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Identification of pollen vectors is a fundamental objective of pollination biology. The foraging and social behavior of these pollinators has profound effects on plant mating, making quantification of their behavior critical for understanding the ecological and evolutionary consequences of different pollinators for the plants they visit. However, accurate quantification of visitation may be problematic, especially for shy animals and/or when the temporal and spatial scale of observation desired is large. Sophisticated heat‐ and movement‐triggered motion‐sensor cameras (“camera trapping”) provide new, underutilized tools to address these challenges. However, to date, there has been no rigorous evaluation of the sampling considerations needed for using camera trapping in pollination research.We measured the effectiveness of camera trapping for identifying vertebrate visitors and quantifying their visitation rates and foraging behavior on Banksia menziesii (Proteaceae). Multiple still cameras (Reconyx HC 500) and a video camera (Little Acorn LTL5210A) were deployed.From 2,753 recorded visits by vertebrates, we identified five species of nectarivorous honeyeater (Meliphagidae) and the honey possum (Tarsipedidae), with significant variation in the species composition of visitors among inflorescences. Species of floral visitor showed significant variation in their time of peak activity, duration of visits, and numbers of flowers probed per visit. Where multiple cameras were deployed on individual inflorescences, effectiveness of individual still cameras varied from 15% to 86% of all recorded visits. Methodological issues and solutions, and the future uses of camera traps in pollination biology, are discussed. Conclusions and wider implications: Motion‐triggered cameras are promising tools for the quantification of vertebrate visitation and some aspects of behavior on flowers. However, researchers need to be mindful of the variation in effectiveness of individual camera traps in detecting animals. Pollinator studies using camera traps are in their infancy, and the full potential of this developing technology is yet to be realized.

Aims Our objective was to establish a relationship between long-term variation in the climatic environment, tree canopy decline and observed effects on the population dynamics of avifauna in the Dryandra Woodlands in southwestern Australia. These geographically isolated remnant woodlands are rich in endemic species and sustain a diverse range of ecological communities, but are threatened by habitat degradation and a decline in rainfall. Methods We used annual rainfall data, averaged from a series of weather stations within 100 km of the Dryandra Woodlands and a time series analysis to investigate long-term changes in annual rainfall. Satellite spectral observations of eight study sites at Dryandra was used to measure changes in Projected Foliage Cover (PFC) of old growth Eucalyptus wandoo at all sites. Our mist-net trapping study across three years and all eight sites, targeted two focal species; the rufous treecreeper (Climacteris rufa) and yellow-plumed honeyeater (Ptilotula ornata). We investigated the relationship between the captures of each species and variation in PFC, between sites and across years. Also in a separate demographic study, capture-mark-recapture data was used to estimate the apparent survival rate of each species, following the robust design for open and closed populations. Key results We demonstrate a long-term and continuing decline in average annual rainfall that is accelerating. We found the rainfall trend is concomitant with a long-term decline in PFC of E. wandoo and that the previous year’s annual rainfall is a predictor of average PFC across all sites. Additionally, we discovered that the PFC at each site, in each year, is a predictor of the number of yellow-plumed honeyeaters which prefer feeding on canopy insects and not a predictor of the predominantly ground-foraging rufous treecreeper. We also found a substantial difference in the apparent survival rates between the two species, with the apparent survival of yellow-plumed honeyeaters being approximately half that of rufous treecreepers. This difference was partially attributed to the likely movement outside of the study area due to decreasing habitat quality. Conclusions and implications Overall, our results do suggest that some impacts of long-term rainfall trends can be traced to particular species through PFC variation, but the response between species to habitat change will differ and depend on species-specific habitat requirements. As increasing greenhouse emissions are associated with declining rainfall in southwestern Australia, this study shows if rainfall decline and habitat degradation continue, it will have catastrophic consequences for woodland ecosystems.

