Temporal Changes in the Suburban Avifauna of an Inland City

Abstract

The suburban bird community of Wagga Wagga, N.S.W., was surveyed during December 1978-January 1979 and May 1979, at nine sites selected to cover all ages of residential areas from predevelopment to oldest suburbs and to demonstrate how the bird community will change with time in response to changing habitat. Non-residential sites were also sampled. Sites were censused by foot transect. House sparrows which were present in all sites, were the first species to colonize new residential areas and made up over 95% of the individual count of four sites Of native species, 40% were found in undeveloped sites only. The population density of undeveloped sites was only half that of developed sites, but the greatest species diversity was found in undeveloped sites and the lowest in the most altered sites. There was strong evidence for a steady linear increase in numbers of individuals, numbers of species, biomass and population density with increasing age of residential area, reaching a peak at about 30 years.