ORCID Profile
0000-0002-8717-0410
Current Organisation
Deakin University
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Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2013
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-08-2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2018
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2009
DOI: 10.1071/WR09123
Abstract: Context. Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) is induced by an association of a food item with a negative experience, such as illness, which causes animals to avoid subsequent consumption of that particular food item. Inducing CTA may help reduce depredation rates of threatened fauna where predator population control is undesirable, impractical or unsuccessful. Aims. We investigated whether CTA could be induced among foxes (Vulpes vulpes) to model eggs which mimicked those of the threatened hooded plover (Thinornis rubricollis). Methods. Model eggs treated with a potential CTA-inducing chemical (sodium carbonate) and control eggs free of the agent were exposed to fox depredation for 28 days to simulate a hooded plover incubation period. To investigate whether CTA would persist in wild foxes, we implemented a part-time agent treatment (an initial 14 day exposure period of model eggs with the CTA agent followed by a second 14 day period when model eggs were free of the agent). Key results. Similar intervals to the first depredation event were found for all model eggs regardless of treatment. After the first depredation event by foxes, the rate and likelihood of fox depredation was significantly lower in treated eggs than in control eggs. The likelihood or rate of depredation across the three treatments did not differ between the first and second periods. Conclusions. Our results suggest that during an exposure period of at least 28 days, CTA can be induced in wild foxes to eggs on beaches. Our results also suggest that 14 days may be insufficient time for wild foxes to develop a lasting CTA to familiar food items such as eggs. Implications. Treatment of eggs with a CTA-inducing chemical may present a viable alternative to traditional predator control techniques for hooded plovers, as well as other ground-nesting birds, provided that an extended exposure to the CTA-inducing agent occurs.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-04-2013
DOI: 10.1111/ETH.12094
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 30-03-2022
DOI: 10.1017/S0030605321000971
Abstract: Wildlife movements within a landscape are influenced by environmental factors such as food availability and, as human-modified landscapes continue to expand, the risks associated with encountering people. For Asian elephants Elephas maximus , human-dominated landscapes can be a risky but also rewarding habitat. When elephants share space with people, negative human–elephant interactions are common, sometimes resulting in injuries or deaths of both people and elephants. We monitored elephant movements in and out of a forest reserve in central Sri Lanka to test four predictions regarding elephant behaviour: (1) visits to agricultural areas occur at times of the year when crops are plentiful, (2) elephants exploit these areas by night to avoid interactions with people, (3) increased nocturnal illumination reduces use of agricultural areas, and (4) males make greater use of anthropogenic food sources than family groups. Analysis of camera-trap data confirmed that elephants visited human-dominated areas mostly at night. The frequency of such incursions was not influenced by moon phase for males, but there was a weak effect of moon phase for family groups. Males moved more frequently into human-dominated landscapes than family groups, and their movements showed a distinct seasonal pattern, peaking at times of rice and fruit harvest. Our findings suggest that elephants primarily venture into human-dominated areas to consume crops. Encouraging farmers in areas frequented by elephants to adapt land-use practices (e.g. guarding crops, fencing villages, planting orange/citrus fences) and establish early warning systems could help limit the damage caused by elephants.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1111/EMR.12444
Abstract: Autonomously triggered cameras are a common wildlife survey technique. The use of attractants and surrounding microhabitats is likely to influence detection probabilities and survey outcomes however, few studies consider these factors. We compared three attractants (peanut butter‐based, tuna‐based and a control) in a Latin square design through a coastal shrubland with high microhabitat variability at Cape Otway, Victoria, Australia (38º50ʹS, 143º30ʹE). Deployments involved 36 cameras for four days in each of five years. The percentage cover of each vegetation structural type (low [no or sparse cover], moderate [grass] or high [shrubs]) within 20 m of each camera was calculated and reduced to a single variable using PCA. Dynamic occupancy modelling, with lure type and vegetation structure as covariates of detection probability, found that peanut butter attracted the greatest ersity of species (24 of 35 species, 69%) and yielded the greatest number of detections (50% of 319) when compared with tuna oil (66% and 24%, respectively) and the control (43% and 26%, respectively). Peanut butter attracted more Macropodidae (wallabies) and Muridae (rats and mice) however, vegetation structural variables were the greatest influence on Corvidae/Artamidae (raven/currawong) detections with higher detectability in more open areas. Vegetation structure also influenced Muridae detections. This study reinforces the critical choice of appropriate attractants and camera placement when investigating vertebrate groups and highlights the role of microhabitat in the detection of small mammals and birds. We suggest future large‐scale camera surveys consider different bait types and microhabitats in their designs, to control for any biases and enable future advice on ‘optimal’ methods.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 17-10-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1002/JWMG.7
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Date: 10-2020
Abstract: At the continental scale, ecological research effort is not spatially uniform. We used a century-long bibliometric database of the journal Emu – Austral Ornithology to index the spatial patterns in bird research in Australia (from articles with explicit study locations). Studies have been concentrated in Tasmania and the southwest, southeast and coastal parts of the mainland. Large spatial gaps exist in ornithological study, which are similar to those identified by Arnold Robert McGill in his 1948 review paper ( McGill 1948 ). Pre-1948 only 9.4% of articles [n = 2,107] fell within the gaps mapped by McGill in 1948, indicating that his mapping was largely accurate. These gaps have largely persisted only 11.2% of the 1,498 articles published since 1948 came from within those gaps. We present a complementary spatial gap analysis, which focuses on studies of areas with broadly similar biogeographies (Interim Biogeographical Regions of Australia (IBRAs)). Of 85 mainland IBRAs (of 89 defined), five have no bird studies from within them (368,380 km 2 4.9% of Australia), and 34 have less than 10 studies (3,335,498 km 2 43.9%). We intersect IBRAs with McGill's gaps and show that some IBRAs within McGill's gaps are now better-studied, but 64.8% of the area within the McGill gaps boundaries comprises IBRAs where there have been no post-1948 studies in Emu. We also present an updated map of key geographical gaps in the study of Australian birds, which apparently remain extensive 60 years after they were first identified.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-2014
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/WR15080
Abstract: Context Loss of eggs to predators is a major cause of reproductive failure among birds. It is especially pronounced among ground-nesting birds because their eggs are accessible to a wide range of predators. Few studies document the main causes of clutch fate of ground-nesting birds. Aims The main objective of the present study was to identify the major egg predator of red-capped plovers (Charadrius ruficapillus). We also investigated the effectiveness of the following two primary strategies available to the plovers to avoid egg predation: (1) the placement of clutches under vegetative cover and (2) avoiding predators by nesting outside the peak season of predator occurrence. Methods Remote-sensing cameras were deployed on plover nests to identify egg predators and nests were monitored over four breeding seasons to document reproductive success and fate. An experiment using false clutches with model eggs investigated the influence of nest cover on the risk of egg predation throughout the year. Line-transect surveys were conducted to estimate the abundance of egg predators in and around the wetlands. Key results The little raven (Corvus mellori) was the major egg predator identified in 78.6% of red-capped plover clutches and in 92.4% of false clutches that were camera-monitored. The hatching success of plover eggs was not influenced by nest cover (P = 0.36), but model egg survival in false clutches improved significantly with the presence of nest cover (P = 0.02). The abundance of little ravens increased during the plover breeding season and was highly negatively correlated with false clutch survival (rpearson = –0.768, P = 0.005). Conclusions Little ravens were the major predator of red-capped plover eggs and their abundance increased significantly during the plover breeding season. Any influence of nest cover on hatching success of eggs may have been masked by the extremely high rate of egg loss associated with the increased little raven abundance during the plover breeding season. Implications The high rate of egg predation is likely to have negative consequences on the local red-capped plover population, suggesting management is warranted. Little raven populations have expanded and, thus, their impact as egg predators needs to be investigated especially on threatened species.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2011
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-09-2020
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-020-72521-6
Abstract: When in iduals breed more than once, parents are faced with the choice of whether to re-mate with their old partner or orce and select a new mate. Evolutionary theory predicts that, following successful reproduction with a given partner, that partner should be retained for future reproduction. However, recent work in a polygamous bird, has instead indicated that successful parents orced more often than failed breeders (Halimubieke et al. in Ecol Evol 9:10734–10745, 2019), because one parent can benefit by mating with a new partner and reproducing shortly after orce. Here we investigate whether successful breeding predicts orce using data from 14 well-monitored populations of plovers ( Charadrius spp.). We show that successful nesting leads to orce, whereas nest failure leads to retention of the mate for follow-up breeding. Plovers that orced their partners and simultaneously deserted their broods produced more offspring within a season than parents that retained their mate. Our work provides a counterpoint to theoretical expectations that orce is triggered by low reproductive success, and supports adaptive explanations of orce as a strategy to improve in idual reproductive success. In addition, we show that temperature may modulate these costs and benefits, and contribute to dynamic variation in patterns of orce across plover breeding systems.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1071/WR18198
Abstract: Abstract ContextHuman disturbance threatens many bird species worldwide. Flight-initiation distances (FIDs) offer a scientific basis for separation distances between fauna and agents of disturbance, such as people. However, most available FIDs are from single-species groups. Multi-species flocks have received scant attention with regard to their FIDs yet, they are extremely common in nature. AimTo examine suitable separation distances for mixed-species shorebird flocks by comparing single-species FIDs with those of the same species in mixed-species flocks. MethodWe examined FIDs in mixed- and single-species flocks of four shorebirds (double-banded plover, Charadrius bicinctus, red-capped plover, Charadrius ruficapillus, red-necked stint, Calidris ruficollis, and curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea). FIDs were collected in comparable habitat and sites with similar (i.e. highly restricted) regimes of human occurrence. ResultsFIDs of single-species flocks of these species differed in their FID to an approaching walker. Different species permutations in mixed-species flocks resulted in different FIDs. FIDs of mixed-species flocks were lower than or the same as the FIDs of single-species groups of constituent species. Conclusions and implicationsIn our study system, separation distances (e.g. buffers zones that exclude humans to reduce shorebird disturbance) based on FIDs of single species also would be efficacious for mixed-species flocks containing those species.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2003
DOI: 10.1071/PC040273