Context The noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala) is an aggressive Australian honeyeater that has been strongly implicated in the decline of assemblages of smaller passerine species in eastern Australia. Factors likely to promote the spread of noisy miners throughout modified landscapes have been identified using static correlative models. However, the underlying mechanisms resulting in the patterns of space-use implicit in such models remain largely unknown. Aims The aim of the study was to develop a modelling context that is better able to capture the underlying mechanisms driving the spread of Noisy Miners than are static correlative modelling techniques. Methods A spatially explicit, grid-based model framework was derived to estimate the vulnerability of assemblages of bird species to displacement or replacement by noisy miners. Data from an area of suburban and peri-urban Brisbane were used as a case study in the application of the model framework. Key results The model framework predicted that sensitive bird assemblages, occupying a range of habitats, were far more vulnerable overall to displacement or replacement by noisy miners within the case study landscape than vice versa. The spaces within this landscape occupied by sensitive bird species predicted to be most vulnerable to noisy miner spread were identified. Conclusions The spatially explicit context within which the model framework is set provides an opportunity to gain insights into the mechanisms underlying the spread of noisy miners that static correlative models have yet to fully identify. Implications The model framework has potential for application in land use and conservation management planning.

The Yellow-throated Honeyeater Nesoptilotis flavicollis (Meliphagidae) is endemic to Tasmania and the Bass Strait islands. A watch at a nest attended by a colour-banded male and his mate revealed that the three nestlings were fed at a mean rate of 18.3 meals per hour 2 days before fledging. The female delivered more than half the meals and the male contributed at least 34% of them. Thus, this study showed that both the male and female of a pair fed the nestlings, contrary to previous reports that only the female feeds nestlings. Both male and female fed the fledglings. The foraging ecology, social behaviour and nesting ecology of the Yellow-throated Honeyeater and its sister species, the White-eared Honeyeater N. leucotis, are compared.

We revisited a location to study previously individually marked Tagula Honeyeaters Microptilotis vicina in 2019, 3 years after the original 2016 study on Junet Island, Louisiade Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. Re-encountered Tagula Honeyeaters indicated sedentary behaviour across years and an average annual adult survival rate of ≥0.75. We made the first observations of building and laying at two nests, and recorded nesting habits in the species. Tagula Honeyeaters showed the general trend in the honeyeater family of only the female building the nest and incubating. Nests were similar to those previously observed and to those of related species. Clutch-size in both nests was two and laying was on consecutive days. Eggs were white to off-white, with a ring of liver-brown spots and markings around the larger end. Incubation began on the day that the second egg was laid and lasted 14 days in both nests. Males visited the nest area only after the eggs hatched. At one nest, the nestling period was suspected to be 12 days. These limited observations of the only endemic island representative in Microptilotis indicate that, like plumage characters, breeding parameters remain similar within the genus.

The Eastern spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris), a passerine bird in the family Meliphagidae (honeyeaters), a dominant group of birds in Australia and New Guinea. The aim of this study was to sequence the complete mitochondrial genome of the Eastern spinebill and use its sequence to better define the phylogeny of this species. The complete mitogenome sequence of A. tenuirostris was circular and 16,614 bp in length, and its architecture was conserved in comparison to other mitogenome sequences under the family Meliphagidae. The Eastern spinebill mitogenome had the highest sequence identity with mitogenome sequences of two other honeyeaters, the white eared honeyeater, Nesoptilotis leucotis, (84.9%) and the white-plumed honeyeater, Ptilotula penicillata (85.5%). The maximum-likelihood topology distinctly discriminated the Eastern spinebill sequence against all other species of the Meliphagidae with significant bootstrap supports. We suggest the widespread sampling and complete mitogenome sequencing would be valuable in establishing the most accurate phylogenetic taxonomy of the family Meliphagidae.

AIM: Declining animal body size has been proposed as a general response to increasing global temperatures that should be observed across a broad biogeographical scale. However, published studies have shown large variation in both the magnitude and direction of body size trends. We aim to investigate how the way body size is measured (body mass, structural size, body condition) may contribute to differences in body size trends between studies. LOCATION: Semi‐arid Australia. TAXON: White‐plumed honeyeater (Ptilotula penicillatus). METHODS: We studied two separate populations of P. penicillatus over 30 years to investigate the associations between weather and body size. We first investigated how body mass has been affected by weather conditions at each site and then determined how these same local weather conditions affected the constituent components of body mass (structural size and body condition). RESULTS: The magnitude and direction of weather effects differed with the measure of body size used. Average structural size (wing length) increased with increasing temperatures while average body condition decreased. As body mass is a composite of structural size and body condition, the magnitude and direction of body mass trends was affected by trends in these two other traits. For example, differences in temperature effects on structural size between our two sites led to clear differences in body mass trends. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Trends in body size will be strongly affected by the choice of body size measure used in analyses. Change in body mass can be particularly difficult to interpret as it will be a composite of changes in both structural size and body condition. Our results indicate that it is difficult to compare studies using different measures of body size. Using consistent measures of body size will be important to better understand the general effects of climate change on body size.

We here describe a new species of Myzomela honeyeater from the Lesser Sunda island of Alor (southeast Indonesia). The new species is phylogenetically most closely related to Myzomela kuehni from the adjacent island of Wetar and most closely resembles that species in plumage. However, it differs in important morphological, bioacoustic and ecological characteristics. The discovery of a new bird species on Alor is of great biogeographic importance and elevates this island to the status of an Endemic Bird Area. The new Alor Myzomela is restricted to montane eucalypt woodland mostly above 900 m elevation and is currently known from few sites across the island. Based on its occurrence records and human population trends in the highlands of Alor Island, we recommend classification under the IUCN threat status endangered.

Evaluating the effectiveness of captive breeding programs is central to improving conservation outcomes in released animals. However, few studies have assessed the impact of the strategies and trade-offs involved in husbandry decisions and the selection of traits on the success of breeding programs. This study evaluated a range of husbandry features including an animal's environment, health, and traits of the released individual and its parents involved in the zoo-based Regent Honeyeater breed for release program to optimise individual reproductive success and survivability, leading to improved conservation outcomes in the wild. We analysed 285 birds using a penalised Cox proportional hazard model to assess survival and an ordinal logistic model to evaluate the reproductive success of zoo bred birds released to the wild. Key features identified by the study highlight the importance of having parents that are successful breeders and parents that have an overall higher lifetime reproductive output. However, there were associated quantity-quality trade-offs, as the success of young (i.e., released birds) produced by parents was negatively associated to the number of clutches per year (where one clutch per year was found optimal). The study demonstrated the importance of considering the parental effects on the traits of its offspring beyond its pedigree information and found there was an associated decline in fitness of its offspring with older fathers. Song tutoring using wild Regent Honeyeaters was also important for increased survival post-release. Other important factors are discussed within the review. In general, the study recommended that a multi-faceted approach in the assessment and evaluation of the captive breeding program, to identify markers that will improve conservation outcomes of future releases.

Cultures in humans and other species are maintained through interactions among conspecifics. Declines in population density could be exacerbated by culture loss, thereby linking culture to conservation. We combined historical recordings, citizen science and breeding data to assess the impact of severe population decline on song culture, song complexity and individual fitness in critically endangered regent honeyeaters ( Anthochaera phrygia ). Song production in the remaining wild males varied dramatically, with 27% singing songs that differed from the regional cultural norm. Twelve per cent of males, occurring in areas of particularly low population density, completely failed to sing any species-specific songs and instead sang other species' songs. Atypical song production was associated with reduced individual fitness, as males singing atypical songs were less likely to pair or nest than males that sang the regional cultural norm. Songs of captive-bred birds differed from those of all wild birds. The complexity of regent honeyeater songs has also declined over recent decades. We therefore provide rare evidence that a severe decline in population density is associated with the loss of vocal culture in a wild animal, with concomitant fitness costs for remaining individuals. The loss of culture may be a precursor to extinction in declining populations that learn selected behaviours from conspecifics, and therefore provides a useful conservation indicator.

The Investigator first landed in Madeira and then proceeded to Simon’s Bay at the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. Brown noted the great number and variety of plants there. It anchored on the southwestern corner of western Australia on December 8th (1801), at King George Sound near Seal Island. Brown was struck by the diversity of the vegetation and the unparalleled floral display. At Seal Island, Brown was able to collect approximately 500 species during the height of the Australian summer. Brown described some of the fish he observed, particularly a specimen named Brown’s leatherjacket (Acanthaluteres brownii). At the southern part of Princess Royal Harbour, Brown collected specimens such as the brilliant-colored Banksia repens, a member of the Proteaceae family. In Southern Australia alone, Brown collected over a hundred new species including a feather flower and pink or wild cauliflower. The ship then sailed on to the eastern part of the Great Australian Bight, where he observed many birds especially petrel. Brown continued gathering up specimens of animals as well as plants, particularly birds like the New Holland honeyeater, a bird native to southern Australia. The Investigator entered Spencer Gulf in the Great Australian Bight on February 20th, and on a wooded island Brown found new species of Eucalyptus, mangroves, and thickly tufted grass. At Encounter Bay they met the French ship, Le Geographie, part of a French expedition commanded ably by Nicolas Thomas Baudin (1754–1803). After this cordial meeting, the French headed west while the Investigator headed on an eastern course toward Kings Island in the Bass Strait, and toward New South Wales on the east coast of the continent. They sailed past “The Coorong,” which still remains a vast, unspoiled ecosystem made up of freshwater lakes, wetlands, beaches, as well as saltwater. In the latter part of April, the expedition arrived in Victoria, the southeastern most region of Australia, entering Bass Strait, and anchored a few miles from shore at Kings Island. Brown continued his observations on the plants of Victoria: e.g., Eucalyptus trees, Banksia integrifolia (coastal Banksia), with its beautiful golden-yellow flowers belonging to the Proteaceae, and new species of birds. Brown collected and noted 96 different species of plants belonging to 74 genera in Victoria. The Investigator was in sight of Port Jackson (Sidney) on May 6th (1802) and they entered the harbor several days later, anchoring in Sydney Cove on Sunday, the 9th of May.

Streak-breated honeyeater (Microptilotis reticulatus) is one of the endemic honeyeater birds from Meliphagidae family. Biological information on this species is very limited and poorly known. Field observation was carried out on the active nest found in 2 October 2013. In addition, investigation on social media (facebook) was carried out to examine the exploitation on this species. The results shows that the cup-shaped nest is 5.6 cm in diameter and 4.9 cm in depth, made by wood fibre, dry grass, glued by cotton fibre from plants and spider web on small branch. Nowadays M. reticulatus is trapped and traded without any regulation from management authority. As many as 651 individuals has been trapped and sold between 2016 and 2019.

An unusual Phylidonyris honeyeater was photographed in a tract of remnant bushland in a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. My initial field impression was of a New Holland Honeyeater but later inspection of photographs revealed some unusual characteristics. Although no additional field information was obtained, the possibility that the bird was a New Holland Honeyeater P. novaehollandiae longirostris × White-cheeked Honeyeater P. niger gouldii hybrid is explored.

Interactive effects of habitat loss and interspecific competition are major threats to global biodiversity. Managing despotic competitors in modified landscapes is a conservation priority, but implementing actions to benefit rare and highly mobile species is challenging. In Australia, overabundance of hyperaggressive noisy miners following woodland fragmentation and degradation is a key threatening process given their impact on songbirds including the nomadic, critically endangered regent honeyeater. Recent studies have found rapid noisy miner recolonization following their experimental removal, questioning the efficacy of miner removal as a conservation measure. We estimated the relative habitat saturation of noisy miners at a hotspot of threatened bird diversity. We then experimentally removed 350 noisy miners and assessed the effect of this removal on subsequent noisy miner abundance, relative to a control area. We monitored the occurrence of noisy miners near regent honeyeater nests and modelled the effect of noisy miner removal on songbird populations. Noisy miner removal significantly decreased noisy miner abundance throughout the breeding season, when 15–18 regent honeyeaters nested in the miner removal area. Songbird abundance and species richness increased significantly in the miner removal area, relative to the control area. We provide a rare example of how spatially and temporally targeted preventative action can reduce threats for nomadic and highly threatened species during breeding and prevent ongoing avian diversity loss more broadly.

