We studied the social organisation, parental care and reproductive strategies in the Southern Scrub-robin Drymodes brunneopygia (Petroicidae) at Gluepot Reserve, South Australia, from August to November in 2001 and 2002. Mean territory size was 2.9 ha. Six nests were monitored in 2001, and 18 in 2002. Twenty-three of 24 nests were placed on the ground. Seven nests were watched during incubation for a total of 66.3 hours. Female daylight incubation constancy was 70.9%, the mean duration of incubation on-bouts was 14.46 minutes and of off-bouts was 6.62 minutes.The mean number of incubation bouts was 2.9 per hour and 34.8 per 12-hour day. Incubation feeding of the female at the nest by the male was 0.2 times per hour. The nestling period was 9–12 days. The time that females spent brooding and biparental nestling food delivery were recorded at seven nests for a total 90.5 hours. Brooding constancy by the female for the entire nestling period was 44.7%. The mean number of food-delivery trips by male and female combined was 7.4 per hour, and of nest visits was 9.1 per hour. In 2002, six females renested after their first nests failed. Nest success combined for both 2001 and 2002 was 54.2% (13 of 24 nests). Reproductive strategies of anti-predator behaviour, and nest placement following nest predation were examined in relation to the risk of nest predation. This species adjusted its reproductive strategies after nest predation by placing re-nests distant from failed nests and changing nest substrate. Reproductive traits of the Southern Scrub-robin were compared with three other coexisting robins at Gluepot Reserve: Red-capped Robin Petroica goodenovii, Jacky Winter Microeca fascinans and Hooded Robin Melanodryas cucullata.
Cooperative breeding in birds has interested behavioural and evolutionary biologists for decades. The behaviour is rare and has been documented in relatively few species but is suspected to be under-recorded. Here, I report cooperative breeding in the Morotai Paradise Kingfisher Tanysiptera doris (a recent split from Common Paradise Kingfisher T. galatea) on the island of Morotai, Indonesia. In October 2022, I watched three adults provision nestlings in an arboreal termitarium ~7–8 m above the ground. To the best of my knowledge, cooperative breeding has previously been documented in only one other paradise kingfisher species, and in no kingfisher in Wallacea. Morotai Paradise Kingfishers appear to occur locally at an exceptionally high density, and I suspect that cooperative breeding in this species might have evolved because of the saturation of breeding resources. I speculate that cooperative breeding is under-reported in kingfishers.
Powerful Owls Ninox strenua frequent peri-urban habitat (along with original forest habitats) along the Yarra River corridor in suburban Melbourne, Victoria, but can be difficult to detect because of their secretive nature, nocturnal activity, low numbers and large home ranges. The distinctive double-hoot call of the Powerful Owl is a reliable indicator of its presence. Listening surveys conducted by observers in the field are a standard survey technique used to detect the Powerful Owl. These surveys are time-intensive and the number of sites that can be surveyed at once is limited by the number of observers available. To increase the amount of audio data gathered in our Powerful Owl surveys, we used multiple autonomous audio recorders and analysis of spectrograms to detect calls along the Yarra River corridor. Four hundred and eighty instances of Powerful Owls calling at dawn, dusk or during the night were detected at 16 sites from February to December 2023. The resulting dataset revealed key roost sites, areas visited during the night, and changes in habitat use. Audio monitoring also detected mating vocalisations and the calls of juvenile Owls. Our observations show that audio monitoring is an effective tool for detecting the Powerful Owl and provide insight into its behaviour and use of habitat.
We observed and photographed an unusual looking male fairy-wren at Lake Eden, north of Brisbane, Queensland. Its plumage displayed a blend of Variegated Fairy-wren Malurus lamberti and Superb Fairy-wren M. cyaneus characteristics, supporting the notion of a novel hybridisation event between these two species. We have observed this likely hybrid on multiple occasions in close association with two individuals displaying female or immature Superb Fairy-wren plumage, pointing to the possibility of backcrossed offspring at this location now or in the near future.