Abstract: The Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis is a threatened, sexually monomorphic wading bird that occurs in two allopatric populations in eastern and western Australia. We used a PCR-based molecular sexing technique to sex captured birds from both populations. We found 69% of adults captured at a salt-lake in Western Australia were male. We tested for a sex-bias in our trapping technique by examining the sex-ratio of eastern birds captured under circumstances analogous to the western capture operation. No sex-bias in the trapping technique was apparent although the s le size was low. This suggests that the male-bias at the lake was real. Any spatial or habitat-related segregation of the sexes must be investigated before we can conclude that the bias is a trait of the western population. If the bias occurs in the population as a whole, then the effective size of the breeding population will be less than that indicated by counts. If the sexes segregate to different sites or habitats, then spatially constrained threatening processes may lead to a skewed sex-ratio.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2015
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2006
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2017
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 11-08-2010
DOI: 10.1017/S0959270910000420
Abstract: Artificial chick shelters might improve productivity of beach-nesting birds threatened by anthropogenic disturbance. We investigated the efficacy of three different chick shelter designs against four criteria: accessibility to chicks over time, thermal insulation, conspicuousness to beach-goers, and practicality (cost and ease of transport). One design (‘A-frame’) was selected because it offered the greatest thermal insulation, was the least conspicuous, most cost effective, and performed equally well in terms of accessibility. We deployed these artificial shelters on Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis territories where broods were present ( n = 11), and compared the behaviour and survival rate of chicks to that at control sites ( n = 10). We were unable to discern any difference in the behaviour of broods when artificial shelters were available. However, the survival rate of chicks to fledging was 71.8% higher where an artificial shelter was provided ( n = 21 broods). This was validated by analysing data from a larger s le of broods monitored as part of an active volunteer-based management programme shelters conferred a 42.8% increase in survival to fledging ( n = 81 broods). Thus, artificial shelters have the potential to increase survival rates of threatened shorebird chicks, though the mechanisms through which survival is increased require further investigation.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-09-2012
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-06-2017
DOI: 10.1111/JAV.01263
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 16-07-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.07.15.500232
Abstract: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has dramatically altered human activities, potentially relieving human pressures on urban-dwelling animals. Here, we evaluated whether birds from five cities in five countries (Czech Republic – Prague, Finland – Rovaniemi, Hungary – Budapest, Poland – Poznan, and Australia – Melbourne) changed their tolerance towards human presence (measured as flight initiation distance) during the COVID-19 shutdowns. We collected 6369 flight initiation distance estimates for 147 bird species and found that birds tolerated approaching humans to a similar level before and during the COVID-19 shutdowns. Moreover, during the shutdowns, bird escape behaviour did not consistently change with the level of governmental restrictions (measured as the stringency index). Hence, our results indicate that birds do not flexibly and quickly adjust their escape behaviour to the reduced human presence in other words, the breeding populations of urban birds examined might already be tolerant of human activity and perceive humans as relatively harmless.
Publisher: Waterbird Society
Date: 09-2021
DOI: 10.1675/063.044.0311
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-01-2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 17-10-2013
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Date: 11-2021
DOI: 10.1086/716660
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2020
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 12-07-2022
Abstract: Islands provide the opportunity to explore management regimes and research issues related to the isolation, uniqueness, and integrity of ecological systems. K’gari (Fraser Island) is an Australian World Heritage property listed based on its outstanding natural value, specifically, the unique wilderness characteristics and the ersity of ecosystem types. Our goal was to draw on an understanding of the natural and cultural environment of K’gari as a foundation on which to build a management model that includes First Nations Peoples in future management and research. Our research involved an analysis of papers in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, original reports, letters, and other manuscripts now housed in the K’gari Fraser Island Research Archive. The objectives of the research were: (1) to review key historical events that form the cultural, social, and environmental narrative (2) review the major natural features of the island and threats (3) identify the gaps in research (4) analyse the management and conservation challenges associated with tourism, biosecurity threats, vegetation management practices, and climate change and discuss whether the requirements for sustaining island ecological integrity can be met in the future and (5) identify commonalities and general management principles that may apply globally to other island systems and other World Heritage sites listed on the basis of their unique natural and cultural features. We found that the characteristics that contribute to island uniqueness are also constraints for research funding and publication however, they are important themes that warrant more investment. Our review suggests that K’gari is a contested space between tourist visitation and associated environmental impacts, with an island that has rich First Nations history, extraordinary ecological ersity, and breathtaking aesthetic beauty. This juxtaposition is reflected in disparate views of custodianship and use, and the management strategies are needed to achieve multiple objectives in an environmentally sustainable way whilst creating cultural equity in modern times. We offer a foundation on which to build a co-management model that includes First Nations Peoples in governance, management, research, and monitoring.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-08-2014
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 17-03-2014
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 24-10-2013
DOI: 10.3390/ANI3041002
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-07-2021
DOI: 10.1111/IBI.12986
Abstract: Embryonic vocalizations in birds may enable communication between embryos and incubating parents but responses of parents to embryonic vocalizations have not been measured experimentally. In two ground‐nesting shorebirds, we compare parental care of eggs without embryonic vocalizations, those with natural embryonic vocalizations, and those in which we experimentally introduced embryonic vocalizations, while accounting for prevailing temperatures. We continuously recorded nests (one block of up to 24 h per nest) of two ground‐nesting shorebirds, the Red‐capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus and Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles and quantified parental behaviours. We predict an increase in egg thermoregulation behaviours (time spent incubating or shading) and ‘fussing’ (a combination of rising and re‐settling, shuffling, orientation change and egg turning) when vocalizations were naturally present or when they were experimentally introduced in comparison to when no vocalizations were present (control). In Lapwings, the rate of fussing increased at the nest only when natural vocalizations were present however, preening increased when natural or introduced vocalizations were present. Additionally, the frequency of bill to egg touches (inspections) increased only in the presence of introduced vocalizations. For Plovers, treatment had no influence on parental behavioural however, the frequency of fussing, bill to egg touches and shell tossing increased with air temperature. For both species, there was no influence of the presence of the embryo’s vocalizations (natural or introduced) on the parent’s egg thermoregulation behaviours. Our results highlight that acoustic communication across the eggshell may occur and can influence parental care in shorebirds, but this appears to be species‐specific.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2018
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-10-2013
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-11-2017
DOI: 10.1111/JZO.12525
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 26-08-2016
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-08-2014
DOI: 10.1111/IBI.12184
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1071/MU07064
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-2009
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 16-09-2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-11-2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-10-2003
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-06-2021
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 09-11-2011
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-11-2015
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2016.03.008
Abstract: Wildlife living in the suburbs faces the challenge of dealing with human presence and yard management (including the occurrence of pets) which vary at the scale of the house block. This study examined the influence of ecological factors (e.g. extent of grass and food availability) and anthropogenic factors (e.g. human activity and garden usage) on breeding site choice and reproductive success of the ground-nesting masked lapwing Vanellus miles on Phillip Island, Australia. Lapwings nested less frequently in residential properties (high levels of human usage) compared with vacant blocks and holiday houses. They were also more likely to breed on properties with high food availability and larger areas of grass. None of these variables influenced clutch size or the probability of eggs hatching, although larger clutches and higher hatching rates tended to be associated with more food. This study shows that, for an urban exploiting species, habitat quality is not homogenous at the scale of the house block, and that human activity is avoided by a species generally considered highly tolerant of people.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 06-2005
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1071/MU15056
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-2016
DOI: 10.1071/MU9850
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-07-2018
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-018-4217-0
Abstract: Introduced species may suppress or enhance ecological functions, or they may have neutral effects in ecosystems where they replace or complement native species. Few studies, however, have explicitly tested for these trajectories, and for the effect these might have for native species. In this study, we experimentally test the trajectory and scale of change in the function of 'carrion removal' at different carrion loads along ocean beaches in Eastern Australia that have different numbers of introduced red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and several species of native raptors. We hypothesized that the 'positive' effect of foxes on carrion removal would be greatest at high carrion loads, because competition for resources between native and introduced species is lower. Scavenger abundance, fox occurrences, and carrion consumption by these species differed widely between locations and times. Despite distinct spatial differences in the structure of vertebrate scavenger assemblages, total carrion consumption was not significantly different between locations at any carrion load. This lack of variation in functional rates indicates potential functional plasticity in the scavenger assemblage and possible functional accommodation of red foxes. Neutral fox effects on ecological functions or the ecosystem more broadly are, however, very unlikely to extend beyond carrion consumption.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 13-08-2013
DOI: 10.3390/ANI3030754
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-11-2015
DOI: 10.1111/BIJ.12706
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2017.01.050
Abstract: Photographic methods of environmental monitoring have grown in popularity and now represent one of the main ways in which habitat and bio ersity are monitored for change through time. However, efficacy and efficiency of this technique compared with traditional approaches to environmental monitoring (direct count or observation) are lacking. This study compares the results and time-efficiency of manual versus photographic monitoring of floral abundance in low-growing flowering plants in a relatively open herbfield. Specifically, we compared 1) manual flower counting of in idual plants for four species, followed by data entry in the laboratory, with 2) taking photographic images of each plant and quantifying flower counts in the laboratory. Photographic monitoring underestimated flower counts by an average of 7.5%. Manual counting was more time consuming in the field, but less time consuming in post-processing than photographic monitoring. Overall, photographic monitoring took almost twice as long as manual counting (81.5% longer in duration), which was attributed to the much longer post-processing associated with photographic monitoring. This suggests that perhaps the main benefit of photographic monitoring is a permanent record of the s ling frame rather than any cost savings or enhanced data accuracy, at least in the systems investigated in this study.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 29-03-2017