Identifying factors influencing the demographics of threatened species is essential for conservation, but a lack of comprehensive demographic data often impedes the effective conservation of rare and mobile species. We monitored breeding of critically endangered and semi‐nomadic Regent Honeyeaters Anthochaera phrygia (global population c. 100 pairs) over 3 years throughout their range. Overall nest success probability (0.317) was highly spatially variable and considerably lower than previous estimates for this (and many other honeyeater) species, as was productivity of successful nests (mean 1.58 juveniles fledged). Nest surveillance revealed high predation rates by a range of birds and arboreal mammals as the primary cause of nest failure. An estimated 12% of pairs either failed to establish a territory or their nests did not reach the egg stage. We also found a male bias to the adult sex ratio, with an estimated 1.18 males per female. Juvenile survival for the first 2 weeks after fledging was high (86%). Management interventions that aim to increase nest success in areas of low nest survival must be investigated to address an apparent decline in reproductive output and avoid extinction of the Regent Honeyeater. We show that temporal and spatial variation in the breeding success of rare and highly mobile species can be quantified with robust population monitoring using sampling regimens that account for their life histories. Understanding the causes of spatio‐temporal variation in breeding success can enhance conservation outcomes for such species through spatially and temporally targeted recovery actions.

Nest predation is a primary cause of nest failure in open-cup nesting woodland birds and low reproductive success is a common reason why reintroduced species fail to establish in the wild. We used video monitoring to record the breeding outcomes and identify the causes of nest failure in a reintroduced population of the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater. We intensively monitored 28 nesting attempts of 13 pairs during the 2015 breeding season, and found that the probability of individual nest success was 0.21 (from egg laying to fledging). We report for the first time Sugar and Squirrel Gliders depredating Regent Honeyeater nests. In addition to losses attributed to predation, a high proportion of chicks died in the nest from unknown causes. Our results show that rates of nest initiation and success are low in reintroduced Regent Honeyeaters, and future reintroductions should attempt to mitigate the threat of nest predation. Other sources of nest failure and barriers to nest initiation and egg laying are priority areas for future research.

Two subspecies of Graceful Honeyeater Meliphaga ( Microptilotis ) gracilis are recognised in north-eastern Queensland: imitatrix inhabiting the Wet Tropics and gracilis inhabiting northern Cape York Peninsula. Vocalisations differ greatly between the two, so the strong possibility emerges that they are distinct species. The ranges of these taxa are separated by ~140 km in the vicinity of Cape Flattery–Princess Charlotte Bay on the eastern coast of Cape York Peninsula. Significantly, a thorough search confirms that there have been no specimens collected from this geographical gap between the two populations and previously suspected intergradation does not occur. This paper describes the considerable differences between the two, especially with respect to vocalisations, and suggests that these taxa represent distinct species.

Background Wildlife species carry a remarkable diversity of trypanosomes. The detection of trypanosome infection in native Australian fauna is central to understanding their diversity and host-parasite associations. The implementation of total RNA sequencing (meta-transcriptomics) in trypanosome surveillance and diagnosis provides a powerful methodological approach to better understand the host species distribution of this important group of parasites. Methods We implemented a meta-transcriptomic approach to detect trypanosomes in a variety of tissues (brain, liver, lung, skin, gonads) sampled from native Australian wildlife, comprising four marsupials (koala, Phascolarctos cinereus; southern brown bandicoot, Isoodon obesulus; swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor; bare-nosed wombat, Vombatus ursinus), one bird (regent honeyeater, Anthochaera phrygia) and one amphibian (eastern dwarf tree frog, Litoria fallax). Samples corresponded to both clinically healthy and diseased individuals. Sequencing reads were de novo assembled into contigs and annotated. The evolutionary relationships among the trypanosomatid sequences identified were determined through phylogenetic analysis of 18S rRNA sequences. Results We detected trypanosome sequences in all six species of vertebrates sampled, with positive samples in multiple organs and tissues confirmed by PCR. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the trypanosomes infecting marsupials were related to those previously detected in placental and marsupial mammals, while the trypanosome in the regent honeyeater grouped with avian trypanosomes. In contrast, we provide the first evidence for a trypanosome in the eastern dwarf tree frog that was phylogenetically distinct from those described in other amphibians. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first meta-transcriptomic analysis of trypanosomes in native Australian wildlife, expanding the known genetic diversity of these important parasites. We demonstrated that RNA sequencing is sufficiently sensitive to detect low numbers of Trypanosoma transcripts and from diverse hosts and tissues types, thereby representing an effective means to detect trypanosomes that are divergent in genome sequence.

When approached by a predator, foraging animals should adjust escape behavior based on their current energetic status to minimize opportunity costs (foraging time) and maximize the chance of escape. Animals should therefore be more reluctant to leave a foraging patch when their energy reserves are low and should flee using low-energy escape tactics, but be quicker to flee and use the best escape tactic when satiated. Nectarivorous birds have little capacity for energy storage; thus, they should be particularly sensitive to variation in nutritional status throughout the day. We tested whether New Holland honeyeaters (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae) alter their antipredator behavior by testing whether flight initiation distance (FID—the distance at which an individual flees from an approaching predator) and escape tactic (hopping or flying) vary over the course of the day. Honeyeater FID was shortest in the morning, following the overnight fast, and longest at midday. In the evening, though FID tended to shorten, responses were more variable overall, likely due to individual variation in foraging success. In the morning, honeyeaters were equally likely to hop or fly when approached, but increasingly favored flight as the day progressed. These results suggest a strong link between individual energetic condition and antipredator responses. We suggest that time of day is a useful and important variable influencing escape behavior, the potential effects of which should be more consistently considered as a covariate in the widely used FID protocol. Diel variation in internal and external conditions can alter behavioral responses. In this study, we observed antipredator response behaviors in foraging New Holland honeyeaters, small passerines sensitive to changes in energy status throughout the day. We found that honeyeaters allowed researchers to approach more closely in the morning and evening before fleeing and escaped by flying more often than hopping as the day progressed. Our results suggest that antipredator behaviors are sensitive to current energy status and impending energy needs. In addition, we show that time of day is an important consideration in the experimental design and statistical analysis of behavior studies.

This is the first study to present detailed quantitative data on bird species utilising wetnsclerophyll forests of northeast Queensland. The resident and non-resident birdncommunity dependent upon this unique forest within the Wet tropics World Heritage Areanis described. Also examined in detail were the effects of two processes, rainforest invasionnand fire, operating in this unique tropical forest. This information contributes to both thentheoretical understanding of habitat selection in birds and in developing a soundnmanagement policy for wet sclerophyll forest.One hundred bird species was recorded in wet sclerophyll forests throughout the study,nrepresenting 35 families and 76 genera. One third are either endemic or are recognised as anseparate subspecies within northeast Queensland and includes six species which are listednas 'Near Threatened' and two species listed as 'Conservation Dependent'. The birdnpopulation in wet sclerophyll forest is composed of small insectivores (58%), followed bynhoneyeaters (21%), frugivores, which also take some insects (11%), granivores (5%) andnnectarivores (5%). Wet sclerophyll forest is rich in insects and nectar, but relativelyndepauperate in finit and seeds.There was a great deal of variation in density of birds. Of the resident species 78% showednsignificant differences in density between sites, 13% showed significant differencesnbetween years and 26% showed significant differences between months, or the interactionnbetween months and years. Reasons for these differences include (a) local and longndistance movement of species to track food resources, (b) altitudinal preferences and (c)nmicrohabitat preferences.The most common species to make a long-distance movement into wet sclerophyll forestnin summer was the Spangled Drongo, Dicrurus bracteatus. Other summer visitorsnincluded Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula, Satin Flycatcher Myiagra cyanoleuca,nCicadabird Coracina tenuirostris and Black-faced Monarch Monarcha melanopsis. Sevennspecies of birds showed correlation between density and elevation.Changes in fire regime have been identified as the cause of the loss of approximately 50%nof wet sclerophyll forest in north Queensland in the last 50 years. In the absence of fire, rainforest invades and eventually eliminates the endemic wet sclerophyll forest biota. Birdnpopulations and foraging behaviour were monitored in areas selected to encompass bothnrecent and advanced rainforest invasion. Foraging guilds are discussed in relation tonincreasing rainforest biomass. Some species, such as the Pale Yellow Robin, Tregallasiancapito nana were advantaged by the expansion of rainforest. Other species, such as thenGolden Whistler, Pachycephala pectoralis showed no significant response, whereas thenendemic subspecies of the Eastern Yellow Robin, Eopsaltria australis magnirostris wasnclearly disadvantaged. The latter species is of particular concern because in north-eastnQueensland it is dependent upon wet areas adjacent to rainforest and requires open groundnin which to forage. Over the longer term the northern race of the White-cheekednHoneyeater Phylidonyris nigra and the White-naped Honeyeater Melithreptus lunatus arenthreatened by habitat loss. These honeyeaters favour the wetter areas adjacent to thenrainforest which are gradually being lost to the invasive process. In addition, the endemicnNear Threatened, Bridled Honeyeater Lichenostomas frenatus also moves into wetnsclerophyll forest for food during the dry season.n n n n

