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 > WR04118
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 32(6)

How important are different types of temperate woodlands for ground-foraging birds?

Mark J. Antos 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: antos@deakin.edu.au

Wildlife Research 32(6) 557-572 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR04118
Submitted: 17 November 2004  Accepted: 26 May 2005   Published: 18 October 2005

Abstract

There is widespread concern about population decline in a number of woodland-dependent birds in southern Australia. Of all declining species, approximately half forage on the ground. This study examined the avifaunal assemblages of temperate woodlands of the Northern Plains, Victoria, to investigate the importance of woodland habitats for ground-foraging species. Four main types of woodland were surveyed (white cypress-pine, black box, grey box and river red gum) and, in total, 89 bird species were detected. All four woodland types differed in habitat structure and, in turn, supported significantly different avifaunal assemblages. Forty of the 89 species (45%) foraged, at least in part, on the ground. Species richness and abundance of ground-foragers differed significantly between woodland types, being highest in white cypress-pine and black box. There was a greater richness of ground-foragers during the breeding than non-breeding season, but abundance did not vary seasonally. Overall, ground-foraging birds comprised a greater proportion of species (>55%) and individuals (>60%) in white cypress-pine and black box woodland than in grey box and river red gum (42–48% of species, <50% individuals). Those ground-foragers regarded as declining also occurred in greatest richness in white cypress-pine woodlands, one of the most depleted habitats in the region. The lowest richness of ‘declining’ ground-foraging species was in river red gum woodland, the most widespread woodland type. Throughout Australia, the proportion of ground-foraging species in bird assemblages tends to be greater in temperate, semi-arid or arid woodlands than in moist forests and rainforests. However, in many regions woodland habitats are severely depleted and their open ground layer is particularly vulnerable to degradation. The extent of suitable habitat for ground-foraging birds in temperate woodlands may be much less than is apparent from current measures of tree cover. Sustainable management of drier (non-riverine) temperate woodlands is required to conserve this important element of the Australian avifauna.


Acknowledgments

Logistical and financial support for this research was provided by the School of Ecology and Environment, Deakin University. We are also grateful for financial support provided by the Holsworth Wildlife Research Fund, the Stuart Leslie Research Fund and Birds Australia’s Vicgroup Research Fund. We thank Professor Harry Recher and two anonymous referees for comments on the manuscript. Dr John White provided useful advice throughout the course of this research.


References

Antos, M. J. , and White, J. G. (2004). Birds of remnant vegetation on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia: the role of interiors, edges and roadsides. Pacific Conservation Biology 9, 294–301.
Barrett G., Silcocks A., Barry S., Cunningham R. and Poulter R. (2003). ‘The New Atlas of Australian Birds.’ (Birds Australia: Melbourne.)

Batey, I. (1907). On fifteen thousand acres: its bird-life sixty years ago. Emu 7, 1–17.
Bauer J., and Goldney D. (2000). Extinction processes in a transitional agricultural landscape system. In ‘Temperate Eucalypt Woodlands in Australia’. (Eds R. J. Hobbs and C. J. Yates.) pp.107–126. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

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, Victoria, Australia. Pacific Conservation Biology 3, 244–261.
Bennett A., Brown G., Lumsden L., Hespe D., Krasna S., and Silins J. (1998). ‘Fragments for the Future: Wildlife in the Victorian Riverina (The Northern Plains).’ (DNRE: Melbourne.)

Campi, M. J. , and Mac Nally, R. (2001). Birds on edge: avian assemblages along forest–agricultural boundaries of central Victoria, Australia. Animal Conservation 4, 121–132.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Christidis L., and Boles W. E. (1994). ‘The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and its Territories.’ (RAOU: Melbourne.)

Clarke K. R., and Warwick R. M. (1994). ‘Change in Marine Communities: An Approach to Statistical Analysis and Interpretation.’ (Plymouth Marine Laboratory: Plymouth, UK.)

Crome, F. H. J. (1978). Foraging ecology of an assemblage of birds in lowland rainforest in northern Queensland. Australian Journal of Ecology 3, 195–212.
Department of Natural Resources and Environment (2001). Mid-Murray Forest Management Area proposed forest management plan. DNRE, Melbourne.

Emison W. B., Beardsell C. M., Norman F. I., Loyn R. H., and Bennett S. (1987). ‘Atlas of Victorian Birds.’ (DCFL and RAOU: Melbourne.)

Ford H. A., and Barrett G. (1995). The role of birds and their conservation in agricultural systems. In ‘People and Nature Conservation: Perspectives on Private Land Use and Endangered Species Recovery’. (Eds A. Bennett, G. Backhouse and T. Clark.) pp. 128–134. (Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales: Sydney.)