Publisher: Medknow
Date: 2012
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 25-07-2023
DOI: 10.3390/BIRDS4030023
Abstract: Controversy exists around owned dogs’ impacts in public open spaces, with concerns about dogs’ impact on wildlife, including birds. Leashing dogs in public open spaces offers a tractable way of reducing dogs’ deleterious impacts on birds. Although dogs in public spaces are often unleashed, some dogs roam freely, whilst other unleashed dogs remain close to their owners. It is currently unknown whether birds can perceive and incorporate subtle differences in the leash status of approaching, but non-roaming, dogs into their escape decisions. We compare escape responses of a common urban bird, the magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca, in parks in Melbourne, Australia, to standardized approaches by a walker and a dog, which was either leashed or not leashed (but with the dog at the same distance from the walker). Flight-initiation distances, the distance between the lark and dog when escape commenced, did not vary between treatments. However, the unleashed dog evoked more intense responses (mostly flying away) than the leashed dog (mostly walking away). Thus, this species appears to perceive unleashed dogs as especially threatening, independent of their roaming behavior. Our findings suggest that leashing may be an effective way to reduce dog disturbance to wildlife, even for non-roaming dogs.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2023
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-08-2017
DOI: 10.1111/EMR.12269
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-10-2018
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.4564
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-12-2021
DOI: 10.1111/IBI.13040
Abstract: In species with biparental care, diel patterns in male and female incubation arise due to the differential costs and benefits of incubation. This pattern should be less obvious or absent in species where both sexes stand to benefit significantly from investing in incubation (i.e. in monogamous species with high paternity certainty), in temperate climates and in sexually monomorphic species where sexes probably experience similar physiological costs and risks of detection by predators. Despite no obvious size or colour differences between male and female Hooded Dotterel Thinornis cucullatus , males incubated significantly more at night (59% of the time), and less during the day (43% of the time). We show that despite Hooded Dotterel being sexually monomorphic, long‐lived with probably high paternity certainty, incubation is not shared equitably, with a bias towards male nocturnal incubation.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-05-2020
Publisher: Brill
Date: 07-01-2022
DOI: 10.1163/1568539X-BJA10147
Abstract: Birds often vocalize when threatened or captured by a predator. We present detailed qualitative analyses of calls from 24 red-capped plover ( Charadrius ruficapillus ) and 117 masked lapwing ( Vanellus miles ) chicks (Charadriidae) that we recorded during handling. Calls were structurally complex and differed between species. Calls showed moderate structure at higher levels of organization (e.g., similarity between successive calls sequential grading). Some call characteristics resembled those in other bird species in similar circumstances (e.g., in nonlinear phenomena). Most calls consisted of several different parts, which combined in different ways across calls. Past studies have overlooked most features of distress calls and calling in charadriids due to small s le sizes and limited spectrographic analyses. Understanding interspecific patterns in call structure, and determination of call functions, will require: detailed knowledge of natural history detailed behavioural descriptions, acoustic analysis, and analyses of development and growth and experimental investigations of call functions.
Publisher: Coastal Education and Research Foundation
Date: 05-2007
DOI: 10.2112/04-0151.1
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-04-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2018.08.319
Abstract: Wildlife on sandy beaches is often constrained by transformation of natural areas for human use, and opportunities for acquiring or restoring new habitat are rare. Storms can often force changes in land use naturally by re-shaping coastal landforms, thereby creating high quality habitat yet, wildlife requirements are seldom considered in post-storm recovery planning, and conservation practitioners lack suitable evidence to argue for the protection of habitats freshly formed by storms. Here we used a maximum-likelihood spatial modeling approach to quantify impacts of Hurricane Sandy (mid-Atlantic United States, October 2012) on nesting habitat of four bird species of conservation concern: American oystercatchers, black skimmers, least terns and piping plovers. We calculated the immediate storm-created changes (loss, persisting, gained) in nesting habitat under two levels of conservation protections: the current regulatory framework, and a scenario in which all potential habitats were under conservation protection. Hurricane Sandy resulted in apparent large gains for least terns (+181 ha) and piping plovers (+289 ha). However, actual gains were reduced to 16 ha for plovers and reversed for least terns (net loss of 6.4 ha) because newly formed habitat occurred outside existing reserve boundaries. Similarly, under the current management framework, black skimmer nesting habitat decreased by ~164 ha. We also tested whether birds benefited from newly created nesting habitat by identifying nest and colony locations for three years following Hurricane Sandy. All species overwhelmingly nested in habitat that existed prior the storm (76-98% of all nests/colonies) only a small percentage (≤17% for all species) occupied newly created habitat. We conclude that static spatial conservation efforts fail to capitalize on potentially large gains resulting from storms for several species and recommend flexible spatial conservation investments as a key input in post-storm recovery planning.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-2016
DOI: 10.1071/MU07034
Publisher: International Wader Study Group
Date: 04-2017
DOI: 10.18194/WS.00065
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-12-2016
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12540
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2021
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 10-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2015
DOI: 10.1111/EMR.12157
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-03-2022
DOI: 10.1111/IBI.13055
Abstract: Acoustic communication is critical during early life phases in precocial birds for ex le, adult alarm calls can elicit antipredator behaviour in young, and chick vocalizations can communicate information to parents about chick identity, condition, location, sex or age. We opportunistically recorded Red‐capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus and Southern Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles novaehollandiae distress calls of chicks while they were in the hand and analysed the calls to determine whether call structure is related to sex or body mass (a proxy for age). Our study provides the first evidence for charadriid chicks of (1) a sexual difference in call structure and rate and (2) gradual growth‐related changes in call structure and rate, across chicks. We provide a foundation for further studies of shorebird vocalizations during growth, which may elucidate the development and functional significance of such vocalizations.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-2016
DOI: 10.1071/MU15061
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2009
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2022
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-01-2017
Publisher: Medknow
Date: 2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-01-2023
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.13281
Abstract: European rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) are ubiquitous across Australia and have the ability to influence native species directly and indirectly. Despite this, limited research focuses on interspecific interactions between rabbits and native mammals. We aimed to determine how site occupancy, detection probability, and temporal activity periods of native mammals changed in response to the presence or absence of rabbits. We monitored three native mammal species using 85 camera traps in a systematic grid at Mt Rothwell Conservation and Research Reserve (Victoria, Australia), a predator‐barrier fenced reserve with two distinct sections—an area with rabbits and an area without. Bettongs (rufous Aepyprymnus rufescens and eastern Bettongia gaimardi ), eastern barred bandicoots ( Perameles gunni ), and southern brown bandicoots ( Isoodon obesulus ) had a naïve site occupancy of 71%, 42%, and 24%, respectively. Site occupancy for both bandicoot species decreased in areas with more clumping grass with eastern barred bandicoot occupancy increasing with leaf litter cover, and southern brown bandicoots with vegetation height. Rabbit presence did not influence site occupancy of any species. Species detection probabilities were generally positively associated with open vegetation and rabbit presence, except for southern brown bandicoots which were more detectable without rabbits. Both bandicoot species shifted their peak activity periods in the absence of rabbits having an earlier, and more defined activity peak. Our results demonstrate that the presence of rabbits in the absence of invasive predators may not influence the site occupancy of co‐occurring native mammals, however, could influence the behaviour of smaller co‐occurring mammals, either directly or indirectly.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 18-05-2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2015
DOI: 10.1186/S12862-015-0533-8
Abstract: Interactions between wildlife and humans are increasing. Urban animals are often less wary of humans than their non-urban counterparts, which could be explained by habituation, adaptation or local site selection. Under local site selection, in iduals that are less tolerant of humans are less likely to settle in urban areas. However, there is little evidence for such temperament-based site selection, and even less is known about its underlying genetic basis. We tested whether site selection in urban and non-urban habitats by black swans ( Cygnus atratus ) was associated with polymorphisms in two genes linked to fear in animals, the dopamine receptor D 4 (DRD4) and serotonin transporter (SERT) genes. Wariness in swans was highly repeatable between disturbance events (repeatability = 0.61) and non-urban swans initiated escape from humans earlier than urban swans. We found no inter-in idual variation in the SERT gene, but identified five DRD4 genotypes and an association between DRD4 genotype and wariness. In iduals possessing the most common DRD4 genotype were less wary than in iduals possessing rarer genotypes. As predicted by the local site selection hypothesis, genotypes associated with wary behaviour were over three times more frequent at the non-urban site. This resulted in moderate population differentiation at DRD4 (F ST = 0.080), despite the sites being separated by only 30 km, a short distance for this highly-mobile species. Low population differentiation at neutrally-selected microsatellite loci and the likely occasional migration of swans between the populations reduces the likelihood of local site adaptations. Our results suggest that wariness in swans is partly genetically-determined and that wary swans settle in less-disturbed areas. More generally, our findings suggest that site-specific management strategies may be necessary that consider the temperament of local animals.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-01-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S10336-021-01959-W
Abstract: Variations in eye colour in birds are poorly documented. We measured and characterised eyes of 25 birds in the hand (16° × 22.5° segments per eye), using standardised and scaled images, and examined observations of 1 marked in idual through time. We describe universal and extensive dark heterochromia (non-uniform colouration of the eye) in adult masked lapwings Vanellus miles novaehollandiae in our study population . Asymmetrical within-eye heterochromia has not previously been recorded for Charadridae, but in a review of images of eyes in the genus Vanellus , we found 45% of the 22 species had detectable heterochromia. There was a tendency ( p = 0.051 after false discovery rate correction) for males to have slightly less black in the upper posterior part of the eye, a difference not distinguishable enough to aid sexing in the hand. We suggest standardised images of captured birds would underpin a more nuanced understanding of the occurrence of subtle heterochromia among birds, which may permit phylogenetic analyses directed at exploring possible evolution or function of such eye pigmentation.
Publisher: Worldwide Dragonfly Association
Date: 02-10-2019
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-2015
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-04-2015
DOI: 10.1111/JAV.00625
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 24-09-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2007
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2018.10.338
Abstract: Feeding wild birds is a common and popular human-wildlife interaction throughout the world. However, controversy exists over the benefits and costs to the birds and humans involved. This bibliometric study documents wild bird feeding policies around the globe and examines environmental and socio-cultural factors which may influence the position adopted by these policies. We located 412 policies from 237 different countries, territories or dependencies (jurisdictions) 58.7% of jurisdictions had no information available online regarding wild bird feeding policy. Generalized Linear Modelling revealed that colder minimum ambient temperatures were associated with more pro-feeding policy settings. An index of controversy was calculated for each jurisdiction most (77.6%) had no controversy. This study highlights the significant variation in policy settings for wild bird feeding across jurisdictions and controversy in almost a quarter of jurisdictions. Recommendations are made for the development of clear, consistent and readily available policy advice on this globally popular human-wildlife interaction.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-12-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2022
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 22-07-2022
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0271893
Abstract: Hunting is a prominent feature of many human societies. Advancements in hunting technologies can challenge the ethics and sustainability of hunting globally. We investigated the efficacy of an electronic acoustic lure (‘quail caller’), in attracting the otherwise difficult-to hunt stubble quail Coturnix pectoralis in Victoria, Australia. Using distance s ling, the density and abundance of stubble quail was estimated at 79 sites across a range of habitat types in an agricultural setting, each with an active ‘quail caller’ station continuously broadcasting for 48 hours, and a control station (no broadcast). Quail detectability at the active stations (62.9%) far exceeded that at control stations (6.3%). Most (57%) detections occurred within 30 m of active ‘quail callers’. Stubble quail relative abundance was substantially greater when ‘quail callers’ were broadcasting. Cameras mounted near ‘quail callers’ identified the predatory red fox as a non-target predator, although rates of attraction appear similar between active and control sites. ‘Quail callers’ are highly effective at attracting stubble quail and concentrating them to a known area, raising questions in relation to sustainable hunting practices, indirect effects, and ethical implications. ‘Quail callers’ do, however, also offer a tool for estimating quail abundance and developing more accurate population size estimates.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2011
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 30-07-2021
Abstract: The capacity to habituate to, or tolerate, the close proximity of humans varies among wildlife species and may mediate population and species viability. Some species readily habituate to human proximity while others remain sensitive. These differences are important for predicting human impact on wildlife, but can be difficult to quantify given wildlife responses are highly idiosyncratic and are often context dependent. A general method for assimilating multiple sources of information and variation in in idual responses is needed to extract meaningful descriptors of population- and species-level behavior. We apply a previously verified Bayesian optimal escape model to quantify differences in the perceived risk of seven species of waterbird, and generate a metric for species-specific sensitivity by estimating the relative change in risk perception of each species across an environmental gradient from low to high prevailing human activity level. We found that, in general, birds are the least habituated (evidently perceived the highest level of risk from humans) in sites with low human activity and the most habituated (evidently perceived lower levels of risk from humans) in sites with high human activity. Species varied in the degree of these differences, with some insensitive to human activity level, while others were highly sensitive. Aside from improving our ability to study the habituation of wild populations, this method for quantifying risk perception at population and species scales has broad applications in the management and monitoring of wildlife, and may aid in environmental impact assessments and identifying populations/species susceptible to disturbance.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2019
DOI: 10.1111/JAV.02008
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1071/PC120047
Abstract: Recreational use of beaches may threaten some beach-nesting shorebirds in southern Australia. Temporary Beach Closures, comprized of a 50 x 25 m exclusion zone around a shorebird nest, represent a promising technique for altering human behaviour by reducing both disturbance to birds and inadvertent crushing of eggs by beach visitors. We assessed whether three commonly employed configurations of Temporary Beach Closures (sign, fence, and warden) were effective at: (1) achieving compliance among beach visitors, and (2) reducing egg-crushing rates. Overall, 93.7% of beach visitors complied with all Temporary Beach Closures, resulting in a reduction in egg-crushing rates within, as opposed to adjacent to, Temporary Beach Closures. Levels of compliance were high in all Temporary Beach Closure configurations (88.0–99.4%), and similar levels of compliance were achieved within the three configurations. Human compliance was highest for females and when the density of beach-users was higher, while in iduals aged and years were less likely to comply with Temporary Beach Closures. Despite an increased probability of compliance on high density beaches, this did not translate into a reduction in egg crushing rates on such beaches, because the overall number of noncompliant in iduals remained higher. We conclude any Temporary Beach Closure configuration is meritorious, and that their use on high and low-use recreational beaches will benefit breeding shorebirds by reducing the rate of egg-crushing. Targeting demographics that display lower levels of compliance, such as men, young people (i.e. ), and older people (i.e. ), may further improve the effectiveness of Temporary Beach Closures in enhancing the conservation of shorebirds.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2022.153024
Abstract: The powerful owl (Ninox strenua) is a threatened apex predator that consumes mainly arboreal marsupial prey. Low density populations reside in urban landscapes where their viability is tenuous. The catalyst for this research was the reported death of eight powerful owls around Melbourne, Australia, in less than one year (2020/2021). Eighteen deceased owls were toxicologically screened. We assessed toxic metals (Mercury Hg, Lead Pb, Cadmium Cd and Arsenic As) and anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) in liver (n = 18 owls) and an extensive range of agricultural chemicals in muscle (n = 14). Almost all agricultural chemicals were below detection limits except for p,p-DDE, which was detected in 71% of birds at relatively low levels. Toxic metals detected in some in iduals were generally at low levels. However, ARs were detected in 83.3% of powerful owls. The most common second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide (SGAR) detected was brodifacoum, which was present in every bird in which a rodenticide was detected. Brodifacoum was often present at toxic levels and in some instances at potentially lethal levels. Presence of brodifacoum was detected across the complete urban-forest/agriculture gradient, suggesting widespread exposure. Powerful owls do not scavenge but prey upon arboreal marsupials, and generally not rodents, suggesting that brodifacoum is entering the powerful owl food web via accidental or deliberate poisoning of non-target species (possums). We highlight a critical need to investigate SGARs in food webs globally, and not just in species directly targeted for poisoning or their predators.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2020
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 10-02-2023
Abstract: Habitat destruction and fragmentation increasingly bring humans into close proximity with wildlife, particularly in urban contexts. Animals respond to humans using nuanced anti-predator responses, especially escape, with responses influenced by behavioral and life history traits, the nature of the risk, and aspects of the surrounding environment. Although many studies examine associations between broad-scale habitat characteristics (i.e., habitat type) and escape response, few investigate the influence of fine-scale aspects of the local habitat within which escape occurs. We test the “habitat connectivity hypothesis,” suggesting that given the higher cost of escape within less connected habitats (due to the lack of protective cover), woodland birds should delay escape (tolerate more risk) than when in more connected habitat. We analyze flight-initiation distances (FIDs) of five species of woodland birds in urban Melbourne, south-eastern Australia. A negative effect of habitat connectivity (the proportion of the escape route with shrubs/trees erchable infrastructure) on distance fled was evident for all study species, suggesting a higher cost of escape associated with lower connectivity. FID did not vary with connectivity at the location at which escape was initiated (four species), apart from a positive effect of habitat connectivity on FID for Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala. We provide some support for two predictions of the “habitat connectivity hypothesis” in at least some taxa, and conclude it warrants further investigation across a broader range of taxa inhabiting contrasting landscapes. Increasing habitat connectivity within urban landscapes may reduce escape stress experienced by urban birds.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-10-2020
Abstract: Wetlands, and the species that rely upon them, are under significant threat world‐wide, with wetlands often being completely removed or drastically altered. Successful wetland management requires an understanding of the interactions between wetland species and the microhabitats they use. The use of microhabitats for thermoregulation in wetland species is poorly studied, though anthropogenic influence on wetlands can reduce the ersity of microhabitats and thus the thermoregulatory options for animals. At high ambient temperatures birds may use the water‐logged wetland margins to help with thermoregulation, and are often observed roosting in the sitting position within this microhabitat. However, whether sitting on the wet substrate helps in thermoregulation is unknown. In this study, we tested whether birds selectively use microhabitats across temperatures by conducting field observations of nine species of shorebirds. We use comparative analysis to determine whether birds roost more on wet substrate in the sitting posture, that is, ‘ wet‐sitting’, at high ambient temperatures. We found substrate type across the wetland margins to be important in shorebird thermoregulation, with the time spent sitting being significantly mediated by the substrate on which the bird roosted. In iduals tended to sit on bare, wet ground much more under high ambient temperatures compared with low ambient temperatures. Vegetation on the other hand was used similarly across temperatures, and likely does not provide the same thermoregulatory benefits. By roosting on wet substrate at high ambient temperatures, birds may increase the potential for heat dissipation across the uninsulated legs, as water‐logged wetland margins are known to remain cooler than the ambient temperature or vegetated microhabitats under hot climatic conditions. Synthesis and applications . Wetland creation and management requires an understanding of the functional significance of such microhabitats, not only for foraging and breeding, but also for roosting. We demonstrate that managing wetland margins is likely important in minimising heat stress in birds, with our findings emphasising the importance of maintaining open spaces in habitat mosaics for birds to use for thermoregulation. The ability of wetland species to manage heat stress is becoming exceedingly important as they are threatened by both decreased wetland availability and increasing ambient temperatures under climate change.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 04-10-2016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2020
