F. , Nix, H. , and Lindenmayer, B. D. (2002). Effects of forest fragmentation on bird assemblages in a novel landscape context. Ecological Monographs 72, 1–18.
Loyn R. H. (1985). Birds in fragmented forests in Gippsland, Victoria. In ‘Birds of Eucalypt Forests and Woodlands – Ecology, Conservation, Management’. (Eds A. Keast, H. F. Recher, H. Ford and D. Saunders.) pp 323–331. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Loyn R. H. (1987). Effects of patch area and habitat on bird abundances, species numbers and tree health in fragmented Victorian forests. In ‘Nature Conservation: The Role of Remnants of Native Vegetation’. (Eds D. A. Saunders, G. W. Arnold, A. A. Burbidge and A. J. M. Hopkins.) pp. 65–77. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Loyn R. H., Macfarlane M. A., Chesterfield E. A., and Harris J. A. (1980). Forest utilization and the flora and fauna in Boola Boola State Forest in southeastern Victoria. Forests Commission Victoria Bulletin No. 28.

Loyn, R. H. , McNabb, E. G. , Volodina, L. , and Willig, R. (2001). Modelling landscape distributions of large forest owls as applied to managing forests in north-east Victoria, Australia. Biological Conservation 97, 361–376.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Mace G. M., and Collar N. J. (2002). Priority-setting in species conservation. In ‘Conserving Bird Diversity: General Principles and Their Application’. (Eds K. Norris and D. J. Pain.) pp. 61–73. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.)

Margules, C. R. , and Pressey, R. L. (2000). Systematic conservation planning. Nature 405, 243–253.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Nicholls A. O. (1998). Integrating population abundance, dynamics and distribution into broad scale priority setting. In ‘Conservation in a Changing World: Integrating Processes into Priorities for Action’. (Eds G. M. Mace, A. Balmford and J. Ginsberg.) pp. 251–272. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.)

Norris, K. C. , Gilmore, A. M. , and Menkhorst, P. W. (1979). Vertebrate fauna of South Gippsland, Victoria. Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria 40, 105–199.
Pizzey G. (1997). ‘The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia.’ (Harper Collins Publishers: Sydney.)

Prendergast, J. R. , Wood, S. N. , Lawton, J. H. , and Eversham, B. C. (1993). Correcting for variation in recording effort in analyses of diversity hotspots. Biodiversity Letters 1, 39–53.
Price J., Droege S., and Price A. (1995). ‘The Summer Atlas of North American Birds.’ (Academic Press: London.)

Primer-E (2001). ‘Plymouth Routines in Multivariate Ecological Research.’ Version 5. (Primer-E: Plymouth.)

Rabinowitz D., Cairns S., and Dillon T. (1986). Seven forms of rarity and their frequency in the flora of the British Isles. In ‘Conservation Biology: The Science of Scarcity and Diversity’. (Ed. M. E. Soulé.) pp. 182–204. (Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, NJ.)

Recher, H. F. (1999). The state of Australia’s avifauna: a personal opinion and prediction for the new millennium. Australian Zoologist 31, 11–27.
Reid J. R. W. (1999). Threatened and declining birds in the New South Wales sheep–wheat belt: diagnosis, characteristics and management. CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology, Canberra.

Robertson, A. , Simmons, R. E. , Jarvis, A. M. , and Brown, C. J. (1995). Can bird atlas data be used to estimate population size? A case study using Namibian endemics. Biological Conservation 71, 87–95.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Robinson D. (1994). Research plan for threatened woodland birds of southeastern Australia. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Melbourne.

Rodrigues, A. S. L. , Gaston, K. J. , and Gregory, R. (2000). Using presence–absence data to establish reserve selection procedures which are robust to temporal species turnover. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 267, 897–902.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Seebeck J. H., Bennett A. F., and Dufty A. C. (1990). Status, distribution and biogeography of the eastern barred bandicoot, Perameles gunnii, in Victoria. In ‘Management and Conservation of Small Populations’. (Eds T. W. Clark and J. H. Seebeck.) pp. 21–32. (Chicago Zoological Society: Brookfield, IL.)

Soulé, M. E. , Bolger, R. T. , Alberts, A. C. , Wright, J. , Sorice, M. , and Hills, S. (1988). Reconstructed dynamics of rapid extinctions of chaparral requiring birds in urban habitat islands. Conservation Biology 2, 75–92.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | State of the Environment Advisory Council (1996). ‘State of the Environment, Australia 1996.’ (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)

Terborgh J. (1989). ‘Where have all the birds gone?’ (Princeton University Press: Princeton.)

Teesdale, B. (2003). Archies Creek reforestation group. A best practice Bushcare demonstration site. Greening Australian 6, 11–12.
Wallis G., Roberts K., Rodaughan T., Halley M., Taylor S., Lowe K., Bramwell M., Fox T., Qard B., and Ziebell D. (2003). Biodiversity action planning strategic overview for the gippsland plain bioregion – Part 1. Department of Sustainability and Environment, East Melbourne.

Whitmore T. C. (1997). Tropical forest disturbance, disappearance, and species loss. In ‘Tropical Forest Remnants. Ecology, Management, and Conservation of Fragmented Communities’. (Eds W. F. Laurance and R. O. Bierregaard.) pp. 3–12. (University of Chicago Press: Chicago.)

Williams, P. , Gibbons, D. W. , Margules, C. , Rebelo, A. , Humphries, C. , and Pressey, R. (1996). A comparison of richness hotspots, rarity hotspots, and complementary areas for conserving diversity of British birds. Conservation Biology 10, 155–174.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

With, K. A. , and Crist, T. O. (1995). Critical thresholds in species’ responses to landscape structure. Ecology 76, 2446–2459.





Appendix 1.  Classification of terrestrial birds detected in area searches in the study region, 1997–2002
Click to zoom


Appendix 1a. (Continued)
Click to zoom


Appendix 1b. (Continued)
Click to zoom