Pollination by nectarivorous birds is predicted to result in different patterns of pollen dispersal and plant mating compared to pollination by insects. We tested the prediction that paternal genetic diversity, outcrossing rate and realized pollen dispersal will be reduced when the primary pollinator group is excluded from bird-pollinated plants. Pollinator exclusion experiments in conjunction with paternity analysis of progeny were applied to Eucalyptus caesia Benth. (Myrtaceae), a predominantly honeyeater-pollinated tree that is visited by native insects and the introduced Apis mellifera (Apidae). Microsatellite genotyping at 14 loci of all adult E. caesia at two populations (n = 580 and 315), followed by paternity analysis of 705 progeny, revealed contrasting results between populations. Honeyeater exclusion did not significantly impact pollen dispersal or plant mating at Mount Caroline. In contrast, at the Chiddarcooping site, the exclusion of honeyeaters led to lower outcrossing rates, a threefold reduction in the average number of sires per fruit, a decrease in intermediate-distance mating and an increase in near-neighbour mating. The results from Chiddarcooping suggest that bird pollination may increase paternal genetic diversity, potentially leading to higher fitness of progeny and favouring the evolution of this strategy. However, further experimentation involving additional trees and study sites is required to test this hypothesis. Alternatively, insects may be effective pollinators in some populations of bird-adapted plants, but ineffective in others.

Overabundant native animals cause a variety of human-wildlife conflicts that can require management to reduce their social, environmental, or economic impacts. Culling is an intuitively attractive management response to overabundance, but poor monitoring of results and costs means that evidence for successful outcomes is often lacking. Furthermore, many culls worldwide have been ineffective or counterproductive due to ecological release mechanisms or compensatory responses by the overabundant species. We completed a controlled, replicated, costed, and rigorously monitored experimental cull of the endemic Australian honeyeater, the Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala). Aggressive exclusion of birds from remnant woodland patches by overabundant Noisy Miners is listed as a Key Threatening Process under Australian conservation legislation due to its impacts on threatened birds. The problem is particularly prevalent in the highly modified agricultural landscapes of eastern Australia. The species impacts avian assemblages at low densities (0.6-0.8 birds/ha) and at a subcontinental scale (>1 million km2 ). Some ecologists recommend culling as the only management response capable of timely reversal of declines of threatened small woodland birds. We monitored Noisy Miner abundance before and for 12 months after a culling program and found that immediate recolonization from the surrounding landscape negated the impact of the cull. We hypothesize that this is due to a vacuum effect; whereby, birds resident in more marginal habitat around treatment patches move into the vacant territory post-cull. Modeled mean abundance of Noisy Miners declined by 22% in treatment sites compared to an increase of 4% in control sites in the post-cull period. Abundance in all sites, however, remained three to five times higher than published ecological impact thresholds. Return on investment analysis indicated no relationship between culling effort and reduction in Noisy Miner abundance. We conclude that culling at a patch scale is not an efficient method of reducing Noisy Miner abundance to levels unlikely to impact threatened woodland birds in the highly modified study landscape, despite estimated costs 18 times lower than another potential management response of revegetation. Our study highlights the importance of building empirical evidence before intuitively attractive but not necessarily ecologically effective management responses are applied more widely.