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-04-2015
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-01-2020
DOI: 10.1111/IBI.12810
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2019
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 10-03-2016
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1101/2021.12.30.474581
Abstract: Acoustic communication is critical during early life phases in precocial birds. For ex le, adult alarm calls can elicit antipredator behaviour in young, and chick vocalisations can communicate information to parents about chick identity, condition, location, sex, or age. We investigated whether chick calls of two species of Australian Charadriidae vary with sex or body mass. We handled Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus and Southern Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles novaehollandiae chicks for purposes of measurement, blood s ling, and banding. We opportunistically recorded their distress calls while in the hand, and analysed the calls to determine whether call structure is related to sex or body mass (a proxy for age). We measured five traits per call, plus time intervals between successive calls, for 26 plover chicks (2600 calls) and 95 lapwing chicks (6835 calls). In plovers, inter-call intervals were shorter in males and both inter-call interval and the dominant frequency range of calls decreased with increasing body mass. In lapwings, frequency modulation (computed as the range in the rate of change of the dominant frequency) was lower in male calls. The dominant frequency range of lapwing calls decreased with mass in both sexes, but the decline was greater in males, resulting in a lower dominant frequency range in males. Frequency modulation and entropy of lapwing calls also decreased with increasing body mass. Minimum dominant frequency did not change with body mass or sex in either species. Our study provides the first evidence for charadriid chicks of (a) a sexual difference in call structure and rate and (b) gradual growth-related changes in call structure and rate, across chicks. Studies on calls from a greater range of chick ages and from more species within this large and erse family would be valuable. We provide a foundation for further studies of shorebird vocalisations during growth, which may elucidate the development and functional significance of such vocalisations.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-01-2018
DOI: 10.1111/EVA.12535
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-06-2020
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1071/WR18030
Abstract: Abstract ContextMonitoring survival of free-living precocial avian young is critical for population management, but difficult to achieve. Perhaps the most promising technique available to track survival is the deployment of devices such as radio-transmitters or data loggers, which allow for tracking of the in iduals. AimsTo understand if the deployment of radio-transmitters or the process of radio-tracking negatively impact chick survival by analysing survival of tagged chicks. MethodsFifty masked lapwing (Vanellus miles), 42 red-capped plover (Charadrius ruficapillus) and 27 hooded plover (Thinornis cucullatus) chicks were radio-tracked. Mortality between tagged and untagged chicks within broods was compared to examine whether radio-telemetry influenced chick survival. Key resultsThere was no statistically significant difference in survival between chicks with and without radio-transmitters. Radio-transmitters enabled the determination of cause of death for 0–28% of radio-tagged chicks. ConclusionThe survival of shorebird chicks does not appear to be affected by attachment of transmitters. ImplicationsRadio-tracking remains a promising way of studying the movement and survival of shorebird chicks, and is helpful but not reliable for assigning the cause of mortality.
Publisher: Wilson Ornithological Society
Date: 12-2015
DOI: 10.1676/14-189
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-08-2012
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2014.05.036
Abstract: Complexity is increasingly the hallmark in environmental management practices of sandy shorelines. This arises primarily from meeting growing public demands (e.g., real estate, recreation) whilst reconciling economic demands with expectations of coastal users who have modern conservation ethics. Ideally, shoreline management is underpinned by empirical data, but selecting ecologically-meaningful metrics to accurately measure the condition of systems, and the ecological effects of human activities, is a complex task. Here we construct a framework for metric selection, considering six categories of issues that authorities commonly address: erosion habitat loss recreation fishing pollution (litter and chemical contaminants) and wildlife conservation. Possible metrics were scored in terms of their ability to reflect environmental change, and against criteria that are widely used for judging the performance of ecological indicators (i.e., sensitivity, practicability, costs, and public appeal). From this analysis, four types of broadly applicable metrics that also performed very well against the indicator criteria emerged: 1.) traits of bird populations and assemblages (e.g., abundance, ersity, distributions, habitat use) 2.) breeding/reproductive performance sensu lato (especially relevant for birds and turtles nesting on beaches and in dunes, but equally applicable to invertebrates and plants) 3.) population parameters and distributions of vertebrates associated primarily with dunes and the supralittoral beach zone (traditionally focused on birds and turtles, but expandable to mammals) 4.) compound measurements of the abundance/cover/biomass of biota (plants, invertebrates, vertebrates) at both the population and assemblage level. Local constraints (i.e., the absence of birds in highly degraded urban settings or lack of dunes on bluff-backed beaches) and particular issues may require alternatives. Metrics - if selected and applied correctly - provide empirical evidence of environmental condition and change, but often do not reflect deeper environmental values per se. Yet, values remain poorly articulated for many beach systems this calls for a comprehensive identification of environmental values and the development of targeted programs to conserve these values on sandy shorelines globally.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1071/PC18056
Abstract: Effective worldwide efforts to conserve flora and fauna rely on engaging the public, and thus on public appreciation of the object of conservation activities (most commonly, ‘bio ersity’). We examined alignment of interpretation of the term ‘bio ersity’ with generally accepted definitions in a representative s le (n=499) of the public from the State of Victoria in Australia, a country with an explicit bio ersity conservation strategy (which defines the term) and the capacity to invest heavily in conservation. However, almost half of respondents did not know what ‘bio ersity’ meant, 32% and 18% expressed an ecological and conceptual interpretation, respectively. The probability of having at least some interpretation of the term was higher among university-educated respondents, but otherwise did not vary with sex or income. Broadening the base of conservation efforts would likely be facilitated by better aligning interpretations of the term ‘bio ersity’ among the public or by adopting more intuitive language when engaging with the public.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1071/WR18039
Abstract: Context On airports, birds often exhibit escape behaviour in response to aircraft. Avian escape behaviours can enable birds to effectively avoid collisions with aircraft, although some are maladaptive and may increase the risk of collision (e.g. erratic flying). Habituation and habituation-like processes among birds potentially mediate the likelihood of aircraft-bird collisions. Moreover, because managers exploit avian escape behaviour to reduce bird–aircraft collision risks, habituation may decrease the efficiency of bird-hazard management. Aims Our aim was to better understand avian behavioural responses to approaching aircraft, which may inform bird-hazard management. Methods We examined the response of Australian magpie, Cracticus tibicen, a species commonly involved in collisions with aircraft, to the noise associated with take-off and landing in three areas: airside, on airport but not airside, and off airport. Key results Magpies responded to aircraft noise in a nuanced way. Take-off produced more responses, and more intense responses, than did landing both resulted in more frequent, and more intense, responses than did a ‘silent’ control. Responses were least likely, and response latencies were longer, airside, followed by on airport but not airside, and off airport. Intensity of responses was similar across these areas. Conclusions Magpies on the airside were least responsive, and this might influence their strike risk. Implications Given that most wildlife collisions occur during take-off and landing and at low altitudes, and that take-off has greatest overall strike risk, the lack of responsiveness of airside-inhabiting magpies may contribute to collision risk.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/WR15039
Abstract: Context In peri-urban environments, high availability of anthropogenic resources may result in relatively high abundances of some species, with potentially negative implications for other native biota. Effective management of such impacts requires understanding of the spatial ecology of problem species. However, home range and habitat use have not been described for the little raven (Corvus mellori), a superabundant native predator that occurs in urban and natural habitats, including those where threatened shorebirds breed. Aims The aim of this study was to provide basic information on little raven home range, habitat use and movements in a coastal peri-urban landscape. Methods Between October 2011 and January 2012 we radio-tracked 20 little ravens captured in a coastal wetland (near Melbourne, Australia). Key results Little ravens were highly mobile, moving up to 9.9 km in an hour (median = 2 km), and had large ranges: Minimum Convex Polygons were 1664–9989 ha (median = 3362 ha). Although most birds used both anthropogenic and natural habitats, some birds strongly selected for coastal wetland habitat. Birds used multiple roosts during the study period, most of which occurred in grassland (58.7%) or urban (22.3%) areas. Movement of up to 8.3 km (median = 2.2 km) between roosts during the night was also detected. Conclusions Ravens were highly mobile and used large home ranges and a variety of habitats, with habitat preferences varying between birds. Implications Considering the large home ranges and inter-in idual variation in habitat preferences of little raven populations, localised management to reduce their impacts on breeding shorebirds is unlikely to be successful.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 25-05-2016
DOI: 10.1017/S0376892916000126