Ford, H. A. , Noske, S. , and Bridges, L. (1986). Foraging of birds in eucalypt woodland in north-eastern New South Wales. Emu 86, 168–179.
Ford H., Barrett G., and Recher H. (1995). Birds in a degraded landscape – safety nets for capturing regional biodiversity. In ‘Nature Conservation 4: The Role of Networks’. (Eds D. A. Saunders, J. I. Craig and E. M. Mattiske.) pp. 43–50. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Ford, H. A. , Barrett, G. W. , Saunders, D. A. , and Recher, H. F. (2001). Why have birds in the woodlands of southern Australia declined? Biological Conservation 97, 71–88.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Kirkpatrick J. B., and Gilfedder L. (2000). Distribution, ecology and conservation status of lowland and subalpine woodlands in Tasmania. In ‘Temperate Eucalypt Woodlands in Australia’. (Eds R. J. Hobbs and C. J. Yates.) pp.45–56. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Kitchener, D. J. , Dell, J. , Muir, B. G. , and Palmer, M. (1982). Birds in Western Australian wheatbelt reserves: implications for conservation. Biological Conservation 22, 127–163.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | LCC (1983). Report on the Murray Valley area. Land Conservation Council, Melbourne.

Lindenmayer, D. B. , Cunningham, R. B. , Donnelly, C. F. , Nix, H. , and Lindemayer, B. D. (2002). Effects of forest fragmentation on bird assemblages in a novel landscape context. Ecological Monographs 72, 1–18.
Loyn R. H. (1985a). 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. (1985b). Bird populations in successional forests of mountain ash Eucalyptus regnans in central Victoria. Emu 85, 213–230.
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. , Lumsden, L. F. , and Ward, K. A. (2002). Vertebrate fauna of Barmah Forest, a large forest of river red gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis on the floodplain of the Murray River. Victorian Naturalist 119, 114–132.
Parks Victoria (2002). Terrick Terrick National Park management plan. Parks Victoria, Melbourne.

Paton D. C., Presscott M. A., Davies R. J. P., and Heard L. M. (2000). The distribution, status and threats to temperate woodlands in South Australia. In ‘Temperate Eucalypt Woodlands in Australia’. (Eds R. J. Hobbs and C. J. Yates.) pp. 57–85. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Recher, H. F. (1999). The state of Australia’s avifauna: a personal opinion and prediction for the new millenium. Australian Zoologist 31, 11–27.
Recher H. F., and Holmes R. T. (1985). Foraging ecology and seasonal patterns of abundance in a forest avifauna. In ‘Birds of Eucalypt Forests and Woodlands: Ecology, Conservation, Management’. (Eds A. Keast, H. F. Recher, H. Ford and D. Saunders.) pp. 79–96. (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Recher, H. F. , and Lim, L. (1990). A review of the current ideas of extinction, conservation and management of Australia’s terrestrial vertebrate fauna. Proceedings of the Ecological Society of Australia 16, 287–301.
Reid J. R. W. (1999). Threatened and declining birds in the New South Wales sheep–wheat belt. 1. Diagnosis, characteristics and management. Consultancy report to NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology, Canberra.

Robinson D. (1994). Research plan for threatened woodland birds of southeastern Australia. Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Technical Report Series No. 133.

Robinson, D. , and Traill, B. J. (1996). Conserving woodland birds in the wheat and sheep belts of southern Australia. Wingspan 6 (Supplement), 1–16.
Rolls E. C. (1969). ‘They All Ran Wild.’ (Angus and Robertson: Sydney.)

Rowley, I. (1961). Birds of Dookie Agricultural College, Victoria. Emu 61, 7–17.
SAC (2000). Final Recommendation on a nomination for listing: Victorian temperate-woodland bird community (nomination No. 512). Scientific Advisory Committee, Flora and Fauna Guarantee. Department of Natural Resources and Environment: Melbourne.

Saunders, D. A. (1989). Changes in the avifauna of a region, district and remnant as a result of fragmentation of native vegetation: the wheatbelt of Western Australia. A case study. Biological Conservation 50, 99–135.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Saunders, D. A. , and Curry, P. J. (1990). The impact of agricultural and pastoral industries on birds in the southern half of Western Australia: past, present and future. Proceedings of the Ecological Society of Australia 16, 303–321.


Watson, J. , Watson, A. , Paull, D. , and Freudenberger, D. (2003). Woodland fragmentation is causing the decline of species and functional groups of birds in southeastern Australia. Pacific Conservation Biology 8, 261–270.


Woinarski, J. C. Z. (1993). A cut-and-paste community: birds of monsoon rainforests in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory. Emu 93, 100–120.


Woinarski, J. C. Z. , and Fisher, A (1995). Wildlife of lancewood (Acacia shirleyi) thickets and woodlands in northern Australia. 2. Comparisons with other environments of the region (Acacia woodlands, Eucalyptus savanna woodlands and monsoon rainforests). Wildlife Research 22, 413–443.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |