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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 105(3)

Habitat use and distribution of the Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella) in foothill forests of the Victorian Highlands, Australia

Grant C. Palmer
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

Landscape Ecology Research Group, School of Ecology and Environment, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, Vic. 3125, Australia. Present address: Centre for Environmental Management, School of Science and Engineering, University of Ballarat, PO Box 663, Ballarat, Vic. 3353, Australia. Email: g.palmer@ballarat.edu.au

Emu 105(3) 233-239 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU04005
Submitted: 27 January 2004  Accepted: 28 July 2005   Published: 12 October 2005

Abstract

The Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella) is an uncommon, granivorous finch from coastal south-eastern Australia, with a distribution extending from mid-coastal New South Wales to south-eastern South Australia, including Tasmania. This paper presents a quantitative assessment of habitat use by the Beautiful Firetail based on data collected from 30 paired riparian and non-riparian sites in the foothill forests of the Victorian Highlands, Australia. The Beautiful Firetail occurred in two of the three forest blocks surveyed and was found almost exclusively at riparian sites. The Beautiful Firetail was most likely to occur at riparian sites on the coastal fall of the ranges at sites with high sedge cover and low cover of shrubs and bare ground. The species occurred at low densities (0.10–0.19 individuals ha–1) throughout the year. Records from the Atlas of Victorian Wildlife were used to describe the distribution of Beautiful Firetails in Victoria. Notable observations inland of the Great Dividing Range were recorded during the present study. Further study is required to understand the ecological requirements of the Beautiful Firetail throughout its range.


Acknowledgments

These observations form part of a more extensive investigation of the role of riparian habitats in structuring bird communities at a landscape scale. Andrew Bennett, James Fitzsimons, Mark Antos, Sonia Tidemann, Camilla Myers and an anonymous referee provided valuable comments on earlier drafts. Barbara Baxter (DSE) assisted in providing Atlas of Victorian Wildlife records. John Read enabled access to his research thesis on firetails. Grants from the Holsworth Wildlife Research Fund and Stuart Leslie Bird Research Award assisted this research, which was supported by a Deakin University Postgraduate Research Scholarship.


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