Abstract: We investigated how the socio–political and ecological environment are associated with the conservation management strategies for two rare, endemic and almost identical Australian white-tailed black-cockatoos: Baudin's ( Calyptorhynchus baudinii ) and Carnaby's black-cockatoo ( C. latirostris ). Substantially less investment and action has occurred for Baudin's black-cockatoo. Interviews with key informants revealed that this disparity has probably arisen because Baudin's black-cockatoo has long been considered a pest to the apple industry, lives primarily in tall forests and has had little research undertaken on its biology and threats. By contrast, Carnaby's black-cockatoo has been the subject of one of the longest running research projects in Australia, is highly visible within the urban environment and does not appear to affect the livelihoods of any strong stakeholder group. We suggest the social context within which recovery efforts occur could be an important determinant in species persistence. We argue that social research is fundamental to a better understanding of the nature of efforts to conserve particular species, the factors associated with these efforts and their likelihood of success.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 18-12-2013
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-01-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S10531-022-02361-5
Abstract: Understanding differences in the way people think about wildlife across countries is important as many conservation challenges transcend jurisdictions. We explored differences in wildlife value orientations in seven countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Serbia. Standard scales assessed domination (prioritizing human well-being) and mutualism (striving for egalitarian relationships with wildlife). We used student s les (total n = 2176) for cross-cultural comparisons. Reliabilities of the wildlife value orientations scales were adequate in all countries. Relationships between demographics and wildlife value orientations were different across countries. Men were generally more oriented towards domination and less towards mutualism than women, except in Serbia, where it was the other way around. Estimated at the level of the in idual (using ANOVA), wildlife value orientations varied across countries, with nationality explaining a larger portion of the variation in mutualism (21%) than domination (6%). Estimated at the level of countries (using multilevel modelling), effect sizes were comparable. Thought about wildlife has previously only been examined within single countries. This paper makes a new contribution to the conservation literature suggesting that wildlife value orientations vary by country, and are associated with demographic factors. For conservation practices, understanding national differences in the way people think about wildlife is crucial to understanding sources of conflict among practitioners. Such knowledge is also important to gain public support for conservation.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-01-2023
DOI: 10.1111/WRE.12567
Abstract: Invasive weeds may provide habitat for wildlife in altered landscapes. We compare fauna within three types of sites in You Yangs Regional Park in central Victoria, Australia, that is, sites with an invasive shrub understory (African boneseed, Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. monilifera (DC.) T. Norl.), native shrub understory (snowy mintbush Prostanthera nivea ), and sites without an understory (open sites). Sites with an understory dominated by boneseed provided habitat for avian species and an introduced small mammal, comparable with sites with mintbush as the understory. Species‐specific models of common species suggest vegetation structure, rather than composition, drove this effect. Open sites differed in terms of avifaunal assemblage, and the abundance of three common native birds and one common invasive small mammal. Boneseed additionally showed phenological differences in fruiting and flowering and differences in flowering abundance when compared with mintbush, comparably offering resources to wildlife. Transitioning vegetation communities to more natural states should consider wildlife already depending on weeds, a dependency likely driven by a paucity of alternative native vegetation.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2013
DOI: 10.1071/WR13013
Abstract: Context The estimation of alert (vigilance) and flight-initiation (escape) distances (AD and FID, respectively) has underpinned theoretical and applied studies of the escape behaviour and management of disturbance to wildlife. Many studies use multiple observers, and some conduct meta-analyses these efforts assume no observer effects in the estimation of these distances. Aims and methods We compared the estimates of FID and AD under ideal conditions (i.e. of black swans, Cygnus atratus, a large species with obvious behaviour, and at a location where swans allowed close approaches in open habitats), by one experienced and four inexperienced observers. Key results FID did not differ among observers but AD differed between the experienced and all inexperienced observers, and among inexperienced observers. Thus, FID estimates appear more repeatable than those of AD. Experience apparently results in more conservative estimates of AD. Conclusions FID represents a repeatable measure that is consistent across observers. This study supports its broad application in the study of wildlife escape behaviour. Implications We recommend the use of FID rather than AD for comparative analyses that involve multiple observers, because FID is more reliably measured.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-2016
DOI: 10.1071/MU04033
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-04-2016
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/WR15108
Abstract: Context Egg depredation is a major cause of reproductive failure among birds and can drive population declines. In this study we investigate predatory behaviour of a corvid (little raven Corvus mellori) that has only recently emerged, leading to widespread and intense depredation of eggs of a burrow-nesting seabird (little penguin Eudyptula minor). Aims The main objective of this study was to measure the rate of penguin egg depredation by ravens to determine potential threat severity. We also examined whether penguin burrow characteristics were associated with the risk of egg depredation. Ravens generally employ two modes of predatory behaviour when attacking penguin nests thus we examined whether burrow characteristics were associated with these modes of attack. Methods Remote-sensing cameras were deployed on penguin burrows to determine egg predation rates. Burrow measurements, including burrow entrance and tunnel characteristics, were measured at the time of camera deployment. Key results Overall, clutches in 61% of monitored burrows (n = 203) were depredated by ravens, the only predator detected by camera traps. Analysis of burrow characteristics revealed two distinct types of burrows, only one of which was associated with egg depredation by ravens. Clutches depredated by ravens had burrows with wider and higher entrances, thinner soil or vegetation layer above the egg chamber, shorter and curved tunnels and greater areas of bare ground and whitewash near entrances. In addition, 86% were covered by bower spinach (Tetragonia implexicoma), through which ravens could excavate. Ravens used two modes to access the eggs: they attacked through the entrance (25% of burrow attacks, n = 124) or dug a hole through the burrow roof (75% of attacks, n = 124). Burrows that were subject to attack through the entrance had significantly shorter tunnels than burrows accessed through the roof. Conclusions The high rates of clutch loss recorded here highlight the need for population viability analysis of penguins to assess the effect of egg predation on population growth rates. Implications The subterranean foraging niche of a corvid described here may have implications for burrow-nesting species worldwide because many corvid populations are increasing, and they exhibit great capacity to adopt new foraging strategies to exploit novel prey.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 09-2010
DOI: 10.1017/S0959270900003440
Abstract: Mornington Peninsula National Park, Victoria, Australia, is heavily used by recreationists. It also holds a breeding population of the Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis , a rare endemic shorebird. We monitored the population of plovers over seven breeding seasons, 1991–1998. Mortality of nests (about 60%), and of chicks (over 70%) was high, but preliminary data suggests mortality was low in juveniles. The major cause of mortality of nests was tr ling by people. The causes of mortality in chicks is unknown, but mortality was age dependent, and was highest in the youngest chicks. A combination of management techniques that have been phased into operation over the seven years of the study appear to be increasing the reproductive success of the population.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S00265-022-03138-0
Abstract: Ecological and environmental traits can influence avian escape behaviour but most data underpinning our current understanding relates to continental and temperate areas and species. We conducted a phylogenetically controlled comparative analysis of flight-initiation distance (FID) against a variety of environmental, behavioural and life history attributes for Sri Lankan birds (202 species n = 2540). As with other studies, body mass was positively associated with FID, and longer FIDs occurred in areas where human population density was lower. We also found that the effect of human population density was more pronounced in larger birds. Birds that were in groups when approached tended to have longer FIDs. Unlike the findings of other comparative analyses, based mostly on continental, temperate populations, most other ecological variables did not feature in the best models predicting FID (time of year, breeding system, clutch size, habitat, migratory behaviour, development [altricial recocial], elevation and diet). Thus, some associations (body mass and exposure to humans) may be universal, while others may not manifest themselves among tropical avifaunas. Further tropical datasets are required to confirm truly universal associations of environmental and ecological attributes and escape distances among birds. Escape responses in birds are influenced by the environment in which they live, the conditions under which they face a threat and their own biological characteristics. The vast majority of our knowledge of avian escape behaviour is derived from continental, temperate species. We examined the environmental and ecological factors that shape flight-initiation distance (FID), the distance at which a bird reacts to an approaching threat (a walking human) by escaping, using 2540 observations of 202 bird species on a large tropical island—Sri Lanka. Several predictors of FIDs in birds are clearly influential for Sri Lankan birds: body mass, human population density and whether the bird is alone or in as group. However, many other putative predictors are not, suggesting that tropical island avifaunas may have different responses to approaching threats compared to their temperate continental counterparts.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-2015
DOI: 10.1890/15-0027.1
Abstract: Species composition is expected to alter ecological function in assemblages if species traits differ strongly. Such effects are often large and persistent for nonnative carnivores invading islands. Alternatively, high similarity in traits within assemblages creates a degree of functional redundancy in ecosystems. Here we tested whether species turnover results in functional ecological equivalence or complementarity, and whether invasive carnivores on islands significantly alter such ecological function. The model system consisted of vertebrate scavengers (dominated by raptors) foraging on animal carcasses on ocean beaches on two Australian islands, one with and one without invasive red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Partitioning of scavenging events among species, carcass removal rates, and detection speeds were quantified using camera traps baited with fish carcasses at the dune-beach interface. Complete segregation of temporal foraging niches between mammals (nocturnal) and birds (diurnal) reflects complementarity in carrion utilization. Conversely, functional redundancy exists within the bird guild where several species of raptors dominate carrion removal in a broadly similar way. As predicted, effects of red foxes were large. They substantially changed the nature and rate of the scavenging process in the system: (1) foxes consumed over half (55%) of all carrion available at night, compared with negligible mammalian foraging at night on the fox-free island, and (2) significant shifts in the composition of the scavenger assemblages consuming beach-cast carrion are the consequence of fox invasion at one island. Arguably, in the absence of other mammalian apex predators, the addition of red foxes creates a new dimension of functional complementarity in beach food webs. However, this functional complementarity added by foxes is neither benign nor neutral, as marine carrion subsidies to coastal red fox populations are likely to facilitate their persistence as exotic carnivores.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1071/MF14213
