Pezoporus Research Articles

A critically co-endangered feather louse Forficuloecus pezopori n. sp. (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) detected through conservation intervention for the western ground parrot Pezoporus flaviventris (Psittaculidae)

Forficuloecus pezopori Martin, Keatley & Ash n. sp. from the western ground parrot Pezoporus flaviventris North, 1911 (Psittaculidae) is proposed based on combined evidence from morphology and COI mitochondrial DNA. Phylogenetically, the new species is closest to its two known congeners from Western Australia: F. josephi Price, Johnson & Palma, 2008 from Bourke's parrot Neopsephotus bourkii (Gould, 1841) and the scarlet-chested parrot Neophema splendida (Gould, 1841), and F. palmai Guimarães, 1985 from the Australian ringneck parrot Barnardius zonarius (Shaw, 1805). Morphologically it is distinguishable by abdominal chaetotaxy and characters of the male genitalia, and is most similar to F. josephi and F. greeni Guimarães, 1985; the latter has no representative sequence data. Forficuloecus pezopori is the eleventh species of its genus and the only metazoan parasite known from P. flaviventris, which is among Australia's most endangered vertebrates. The new louse is apparently restricted to P. flaviventris and is therefore co-endangered, facing at least the same likelihood of extinction as its host. We recommend ongoing translocation and field monitoring efforts for P. flaviventris include monitoring but not treatment for lice infestations in otherwise healthy individuals, and that the care management plan for captive P. flaviventris considers that F. pezopori is similarly imperilled.

Vocal activity of the Eastern Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus wallicus) and implications for acoustic monitoring efforts

ABSTRACT Vocalisations are a key component of communication for species that employ crypsis. The Eastern Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus wallicus) is one such species that lives within dense heathland habitats in eastern Australia. Passive acoustic monitoring is now a common method used for avian monitoring and conservation programmes. For implementation of this method to be successful, we require a minimum level of understanding of the environmental and behavioural factors that may influence vocal activity. We tested how Eastern Ground Parrot call rate and chorus duration fluctuated across key temporal, environmental and meteorological variations over one year using passive acoustic monitoring from one site. Season, moon phase and days since rainfall predicted vocal activity of the birds at this site. Our results demonstrate the importance of considering the behavioural response of species to environmental conditions to account for potential bias in the interpretation of passive acoustic monitoring data.

Using mitochondrial DNA to identify the provenance of 19th century Kākāpō skins held in Australia’s oldest natural history collection, the Macleay

ABSTRACT Museum specimens of endangered species are important to determine pre-decline population structure and to characterise loss of diversity in surviving populations. Kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus), the critically endangered New Zealand ground parrot, suffered massive population declines in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries resulting in a genetic bottleneck and adverse inbreeding effects. The University of Sydney Chau Chak Wing Museum (formerly the Macleay Museum) holds several Kākāpō study skins in the Macleay Collections (Australia’s oldest natural history collection), obtained in the mid1800s prior to population declines, but with unknown provenance. Here, we used ancient DNA (aDNA) methods to sequence mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from nine Macleay skins and compared them to published sequences of North and South Island Kākāpō to establish the provenance of each skin. Phylogeography suggests the skins were collected on the southern west coast of the South Island, excluding the North Island as a source. Genetic results corroborate historical records of scientific field trips in the mid1800s taken by museum directors Sir James Hector and Sir Julius von Haast, who sent the skins to the Macleay from New Zealand. All nine Macleay specimens yielded unique mtDNA genome sequences consistent with previous findings of high mtDNA haplotype diversity in pre-decline Kākāpō, especially within southern South Island populations. The Macleay Collection’s skins are some of the oldest historical museum specimens of Kākāpō to have been genetically analysed and are an important genetic resource for future studies of Kākāpō genomic diversity.

If a bird calls, will we detect it? Factors that can influence the detectability of calls on automated recording units in field conditions

ABSTRACT Automated recording units (ARUs) are an integral instrument in a broad range of applications such as invasive species management, behavioural studies, and environmental impact assessments. They have become particularly important in conservation programmes for a range of cryptic threatened bird species. While the fundamental issues of signal attenuation and degradation are well known, understanding how environmental factors influence detectability of calls on ARU recordings in particular circumstances is essential for the accurate interpretation of their results. Using five transects spaced at equal angles running from a central playback source we tested the detectability of Pezoporus flaviventris (Western Ground Parrot) and Atrichornis clamosus (Noisy Scrub-bird) calls on Wildlife Acoustics SM2 and SM4 devices. Both species call from on or near the ground in moderately dense heathlands. Detectability of calls was affected by wind direction: fewer calls were detected on an ARU that was up-wind of the broadcast source compared with another on a down-wind unit. More calls were detected on ARUs deployed at higher relative elevation, and detectability decreased with increased distance from the playback source. Calls were detected at a greater distance from the playback source when using SM4 ARUs, compared to SM2 ARUs. Inconsistency in the detection of bird calls through space and time could lead to errors in metrics calculated from acoustic data. Further investigation is required to determine how environmental factors such as wind direction can be accounted for in data analysis.

