The survival rate of Australian passerines

Abstract

The Australian avifauna is composed largely of two groups–the ‘old endemics’, species that originated in Gondwana and radiated in Australia and New Guinea, and the ‘new invaders’, species that originated in Asia and invaded Australia during the Pleistocene. In addition, several species were introduced by Europeans during the last 200 years. The old endemics have clutch‐sizes significantly smaller than those of the new invaders (Yom‐Tov 1987). The aim of this paper was to study the survival rates of Australian passerines from the three groups.The survival rates of 3 5 species of Australian passerines were calculated by using recapture data provided by the Australian Bird Banding Scheme for birds older than one year. Survival depends primarily on body‐mass, with no difference between the old endemics and the new invaders. It is suggested that the survival rates of birds younger than one year is different between the two main groups.Overall, the survival rates of Australian passerines is at least 1.2 greater than that of equal‐sized British passerines. The survival rates of the introduced House SparrowPasser domesticusand BlackbirdTurdus merulawere similar on the two continents, suggesting either that insufficient time had elapsed since their introduction to Australia for them to adapt to local conditions, or that the habitats occupied in Australia were so modified by human activities that selection did not favour long lives. The survival rate of the introduced StarlingSturnus vulgariswas lower in Australia, probably because it lives in natural habitats there.