Abstract: The food resource hypothesis of breeding habitat selection in beach-nesting birds suggests that birds breed at sites with more prey to meet the increased energetic requirements associated with breeding. We compare prey resources using pitfall traps and core s les at breeding sites and absence sites of the eastern population of hooded plover, Thinornis rubricollis rubricollis, which, in this part of its range, is a threatened obligate beach bird. Breeding sites had higher abundances, equivalent species richness, and different assemblages of invertebrate prey compared with absence sites. Assemblages at breeding sites were characterised by more isopods, and fewer beetles of the family Phycosecidae. Breeding habitat selection by plovers appears to be associated with selection for sites with more food, and any process that degrades food resources at a site (e.g. kelp harvesting or marine pollution events) may reduce the likelihood of occupancy of that site by breeding birds.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 24-05-2022
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.1071/RS18001
Abstract: Woodland birds are declining throughout the agricultural landscapes of south-eastern Australia, but the specific mechanisms driving these declines remain unclear. Reproductive failure via clutch depredation could conceivably contribute to these declines. Although site-scale habitat may influence the risk of clutch failure, larger-scale influences, such as whether a landscape contains a rural town or not (‘landscape type’), may also play a role. This study monitored artificial open-cup nests deployed in three pairs of the two landscape types and: 1) indexed clutch survival and predator assemblage and 2) determined if clutch survival was influenced by landscape type and/or local habitat characteristics. High levels of clutch depredation were observed in both landscape types and for all landscapes, with no evidence to suggest that landscape type or habitat characteristics influenced clutch survival or the time-to-first-predator visit. Predator assemblage also was consistent between landscape types. Generalist avian predators were the most common egg predators. Such egg predators may be ubiquitous throughout the fragmented Box-Ironbark woodlands of south-eastern Australia.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2016
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 05-09-2013
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2016.12.179
Abstract: Bio ersity is a global asset of inestimable value which is threatened by human activities. Bio ersity exists within ecosystems, which enjoy differing levels of conservation. The ways in which humans regard ecosystems can play an important role in identifying strategies to change human behaviour, thereby achieving conservation goals. We investigated how preference, scenic attractiveness, perceptions of bio ersity and conservation value varied between five terrestrial ecosystems in Victoria, Australia (503 respondents). We document, for the first time, distinct ecosystem preferences, with people favouring wet forest, followed by dry forest, arid woodland/shrubland, heathland and then grassland. The ecological worldview of the respondent (i.e., the set of beliefs that guide the way a person interacts with the natural world), their familiarity with the habitat and perceived scenic attractiveness influenced the conservation value assigned by the members of the public to each ecosystem. The conservation and bio ersity value assigned to each ecosystem was higher where people were familiar with the ecosystem, considered it attractive, and held an ecocentric worldview. These aspects may correlate with public attitudes and represent key elements which could be used to engender higher levels of support for less appreciated ecosystems. Enhanced support may then underpin better conservation outcomes.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-11-2016
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12430
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-04-2015
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-09-2015
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12311
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 05-04-2018
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 07-09-2017
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-03-2014
DOI: 10.1007/S00267-014-0256-4
Abstract: Vehicles on beaches cause numerous deleterious effects to coastal wildlife. These impacts may, hypothetically, be lessened if drivers act to reduce disturbance. Since it is unknown to what extent such behavior occurs, and whether it can reduce disturbance, we quantified the behavior of drivers who encountered birds on open-coast, sandy beaches in eastern Australia and the consequent bird responses. Drivers of commercial tourist buses never slowed or altered course ("evaded birds") to avoid disturbing birds conversely, 34 % of drivers of private cars did evade birds. Drivers of vehicles with fishing rod holders tended (P = 0.09) to evade birds more frequently than non-fishing vehicles. Evasion, when it occurred, was modest, and did not significantly decrease the intensity of bird response or the probability of escapes on the wing. Voluntary behavioral adjustments to alleviate impacts on wildlife may be unworkable, suggesting that other solutions (e.g., beach closures) might be the only effective and feasible way to reduce disturbance to birds on ocean beaches.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-11-2015
Abstract: We introduce a dataset of biological, ecological, conservation and legal information for every species and subspecies of Australian bird, 2056 taxa or populations in total. Version 1 contains 230 fields grouped under the following headings: Taxonomy & nomenclature, Phylogeny, Australian population status, Conservation status, Legal status, Distribution, Morphology, Habitat, Food, Behaviour, Breeding, Mobility and Climate metrics. It is envisaged that the dataset will be updated periodically with new data for existing fields and the addition of new fields. The dataset has already had, and will continue to have applications in Australian and international ornithology, especially those that require standard information for a large number of taxa.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2013
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 23-05-2019
DOI: 10.3390/ANI9050271
Abstract: Sex-biases in populations can have important implications for species’ social biology, population demography and mating systems. It has recently been suggested that in some shorebirds, sex-specific bias in survival of precocial young may occur. This may be driven by variation in the brood sex-ratio and/or the sexual size dimorphism of young birds, which may influence predator escape capacity. Understanding the survival of young birds remains a significant knowledge gap for many taxa, especially when young birds are mobile and cryptic. Our aims were to estimate the sex-ratio variation in three species of Australian resident shorebird, specifically to determine: (1) whether seasonal brood sex-ratio variation at hatching is occurring, (2) the extent of any sex-biased chick survival, (3) if sex specific dimorphism at hatching or during growth occurs and, (4) whether escape capacity differs between the sexes. We radio-tracked 50 Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles, 42 Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus and 27 Hooded Plover Thinornis cucullatus chicks from in idual broods, examined the likelihood of hatchlings being male or female based on the hatching date within the breeding season, and compared size at hatching, growth and mortality of chicks of different sexes. There was no sex-bias with the hatching date across the breeding season, nor were there differences in survival or growth rates between sexes for any of the three species studied. In one species, male hatchlings had longer tarsi than females, but this did not result in differential escape propensity or improved survival. In conclusion, the hatching date, survival and growth of chicks from three species of resident shorebird was not influenced by their sex.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 28-07-2023
Abstract: Remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, or ‘drones’ hereafter) have potential for surveying waterbird species and habitats, but there is a risk that the disturbance from drones could compromise count accuracy and bird welfare. We examined the response of 16 waterbird species to repeated up-and-back overhead drone flights (n = 50 flights) at multiple flight heights (80, 60, 40 and 20 m) using three common drone platforms (DJI Matrice 300, DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced and DJI Phantom 4). A ground observer scored the species’ responses to overhead drone flights, which ranged from no response (no change to initial behavior), vigilance (head turning and tracking), movement within the site (swimming, ing, flight into or on the water) and substantial flight resulting in departure from the pond (fleeing). A total of 280 waterbird encounters with overhead drones were observed. The most common response across all flights was no response (70.7%), followed by vigilance (27.5%), whereas more intense responses were comparatively rare (1.8%). The responses were of higher intensity during earlier overhead drone flights, before moderating substantially during later flights. Thus, our case study provides the first unambiguous evidence of the attenuation of responses of bird species to drones.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 31-03-2009
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-11-2016
Publisher: PeerJ
Date: 13-09-2016
DOI: 10.7717/PEERJ.2460
Abstract: Coastal birds are critical ecosystem constituents on sandy shores, yet are threatened by depressed reproductive success resulting from direct and indirect anthropogenic and natural pressures. Few studies examine clutch fate across the wide range of environments experienced by birds instead, most focus at the small site scale. We examine survival of model shorebird clutches as an index of true clutch survival at a regional scale (∼200 km), encompassing a variety of geomorphologies, predator communities, and human use regimes in southeast Queensland, Australia. Of the 132 model nests deployed and monitored with cameras, 45 (34%) survived the experimental exposure period. Thirty-five (27%) were lost to flooding, 32 (24%) were depredated, nine (7%) buried by sand, seven (5%) destroyed by people, three (2%) failed by unknown causes, and one (1%) was destroyed by a dog. Clutch fate differed substantially among regions, particularly with respect to losses from flooding and predation. ‘Topographic’ exposure was the main driver of mortality of nests placed close to the drift line near the base of dunes, which were lost to waves (particularly during storms) and to a lesser extent depredation. Predators determined the fate of clutches not lost to waves, with the depredation probability largely influenced by region. Depredation probability declined as nests were backed by higher dunes and were placed closer to vegetation. This study emphasizes the scale at which clutch fate and survival varies within a regional context, the prominence of corvids as egg predators, the significant role of flooding as a source of nest loss, and the multiple trade-offs faced by beach-nesting birds and those that manage them.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-11-2006