The endocast of the Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) reveals insights into its sensory ecology and the evolution of nocturnality in birds

The Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) is a rare, nocturnal parrot species that has largely escaped scientific investigation due to its behaviour and habitat preferences. Recent field studies have revealed some insights into Night Parrot behaviour, but nothing is known of its sensory abilities. Here, we used μCT scans of an intact Night Parrot specimen to determine if its visual system shares similarities with other nocturnal species. The endocast of the Night Parrot revealed relatively small optic lobes and optic foramina, especially compared with closely related grass parakeets, but no apparent differences in orbit dimensions. Our data suggests that the Night Parrot likely has lower visual acuity than most other parrots, including its congener, the Eastern Ground Parrot (P. wallicus). We propose that the visual system of the Night Parrot might represent a compromise between the need to see under low light conditions and the visual acuity required to detect predators, forage, and fly. Based on the endocast and optic foramen measurements, the Night Parrot fits into a common pattern of decreased retinal input to the optic lobes in birds that should be explored more thoroughly in extant and extinct species.

Integrating feral cat (Felis catus) control into landscape-scale introduced predator management to improve conservation prospects for threatened fauna: a case study from the south coast of Western Australia

Abstract ContextFeral cat predation has had a significant impact on native Australian fauna in the past 200 years. In the early 2000s, population monitoring of the western ground parrot showed a dramatic decline from the pre-2000 range, with one of three meta-populations declining to very low levels and a second becoming locally extinct. We review 8 years of integrated introduced predator control, which trialled the incorporation of the feral cat bait Eradicat® into existing fox baiting programs. AimsTo test the efficacy of integrating feral cat control into an existing introduced predator control program in an adaptive management framework conducted in response to the decline of native species. The objective was to protect the remaining western ground parrot populations and other threatened fauna on the south coast of Western Australia. MethodsA landscape-scale feral cat and fox baiting program was delivered across south coast reserves that were occupied by western ground parrots in the early 2000s. Up to 500000ha of national parks and natures reserves were baited per annum. Monitoring was established to evaluate both the efficacy of landscape-scale baiting in management of feral cat populations, and the response of several native fauna species, including the western ground parrot, to an integrated introduced predator control program. Key resultsOn average, 28% of radio-collared feral cats died from Eradicat® baiting each year, over a 5-year period. The results varied from 0% to 62% between years. Changes in site occupancy by feral cats, as measured by detection on camera traps, was also variable, with significant declines detected after baiting in some years and sites. Trends in populations of native fauna, including the western ground parrot and chuditch, showed positive responses to integrated control of foxes and cats. ImplicationsLandscape-scale baiting of feral cats in ecosystems on the south coast of Western Australia had varying success when measured by direct knockdown of cats and site occupancy as determined by camera trapping; however, native species appeared to respond favourably to integrated predator control. For the protection of native species, we recommend ongoing baiting for both foxes and feral cats, complemented by post-bait trapping of feral cats. We advocate monitoring baiting efficacy in a well designed adaptive management framework to deliver long-term recovery of threatened species that have been impacted by cats.

Detection of ground parrot vocalisation: A multiple instance learning approach.

Ground parrot vocalisation can be considered as an audio event. Test-based diverse density multiple instance learning (TB-DD-MIL) is proposed for detecting this event in audio files recorded in the field. The proposed method is motivated by the advantages of multiple instance learning from incomplete training data. Spectral features suitable for encoding the vocal source information of the ground parrot vocalization are also investigated. The proposed method was benchmarked against a dataset collected in various environmental conditions and an audio detection evaluation scheme is proposed. The evaluation includes a study on performance of the various vocal source features and comparison with other classification techniques. Experimental results indicated that the most appropriate feature to encode ground parrot calls is the spectral bandwidth and the proposed TB-DD-MIL method outperformed other existing classification methods.

Monitoring ground-dwelling mammals, Eastern Bristlebird and Ground Parrot at Vincentia on the south coast of New South Wales

ABSTRACT Fauna surveys were conducted near the coastal village of Vincentia on the south coast of New South Wales from 2000 to 2014 in response to a proposal to extend a golf course. The surveys consisted of trapping ground-dwelling mammals along six, 200 m long transects and targeted surveys for the Eastern Bristlebird Dasyornis brachypterus and Ground Parrot Pezoporus wallicus. Eight native species of ground-dwelling mammal were trapped including the White-footed Dunnart Sminthopsis leucopus, Eastern Chestnut Mouse Pseudomys gracilicaudatus and Eastern Pygmy Possum Cercartetus nanus, species currently listed on the Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995) and the New Holland Mouse Pseudomys novaehollandiae listed as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999). The most abundant mammals trapped were the Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes and the Brown Antechinus A. stuartii accounting for 67% and 14% of all Elliott trap captures, respectively. The survey provided the firs...

Ground Parrots and fire in east Gippsland, Victoria: habitat occupancy modelling from automated sound recordings

The peak-and-decline in the density of eastern populations of Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) with increasing time since fire is one of the best-documented post-fire responses of any Australian animal. However, existing studies have typically shown this relationship within a set of sites highly likely to be occupied by Ground Parrots, rather than demonstrating that fire history affects whether a site is occupied. This paper describes a landscape-scale, targeted survey of Ground Parrots at 80 heathland sites between Marlo and Mallacoota, Victoria. Selection of sites was stratified by combinations of time since fire and modelled predictions of the distribution of Ground Parrots. All sites were sampled 10 times in late 2013 using automated sound recorders, and a subset of 23 sites had at least one traditional, observer-based physical survey. Both time since fire and the species-distribution model were significantly associated with the probability of Ground Parrots occupying a site. The most parsimonious occupancy model was applied to two earlier datasets from the study area, and provided indirect evidence for an inferred decline in Ground Parrot occupancy in recent decades. Landscape modelling of the expected total area occupied by Ground Parrots between 1979 and 2013 suggested a strong peak would have occurred in the late 1990s; suitability of habitat over much of the landscape is now declining. Finally, given that many Australian fauna species are responsive to fire, this study shows that assumptions behind the management of such species can be tested efficiently by combining legacy datasets and literature with contemporary data collection and modelling methods.

The only known egg of the Night Parrot? A molecular and morphometric assessment of an alleged egg from the Tanami Desert

The Night Parrot Pezoporus occidentalis is a much sought-after, recently ‘rediscovered’, endangered nocturnal parrot, endemic to arid Central Australia. Very little is known of its ecology, and its eggs have never been formally described. The literature on the eggs of the Night Parrot is collated here, and the provenance of an alleged Night Parrot egg found in the Tanami Desert, Northern Territory, in 1983 was assessed using DNA analysis and physical characteristics. Anecdotal reports from the late 19th–early 20th Century indicate that the Night Parrot lays a clutch of two to six roundish, white eggs. We suggest that its eggs are probably similar to and slightly larger than those of its congener, the Ground Parrot P. wallicus. The alleged Night Parrot egg was definitively identified by mitochondrial DNA analysis to be from the Brown Quail Synoicus ypsilophorus. This represents the first evidence of breeding by this species in the Tanami Desert, and lays to rest a long-standing misconception regarding the parrot.

Diet of one wild Western Ground Parrot Pezoporus flaviventris

The aim of this study was to examine the diet of a wild Western Ground Parrot Pezoporus flaviventris , a cryptic and critically endangered species. There has been no previous systematic study of the diet for this species. A wild male Western Ground Parrot was filmed over several days in spring 2006, in the Fitzgerald River National Park, Western Australia. The bird was recorded feeding, sunbathing, preening and dozing in his natural habitat. Fifty 30-second samples of the video were used to obtain 555 feeding records. The bird’s diet at that time was most dependent on flowers (38%), followed by sedge seeds (35%), and a further 20% was comprised of green fruit of dicotyledonous plants. At least 27 plant species were consumed by the individual in this study. The plant species eaten varied considerably within and among 30-second video samples, as well as varying between days. The daily diet is likely to vary to a similar degree to the overall pattern. Other observations, combined with the findings of this study, emphasise the diversity of plant species in the diet of the Western Ground Parrot.

Managing the Ground Parrot in its fiery habitat in south-eastern Australia

The Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) is a rare and iconic endemic of heathlands in southern Australia. It is threatened by frequent and widespread fire. The species has been an integral element in the development of our understanding of the impacts of fire regimes in heathlands and is an integral part of conservation management of these fire-prone ecosystems. This long-term study documents the densities of Ground Parrots in three areas of long-unburnt habitat in southern New South Wales. Using area searches and aural surveys, we estimated densities of Ground Parrots at Barren Grounds Nature Reserve-Budderoo National Park (1983–2009), Beecroft Weapons Range (1997–2008) and Nadgee Nature Reserve (1995–2009). At each location, the species occurred in long-unburnt habitat (≥20 years post-fire), sometimes at high densities (≥2 birds per 10 ha). We recommend that, in south-eastern Australia, fire should not be used to manipulate the ecological functioning of habitat for the persistence of Ground Parrot populations and conclude that there should be area-specific adaptive management plans that specify how the important elements of the biodiversity will be conserved and how this will be measured.

A cryptic and critically endangered species revealed by mitochondrial DNA analyses: the Western Ground Parrot

We examined cytochrome b sequence data to resolve the intraspecific taxonomy of ground parrots Pezoporus wallicus. The species occurs in fragmented coastal heaths in south-eastern and south-western Australia. Net nucleotide divergences among all eastern populations were very low (0.0–0.6%) and genetic diversity unstructured, suggesting relatively recent common ancestry. Gene flow among them was probably maintained via land bridges and the persistence of suitable habitat during the Pleistocene. In contrast, net nucleotide divergence was high (4.4–5.1%) between western and eastern populations, suggesting more ancient divergence about 2 million years ago. The magnitude of divergence between eastern and western lineages is similar to a wide range of avian congeners. Our data support the need to reconsider the intraspecific taxonomy of ground parrots, and we cautiously suggest the recognition of Western Ground Parrots as a species, P. flaviventris, for conservation prioritization, planning and management purposes. Given their recent precipitous decline to approximately 110 individuals, most of which occur at one location, this makes Western Ground Parrots one of the world’s most threatened bird species.

Low Genetic Diversity in the Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) Revealed by Randomly Amplified DNA Fingerprinting

The ground parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) is a vulnerable species that occurs in isolated pockets of heathland and sedgeland of Australia. This study used randomly amplified DNA fingerprinting (RAF) to examine genetic diversity in the eastern population of the ground parrot. The seven primers used produced an average of 68 markers per primer, and the number of unambiguous polymorphic markers per primer averaged 6.3 (9.2%). Overall genetic similarity was 0.978 ± 0.03. The low level of genetic diversity revealed by RAF is comparable to the lower end of diversity found in species that are declared endangered.

Dealing with uncertain absences in habitat modelling: a case study of a rare ground‐dwelling parrot

ABSTRACTIn the development of a species distribution model based on regression techniques such as generalized linear or additive modelling (GLM/GAM), a basic assumption is that records of species presence and absence are real. However, a common concern in many studies examining species distributions is that absences cannot be inferred with certainty. This is particularly the case where the species is rare, difficult to detect and/or does not occupy all available habitat considered suitable. The western ground parrot (Pezoporus wallicus flaviventris) of southern Western Australia, Australia, is a case in point, as not only is it rare and difficult to detect, but it is also unlikely to occupy all available suitable habitat. A recent survey of ground parrots provided the opportunity to develop a predictive distribution model. As the data were susceptible to false absences, these were replaced with randomly selected ‘pseudo’ absences and modelled using GLM. As a comparison, presence‐only information was modelled using a relatively new approach, MAXENT, a machine‐learning technique that has been shown to perform comparatively well. The predictive performance of both models, as assessed by the receiver operating characteristic plot (ROC) was high (AUC > 0.8), with MAXENT performing only marginally better than the GLM. These approaches both indicated that the ground parrot prefers areas relatively high in altitude, distant from rivers, gently sloping to level habitat, with an intermediate cover of vegetation and where there is a mosaic of vegetation ages. In this case, the use of presence‐only information resulted in the identification of important environmental attributes defining the occurrence of the ground parrot, but additional factors that account for the inability of the bird to occupy all suitable habitat should be a component of model refinement.

