Collected to extinction? History and records of the Western Rufous Bristlebird

Abstract

The Rufous Bristlebird Dasyornis broadbenti is a species endemic to Australia and now found only in Victoria and South Australia. The enigmatic western subspecies, Western Rufous Bristlebird D. b. litoralis, was described in 1901 and is now considered extinct. Because of the paucity of information on this subspecies, I aimed to locate all known museum specimens, document its known range and ecology, and ascertain the key drivers of its decline. In total, 16 specimens were collected between 1901 and 1907, with no definitive evidence of its survival subsequently. The Western Rufous Bristlebird occupied a very small range between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Mentelle, Western Australia, and was seemingly extirpated within a 7-year period, potentially by over-collecting, because of its small area of occupancy and likely strong territoriality. Habitat change wrought by fire and clearing, as well as feral predators, were additive stressors. Putative sightings in 1945 and the 1970s, 1980s and to present times, have continued but all are unsubstantiated.