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2016
DOI: 10.1071/MU04004
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2013
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2021
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 26-02-2021
DOI: 10.1071/WR20129
Abstract: Abstract Context Capture, measurement, genetic s ling, ringing and flagging of shorebirds on their nests are standard techniques that underpin the study and conservation of these species. However, these techniques may reduce hatching success by compromising parental care or nest crypsis, thereby negatively influencing results, study populations and bird welfare. Only a few studies that examine the effect of capture of shorebirds on subsequent egg hatching success are currently available. Aims To compare the hatching success of masked lapwing (Vanellus miles) nests, at which adult capture and associated techniques (ringing, flagging and bleeding) have occurred, with nests at which these did not occur, on the fox-free Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. Methods Hatching success of masked lapwings was monitored and compared between nests at which adult capture did, and did not, occur. Clutches were aged and age was included in our models to adjust for exposure of clutches to risks such as predators. Key results There was no difference in egg hatching success between nests at which capture occurred and those at which it did not occur: 138 chicks hatched from 178 eggs attended by adults that were captured (77.5% hatched) and 279 chicks hatched from 442 eggs attended by adults that were not captured (63.1%). Conclusion Trapping incubating lapwings using our existing protocols does not compromise egg hatching success, at least where there are no foxes present. Implications Studies of ground-nesting shorebird hatching success in relation to capture can usefully assess for adverse effects of the methods employed. We suggest that further examination of capture of lapwings at the nest be conducted in environments where foxes are present.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2009
DOI: 10.1071/WR08084
Abstract: An understanding of space use and dispersal of a wildlife species is essential for effective management. We examined the movements of a beach-dwelling, threatened population of hooded plover (Thinornis rubricollis) in southern central Victoria, Australia, by analysing sightings of colour-banded birds (4897 sightings 194 birds tracked for up to 9 years). Most movements were relatively short (5050 ± 305 m), with 61.4% km and 95.3% km they lacked directional or sexual bias. The extent of coastline used by in idual birds was 47.8 ± 58.0 km. Regional differences in average distances moved by adults were apparent. For adults, movement rates (mean distance per day) were higher during the non-breeding season than during the breeding season. Non-breeding adults generally remained close to their partners (non-breeding, 456.3 ± 163.9 m breeding, 148.2 ± 45.3 m). Largest flock sizes were recorded during the non-breeding period, and flocking was not uniformly distributed along the coast but appeared to be concentrated in particular locations. The frequency of pair cohesion (i.e. when the distance between partners was zero on a given day) was similar during the breeding (69.6%) and non-breeding seasons (67.7%). Breeding territories (kernel analysis) were 36.7 ± 5.7 ha and overlapped from year to year in all cases (23 pairwise comparisons 47.9 ± 7.1% overlap). The high fidelity and constancy of territories confirms they warrant ongoing management investment, although the species relies on a matrix of breeding and non-breeding sites. The latter appear to occur in specific parts of the coast and warrant enhanced protection and more research attention. Fragmentation of the breeding population might occur where habitat is rendered unsuitable for ~50 km.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-05-2021
DOI: 10.1111/IBI.12969
Abstract: Ground‐nesting shorebirds rely on egg crypsis as one of their main anti‐predator defence strategies. Avian embryos vocalize late in incubation and communicate with parents through the eggshell but calls may compromise crypsis. Conceivably, embryos may cease calling when exposed to signals that suggest a predator is nearby (acoustic crypsis), but this has not been studied. Signals of nearby predators may include bird calls (predator, parental alarm), parental heart rate (higher when predators are nearby), or changes in light and temperature (incubators leave nests when predators are nearby). Experiments using eggs of Red‐capped Plovers Charadrius ruficapillus and Masked Lapwings Vanellus miles examined whether the number of embryonic vocalizations varied with exposure to the above factors. For both species, exposure to predator calls caused fewer embryonic calls (although this effect was evident for only one variant of predator calls for Red‐capped Plover). For Red‐capped Plovers, there was a statistically non‐significant tendency ( P = 0.068) for exposure to light/changed temperature and noise to be associated with fewer calls. Parental heart rate (tested only in Lapwings) and exposure to light/temperature and noise change had no influence on the number of embryonic vocalizations for Masked Lapwings. We show that embryos are able to respond to predator calls and possibly light/temperature/noise levels as cues, in a manner consistent with anti‐predator behaviour before hatching.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2016
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 27-10-2023
DOI: 10.3390/BIRDS4040025
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 18-03-2021
DOI: 10.1071/WR20127
Abstract: Abstract Context Bird–aircraft collisions impose an economic cost and safety risk, yet ecological studies that inform bird hazard management are few, and to date no study has formally compared species’ strike profiles across airports. In response to strike risks, airports have implemented customised management on an airport-by-airport basis, based on the assumption that strike risk stems from prevailing local circumstances. We tested this assumption by comparing a decade of wildlife–aircraft strikes at three airports situated in the same bioregion (likely to have similar fauna) of Victoria, Australia. Aim To compare the assemblage of wildlife struck by aircraft at three major airports in the same bioregion. Method Standardised wildlife strike data were analysed from three airports (Avalon, Melbourne and Essendon Airports), in the Victorian Volcanic Plains bioregion, central Victoria, Australia. Ten discrete 1-year s ling periods from each airport were compared, spanning the period 2009–19. Bird data were comparable, and data on mammals were considered less reliable, so emphasis was placed on birds in the present study. Results In total, 580 bird strikes were analysed, with the most commonly struck species being Australian magpie (Cracticus tibicen 16.7%), Eurasian skylark (Alauda arvensis 12.2%), Australian pipit (Anthus australis 12.1%), masked lapwing (Vanellus miles 5.9%), nankeen kestrel (Falco cenchroides 5.0%), house sparrow (Passer domesticus 4.8%), welcome swallow (Hirundo neoxena 4.3%) and tree martin (Petrochelidon nigricans 4.0%). The assemblage of birds struck by aircraft over the decade of study differed between airports. The most commonly struck species drove the assemblage differences between airports. Conclusions and implications In the present study system, airports experienced discrete strike risk profiles, even though they are in the same bioregion. The airports examined differed in terms of air traffic movement rates, aircraft types, landscape context and bird hazard management effort. Given that strike risks profiles differ among airports, customised management at each airport, as is currently the case, is supported.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2012
DOI: 10.1071/MU12026
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-01-2022
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-03-2020
Publisher: International Wader Study Group
Date: 03-2016
DOI: 10.18194/WS.00025
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-09-2017
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-06-2019
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 25-07-2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2017
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1071/WR20087
Abstract: Abstract ContextPitfall trapping is a standard technique for indexing surface active invertebrates on beaches, and underpins the study of sandy shore ecology. However, pitfall traps may pose a risk to the flightless young of beach-nesting birds, which may fall into such traps and potentially die. AimThe aim of the present study was to compare the invertebrates captured in standard pitfall traps with those captured in pitfall traps fitted with one of three potential shorebird exclusion devices. Ideally, the traps with exclusion devices would perform similarly to the standard traps (to enable inter-study comparability) and would detect ecological gradients, such as those evident in invertebrate assemblages between the beach and foredune. MethodsA systematic array was deployed, using 64 pitfall traps of four types: three types with bird-exclusion devices (a mesh cover, a fence around the rim and a low roof) and a standard pitfall trap with no exclusion device. Pitfall traps were stratified across two habitat types (upper beach and foredune) and were simultaneously deployed to control for environmental and other variables. ResultsEach trap type was broadly comparable in terms of the assemblage of invertebrates recorded, with two exceptions: (1) there was a slightly lower species ersity in mesh than in roofed traps and (2) the assemblage captured differed between roofed and fenced traps, with the former trapping more isopods and hipods. No trap type differed from control traps, and all differentiated an ecological gradient between beach and foredune. Thus, any trap design option we tested met our criteria. Conclusions and implicationsThe present study shows that bird-exclusion devices for pitfall traps need not compromise trap performance, comparability or utility.
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 25-07-2018
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-02-2010
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-02-2015
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-10-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-02-2018
DOI: 10.1111/EVA.12587
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-2016
DOI: 10.1071/MU08054
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 07-05-2015
Abstract: Ornamentation of parents poses a high risk for offspring because it reduces cryptic nest defence. Over a century ago, Wallace proposed that sexual dichromatism enhances crypsis of open-nesting females although subsequent studies found that dichromatism per se is not necessarily adaptive. We tested whether reduced female ornamentation in a sexually dichromatic species reduces the risk of clutch depredation and leads to adaptive parental roles in the red-capped plover Charadrius ruficapillus, a species with biparental incubation. Males had significantly brighter and redder head coloration than females. During daytime, when visually foraging predators are active, colour-matched model males incurred a higher risk of clutch depredation than females, whereas at night there was no difference in depredation risk between sexes. In turn, red-capped plovers maintained a strongly diurnal/nocturnal ision of parental care during incubation, with males attending the nest largely at night when visual predators were inactive and females incubating during the day. We found support for Wallace's conclusion that reduced female ornamentation provides a selective advantage when reproductive success is threatened by visually foraging predators. We conclude that predators may alter their prey's parental care patterns and therefore may affect parental cooperation during care.
Publisher: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
Date: 08-2007
DOI: 10.7882/AZ.2007.003
No related grants have been discovered for Michael Weston.