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 > WR05040
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 33(2)

Fine-scale habitat use by the southern emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus)

Grainne S. Maguire
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

Department of Zoology, The University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia. Email: s.maguire@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au

Wildlife Research 33(2) 137-148 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR05040
Submitted: 22 April 2005  Accepted: 13 February 2006   Published: 12 April 2006

Abstract

Fine-scale variation in habitat structure and composition is likely to influence habitat use by avian species with limited flight capabilities. I investigated proportional use of available habitat and microhabitat by the southern emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus), a threatened, flight-limited passerine, at three sites in Victoria, in relation to vegetation structure and composition. Emu-wrens appeared to discriminate between habitats with regard to structural rather than floristic characteristics. Habitats with dense vertical foliage of shrubs, grasses and sedges/rushes between ground level and 100 cm, and dense horizontal cover of medium to tall shrubs, were used most frequently. However, when availability of habitat was taken into account, habitat use was negatively correlated with the vertical density of low shrub foliage and species richness. Within habitats, emu-wrens more frequently used plant species that had a dense canopy cover (26 ± 2% of total cover, crown diameter 93 ± 5 cm), high foliage density between 50 and 100 cm, and average heights of ~1 m. Plant species in which the birds nested comprised ~14% of total canopy cover and were densest between ground level and 50 cm. Canopy cover, vegetation height and vertical foliage density were consistently important variables correlated with emu-wren habitat use at multiple fine-scales. This study provides valuable information for conservation management of the species; in particular, the restoration of degraded habitats.


Acknowledgments

I thank Graham Hepworth and Julian Di Stefano for statistical advice, and Gary Luck, David Morgan, Raoul Mulder and David Watson for comments on the manuscript. Thanks to Michael Rosier, Megan Hill, David Morton, Dylan Salamon, Ellen Mitchell, Sophy Allen and Richard Parker for assistance in the field. Special thanks to John Hill for help using ArcView. This research was supported by grants from Portland Aluminium, Stuart Leslie Bird Research Award (Birds Australia), Norman Wettenhall Foundation, Bird Observers Club of Australia (BOCA) and The Australian Geographic Society, and carried out under permit from the University of Melbourne’s Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee (Register No. 00055), Parks Victoria and the Department of Sustainability and Environment (Permit No. 10001755) and the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme.


References

Ashby, E. (1926). The Grampians Range of Victoria and its bird life. Emu 26, 285–290.
Barrett G., Silcocks A., Barry S., Cunningham R., and Poulter R. (2003). ‘The New Atlas of Australian Birds.’ (Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union: Melbourne.)

Bibbey C. J., Burgess N. D., and Hill D. A. (1992). ‘Bird Census Techniques.’ (Academic Press: London.)

Brake L., Clark I., Clay R., and Saverton F. (1991). ‘The Master Plan for the Smelter in the Park.’ (Portland Aluminium: Portland, Vic.)

Canfield, R. H. (1941). Application of the line interception method in sampling range vegetation. Journal of Forestry 39, 388–394.
Carr G. W., Jugovic J. V., and Robinson K. E. (1992). Environmental weed invasions in Victoria. conservation and management implications. Department of Conservation and Environment, and Ecological Horticulture Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Victoria.

Caughley, G. (1994). Directions in conservation biology. Journal of Animal Ecology 63, 215–244.
Daubenmire R. F. (1968). ‘Plant Communities: a Textbook of Plant Synecology.’ (Harper and Row: New York.)

DeGraaf, R. M. , and Yamaski, M. (2003). Options for managing early-successional forest and shrubland bird habitats in northeastern United States. Forest Ecology and Management 185, 179–191.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Ferrier S. (1985). Habitat requirements of a rare species, the rufous scrub-bird. In ‘Birds of Eucalypt Forests and Woodlands: Ecology, Conservation and Management’. (Eds A. Keast, H. Recher, H. Ford and D. Saunders.) pp. 241–248. (Royal Australian Ornithological Union & Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Ford, H. A. , Barrett, G. W. , Saunders, D. A. , and Recher, H. F. (2001). Why have birds in the woodlands of South Australia declined? Biological Conservation 97, 71–88.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Garnett S. T., and Crowley G. M. (2000). ‘The Action Plan for Threatened Birds 2000.’ (Environment Australia: Canberra.)

Garshelis D. L. (2000). Delusions in habitat evaluation: measuring use, selection, and importance. In ‘Research Techniques in Animal Ecology’. (Eds L. Boitani and T. K. Fuller.) pp. 111–164. (Columbia University Press: New York.)

Gibson, L. A. , Wilson, B. A. , Cahill, D. M. , and Hill, J. (2004). Spatial prediction of rufous bristlebird habitat in a coastal heathland: a GIS-based approach. Journal of Applied Ecology 41, 213–223.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Gilmore A. (1985). The influence of vegetation structure on the density of insectivorous birds. In ‘Birds of Eucalypt Forests and Woodlands: Ecology, Conservation and Management’. (Eds A. Keast, H. Recher, H. Ford and D. Saunders.) pp. 21–31. (Royal Australian Ornithological Union & Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Goodall, D. W. (1952). Some considerations in the use of point quadrats for the analysis of vegetation. Australian Journal of Scientific Research Series B 5, 1–41.
Greig-Smith P. (1957). ‘Quantitative Plant Ecology.’ (Butterworths: London.)

