wildlife biology lecture 2

birds

how many species does australia have

about 936

how many of Australia species are residents? how many are introduced? how many are vagrants?

747 are residents/regular migrants

29 are introduced

120 vagrants

How many orders of birds are there

40 orders

what order makes up 50% of the species

Passeriformes

how many orders have Australian representatives

23 orders

what birds have Gondwanan distribution

ratites (ostriches and emus)

kiwis

Australaves

entire clade believed to have evolved in Australia

What order is included in Australaves

order of parrots and cockatoos

What family has an almost entire Australasian distribution

passerie

what do parrots and cockatoos eat

nectar, seeds, and banksia insects

Do parrots and cockatoos use a broad landscape or a narrow one

broad landscape

passerine are known for

perching and singing

what is unique about passerine foot form

Anisodactyl - when pressure is placed on foot toes will grip

what structure is passerines allows for complex sound and harmonics

syrinx

what family are honeyeaters

Meliphagidae - nectar feeding family

what are some impacts of being an endemic species

• higher risk of extinction

• may not be adaptable to changes because they evolved with fixed set of environmental conditions

what populations are especially at risk

island populations and habitat island populations

what are non passerine species in the banksia

parrots and cockatoos

raptors

cuckoos

button quail

what are some passerine species in the banksia

honeyeaters

fairywren

thornbills

robins

what species do banksia favor

• nectar feeding species

• understory dependent species

what technique requires special training when surveying birds

‘bird in hand’

what technique is used to answer practical conservation techniques

obervational

why is it better to do a survey with birds rather than a census

survey - count a subset of the population

census - try to count all of the population of a certain area

survey is easier to manage and repeat

what are some benefits of a survey

repeatable (at different times)

translatable (to different areas)

able to be replicated (by others)

statistically powerful

what can birds tell us about the environment

can be tied to features in the landscape

evidence of boom and bust

indicators of seasonal changes

what can repeated visits for surveying tell us

which species are common

which species are resident

population trends

when unusual situations occur

area search

fixed size and time

use results to determine size/duration

transect line

fixed width

variable width

point counts

fixed radius

variable

listening surveys

how can you prepare to make surveying easier

be familiar with the survey method

be comfortable with recording all required info

be comfortable with equipment and team

how can you make surveying easier onsite

double check you have all gear

have a clear idea of survey boundaries

have a plan for dealing with unknowns

what is some general advice for bird surveys

find out what species you’re likely to see

use existing resources

what are some ways to identify birds through physical characteristics

“type” of bird, location and habitat, behavior, size of features, color, call, habitat, shape, posture

what are some behavioral ways to identify birds

what is it doing? how?

is it still or fidgety?

how is it feeding? what is eating?

how/where does it fly

does it have quirky behavior?

is it with friends?

what are some identifiable features of honeyeaters

the color and pattern of their head

what are some ways to identify a raptor

shape and underwing patterns