Monitoring population change in the cryptic and threatened Western Ground Parrot in relation to fire

Measures of abundance and population trends are necessary for informed management of rare species, but obtaining reliable estimates of sparsely occurring species is an ongoing challenge in conservation biology. It is even more difficult when the species of interest is also cryptic. We censused a population of one such species, the Western Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus flaviventris), over several years to develop a monitoring protocol to assist in future management, extend understanding of its response to fire, and provide a model that could be used with other cryptic bird species. Abundance of Western Ground Parrots, monitored by means of calling frequencies, varied from year to year at a study site in Fitzgerald River National Park, south-western Australia. Frequency of calling increased significantly from 1996 to 2000. During this time, frequency of calling peaked in 1998 in part of the study site that had been unburnt for more than 40 years, and remained high in 2000. Frequency of calling was similar in a more recently burnt part of the study area except in May 1998, when frequency was lower following a fire that burnt part of this area five months previously. Frequency of calling dropped significantly in both the long unburnt and recently burnt areas between 2000 and 2004; exact reasons for this are unknown. Western Ground Parrots can use recently burnt vegetation where it is immediately adjacent to an established population, but do not need fire to create habitat, at least in the timescale of 40 years. The current monitoring protocol, where eight listening posts are counted approximately three times each, is capable of detecting an annual change in frequency of calling of ∼13%. The number of listening posts would need to be increased to 14 in order to detect an annual change of 10%, and would need to be increased to 40 in order to detect an annual change of 5%.

A new species of the feather mite genus Titanolichus Gaud & Atyeo, 1996 (Acari: Astigmata: Pterolichidae) from the endangered orange‐bellied parrot Neophema chrysogaster (Aves: Psittaciformes) from Australia

Abstract Titanolichus seemani sp. n., a new species of the genus Titanolichus Gaud & Atyeo, 1996, is described from a museum skin of the endangered orange‐bellied parrot Neophema chrysogaster (Latham) (Aves: Psittaciformes) from Australia. We also redescribe the type species Titanolichus chiragricus (Mégnin & Trouessart) from the ground parrot Pezoporus wallicus (Kerr), provide a key for all known species of Titanolichus and point out some problems in the systematics of this genus.

Variation in vocalisations of the ground parrot at its northern range

The eastern ground parrot, Pezoporus wallicus wallicus, is a vulnerable and elusive species whose ecology is little known. We recorded and analysed calls from the northern distributional range of the species. Eleven call types were identified in mainland Queensland, 10 of which were common to three study sites located within Noosa National Park. One call type was absent 50 km to the north in Cooloola National Park, where a call type not heard in Noosa was found instead. There may be less mixing of individuals between Noosa and Cooloola areas than within Noosa. Analysis of sonagrams showed that all calls are structurally simple, and generally lie within a frequency band of 2–6 kHz. There were calls with gradually ascending notes and syllables, and calls with monotone notes within syllables. The Step Ascending call is common to both Noosa and Cooloola, and modifications were detected in Yuraygir National Park and Fraser island. These call types could have derived from the same ancestral call, which may have been modified over time, with isolation maintaining the modified calls within populations. Analysis of call patterns has much potential as a conservation tool in uncommon and elusive birds, but research is required to determine the functions of various call types.

The vertebrate fauna of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area

The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area encompasses an area of 1.38 million hectares, or approximately 20% of the island state of Tasmania. The World Heritage Area plays a significant role in the conservation of Tasmania's fauna and natural biological processes. The area supports 30 species of terrestrial mammal including three endemic species (91% of total Tasmanian species), 120 species of terrestrial bird including 10 endemic species (76% of state total), 14 species of terrestrial reptile including seven endemic species (67% of state total), seven species of frog including three endemic species (64% of state total), 16 species of freshwater fish including four endemic species (64% of state total), and 68 species of marine fish including one endemic species (14% of state total). A number of vertebrate species are entirely restricted to the World Heritage Area (Moss Froglet, Pedra Branca Skink, Mountain Skink, Pedder Galaxias, Swamp Galaxias and Western Paragalaxias, while the migratory Orange-bellied Parrot breeds only within the World Heritage Area. A number of other species have the majority of their Tasmanian range within the World Heritage Area (Broad-toothed Rat, Ground Parrot, Southern Emu-wren, Tasmanian Tree Frog, Northern Snow Skink, Southern Snow Skink, Bathurst Harbour Skate and the Clarence Galaxias). The World Heritage Area also supports a range of threatened mammal, bird, reptile and fish species. Of the 44 species of introduced vertebrates which have established feral populations in Tasmania, only seven species (16% of state total) have a significant presence within the World Heritage Area and pose a potential threat to the area's integrity. The diversity and endemism of the vertebrate fauna of the World Heritage Area reflects the Gondwanan origins of much of the fauna of western Tasmania, the repeated glaciation of the area during the Pleistocene, and subsequent pulses of speciation among certain taxa.

Ground Parrots and Fire at Barren Grounds, New South Wales: A Long-term Study and an Assessment of Management Implications

Ground Parrots and Fire at Barren Grounds, New South Wales: A Long-term Study and an Assessment of Management Implications