SUMMARYEstablishing a health screening protocol is fundamental for successful captive breeding and release of wildlife. The aim of this study was to undertake a parasitological survey focusing on the presence of trypanosomes in a cohort of Regent Honeyeaters, Anthochaera phrygia, syn. Xanthomyza phrygia (Aves: Passeriformes) that are part of the breeding and reintroduction programme carried out in Australia. We describe a new blood parasite, Trypanosoma thomasbancrofti sp. n. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) with prevalence of 24·4% (20/81) in a captive population in 2015. The sequence of the small subunit rRNA gene (SSU rDNA) and kinetoplast ultrastructure of T. thomasbancrofti sp. n. are the key differentiating characteristics from other Trypanosoma spp. T. thomasbancrofti sp. n. is distinct from Trypanosoma cf. avium found in sympatric Noisy Miners (Manorina melanocephala). The SSU rDNA comparison suggests an intercontinental distribution of T. thomasbancrofti sp. n. and Culex mosquitoes as a suspected vector. Currently, no information exists on the effect of T. thomasbancrofti sp. n. on its hosts; however, all trypanosome-positive birds remain clinically healthy. This information is useful in establishing baseline health data and screening protocols, particularly prior to release to the wild.

Nest predation is the most important source of reproductive failure for many bird species, thus placing nests in ‘safe’ locations that minimise predation risk is paramount to maximising fitness. After a nest predation event, some species have been shown to manage the risk of nest predation for subsequent re-nesting attempts by moving to a new location, placing re-nests in areas with increased cover, or changing the height above ground at which the re-nest is placed. The extent to which this is an adaptive behaviour for birds in general is not yet clear, as existing studies are almost exclusively restricted to northern hemisphere species and species that do not breed cooperatively. Here, we examined the re-nesting behaviour of Bell Miners (Manorina melanophrys), a species of honeyeater endemic to Australia that is both multi-brooded and also frequently re-nests soon after nesting failure; females can build up to five nests in a breeding season. We tested if these females managed within-season nest predation risk by changing nest site characteristics (height from ground and distance between nests) between successive nesting attempts. We found that female miners did indeed manage predation risk by reducing the height from the ground at which they placed re-nests following predation events, but contrary to our second prediction we found no difference in distances moved to re-nest after females experienced nest predation or successfully rearing young.

The critically endangered regent honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia has suffered a severe population decline since the mid-nineteenth century. The contemporary population is estimated to consist of 200...

Torpor in birds is considered to be far less common than in mammals. This is particularly true for passerine birds for which knowledge of torpor expression is scarce, although almost all are small, have high energy expenditure and could profit energetically from using torpor. To assess whether the extent and diversity of avian and especially passerine torpor expression and heterothermy may be currently underestimated because of limited long-term data on free-ranging birds, core body temperature fluctuations were quantified over ~ 4.3 months in a medium-sized honeyeater, the noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala, ~ 75 g), in an open woodland during the cold season in eastern Australia. Miners used shallow nocturnal torpor frequently (63% of days), torpor bouts lasted on average for 6.5 h (maximum 13.5 h) and, unlike during hypothermia, torpor was terminated by endogenous heat production for rewarming. Body temperatures (Tb) ranged from a maximum of 43.5 °C to a minimum of 33.0 °C, often fell by 7 °C at night, and the overall mean Tb was 38.7 ± 0.7 °C. The data show that yet another passerine bird, widely viewed to be homeothermic, expresses torpor in the wild for energy conservation. Considering the size of miners, it seems probable that many other, especially smaller birds, use a similar approach at least in winter to enhance the chance of survival in the face of high energy expenditure and low food availability.