Hastie, G. D. , Wilson, B. , and Thompson, P. M. (2003). Fine-scale habitat selection by coastal bottlenose dolphins: application of a new land-based video-montage technique. Canadian Journal of Zoology 81, 469–478.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Higgins P. J., Peter J. M., and Steele W. K. (2001). ‘Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antartic Birds. Vol. 5. Tyrant-Flycatchers to Chats.’ (Oxford University Press: Melbourne.)

Hooge P. N., and Eichenlaub B. (1997). Animal movement extension to Arcview. (Alaska Biological Science Center & US Geological Survey: Anchorage, AK.)

Hutton R. (1991). ‘Australian Softbill Management.’ (Singil Press: Sydney.)

Kent M., and Coker P. (1992). ‘Vegetation Description and Analysis: a Practical Approach.’ (John Wiley and Sons: Chichester, UK.)

Kolowski, J. M. , and Woolf, A. (2002). Microhabitat use by bobcats in southern Illinois. Journal of Wildlife Management 66, 822–832.
Littlely T., and Cutten J. (1994). ‘Draft Recovery Plan for the Mt Lofty Ranges Southern Emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus intermedius).’ (Conservation Council of South Australia: Adelaide.)

Loyn R. H. (1985). Ecology, distribution and density of birds in Victorian forests. In ‘Birds of Eucalypt Forests and Woodlands: Ecology, Conservation and Management’. (Eds A. Keast, H. Recher, H. Ford and D. Saunders.) pp. 33–46. (Royal Australian Ornithological Union & Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Luck, G. W. (2002). The habitat requirements of the rufous treecreeper (Climacteris rufa). 1. Preferential habitat use demonstrated at multiple spatial scales. Biological Conservation 105, 383–394.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | McLellan B. N. (1986). Use–availability analysis and timber selection by grizzly bears. In ‘Proceedings – Grizzly Bear Habitat Symposium’. (Eds G. P. Contreras and K. E. Evans.) pp. 163–166. US Department of Agriculture General Technical Report INT-207, Intermountain Research Station, Ogden, Utah.

McMahon A. R. G., Carr G. W., Bedggood S. E., Hill R. J., and Prichard A. M. (1994). Prescribed fire control of coast wattle (Acacia sophorae (Labill.) R.Br.). Invasion in coastal heath in south-west Victoria. Parks Victoria, Melbourne.

Mercer K. (1998). Habitat selection of the mallee emu-wren (Stipiturus mallee) in fire prone Ngarkat Conservation Park with suggestions for management. M.Sc. Thesis, University of Adelaide.

Mezquida, E. T. (2004). Nest site selection and nesting success of five species of passerines in a South American open Prosopis woodland. Journal für Ornithologie 145, 6–22.
Pickett M. I. (2000). The Mount Lofty Ranges southern emu-wren Stipiturus malachurus intermedius: results of banding and monitoring, 1994–1998. Conservation Council of South Australia, Adelaide.

Pulliam, H. R. (1988). Sources, sinks, and population regulation. American Naturalist 132, 652–661.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Pyke G. H., and Recher H. F. (1984). Censusing Australian birds: a summary of procedures and a scheme for standardisation of data presentation and storage. In ‘Methods of Censusing Birds in Australia’. (Ed. S. J. J. F. Davies.) pp. 55–63. (Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union: Melbourne.)

Rotenberry, J. T. (1985). The role of habitat in avian community composition: physiognomy or floristics? Oecologia 67, 213–217.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Schodde R. (1982). ‘The Fairy-Wrens: a Monograph of the Maluridae.’ (Lansdowne: Melbourne.)

Searle S. R. (1987). ‘Linear Models for Unbalanced Data.’ (Wiley: New York.)

Serventy V. N. (1982). ‘The Wrens and Warblers of Australia.’ (Angus and Robertson: Sydney.)

Specht R. L. (1981a). Responses to fires in heathlands and related shrublands. In ‘Fire and the Australian Biota’. (Eds A. M. Gill, R. H. Groves and I. R. Noble.) (Australian Academy of Science: Canberra.)

Specht R. L. (1981b). Foliage projective cover and standing biomass. In ‘Vegetation Classification in Australia’. (Eds A. N. Gillison and D. J. Anderson.) (CSIRO: Canberra.)

Specht R., Specht A., Whelan M. B., and Hegarty E. E. (1995). ‘Conservation Atlas of Plant Communities in Australia.’ (Southern Cross University Press: Lismore.)

Tansley A. G., and Chipp T. F. (1926). ‘Aims and Methods in Study of Vegetation.’ (British Empire Veg Chee and Crown Agents for the Colonies: London.)

Tomialojc, L. (1978). The influence of predators on breeding woodpigeons in London parks. Bird Study 25, 2–10.
Wiens J. A. (1989). ‘The Ecology of Bird Communities. Vol. 2. Processes and Variations.’ (Cambridge University Press: Melbourne.)

Wiens, J. A. , Rotenberry, J. T. , and Van Horne, B. (1987). Habitat occupancy patterns of North American shrubsteppe birds: the effects of spatial scale. Oikos 48, 132–147.
Wilson D. (2000). Habitat use and reintroduction potential of the Mount Lofty Ranges southern emu-wren Stipiturus malachurus intermedius (Aves: Maluridae). B.Sc.(Honours) Thesis, University of Adelaide.

Wilson, D. , and Paton, D. C. (2004). Habitat use by the southern emu-wren, Stipiturus malachurus (Aves : Maluridae), in South Australia and evaluation of vegetation as a potential translocation site for S. m. intermedius. Emu 104, 37–43.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Woinarski, J. (1999). Bird conservation: facing the future. Wingspan 9, 13–19.