The White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus caudacutus is listed as Vulnerable under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and interaction with onshore wind farms has been suggested as a threatening process for this taxon in Australia. Despite these concerns, there is an absence of data to assess the actual levels of risk and to design appropriate mitigation measures. We present a proof of concept for the use of the IdentiFlight System to automate the collection of data on occurrence and flight attributes of White-throated Needletails from an operational wind farm in Tasmania. Despite having not been recorded in pre-construction bird surveys using human surveyors, the automated detection system recorded 2982 tracks of White-throated Needletails passing through the site in the period 2020–2025, with 86% of the records occurring in February and March. Birds were recorded on a total of 377 days; there were single records on 144 (38%) days and ≥5 records on 105 (28%) days. When multiple records were recorded on the same day, the median time between the first and last detection was 4 minutes. There was a strong diurnal pattern, with peaks in occurrence 3–4 hours after dawn and 3–4 hours before dusk. Of the 2982 birds recorded, 53% had at least one height recorded within the rotor-swept area. These results clearly demonstrate the potential to utilise data collected by the IdentiFlight System to gain new insights into the interactions of White-throated Needletails with wind farms that can be used to inform risk assessments and mitigation approaches for this and other under-studied avifauna species.
Birds are known to collide with human infrastructure, including powerlines, around the world. As Australia’s transition to renewable energy accelerates, and additional electricity transmission infrastructure is installed around the country, it is increasingly important to consider the potential impacts of powerline collisions on both threatened and non-threatened bird species and to implement measures to mitigate these risks. Although several instances of White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus collisions with powerlines have been reported in Australia, none have been described in sufficient detail to allow for planning of potential mitigation measures. Here, we report on a fatal collision of a White-throated Needletail with a high-voltage powerline in central Queensland.
The Letter-winged Kite Elanus scriptus is a poorly known nocturnal raptor of the Australian interior. Primarily interpreted as a rodent specialist, it undergoes dramatic population shifts in response to prey availability. Here we describe a rare observation of this species feeding on an Australian Pratincole Glareola isabella, a prey item previously unreported in its diet. Our observations provide another example of the Letter-winged Kite’s dietary plasticity and may be a direct response to a pratincole irruption occurring during a period of scarcity of small mammals.
The diet of the Eastern Barn Owl Tyto javanica delicatula was quantified by pellet analysis from two sites in the eastern Australian arid zone: Mulyungarie Station pastoral property in north-eastern South Australia in June 2011 (n = 47 pellets and fragments), and Naree Reserve (a private conservation reserve) innorth-western New South Wales in September 2022 (n = 15 pellets and fragments). The Owl’s diet at Mulyungarie consisted, by number, of 98% mammals, 1% bird, 1% reptile and <1% insect, of which the introduced House Mouse Mus musculus formed 88% and native mammals 10% (4% dasyurids, 6% rodents) or, overall, 94% rodents. By biomass, mammals contributed 99% (House Mice 85%, native mammals 14%). The Owl’s diet at Naree consisted, by number, of 99% House Mice and 1% insect (100% mice by biomass).
Eight dedicated surveys over a 20-year period from 2005 to 2025 confirm the continued survival of the Forty spotted Pardalote Pardalotus quadragintus on Flinders Island, Tasmania, and provide insights into the ecology and future management options for this nationally endangered bird species. Although maintaining occupancy at two widely separated sites, the species survives in such low numbers and is so thinly scattered that it has become increasingly difficult to detect with any regularity. High-intensity fire is the most significant management issue, and tracking studies, DNA research and translocation trials are needed to fill gaps in knowledge of the species. Although an estimate of the subpopulation size on Flinders Island is not possible, with no evidence of expansion and potential loss of some sites, the previous claim of ‘almost extinct’ is strongly supported and confirms that a range of conservation measures is urgently needed for this species’ long-term survival on Flinders Island.
A nest and hatchling of the Bougainville Honeyeater Stresemannia bougainvillei found in situ in the wild are described. This is only the second nest described by biologists in the literature, and presents new altitudinal distribution for the species
Spoonbills have been considered to be tactile feeders that feed by sweeping the bill from side to side in shallow water. It was assumed that prey had to be touched by the bill to be detected and captured, until examination of skeletal bills of Black-faced Spoonbills Platalea minor showed pits in the surface of the bone, similar to those seen in ibises (Threskiornithidae), shorebirds (Scolopacidae) and kiwis (Apterygidae) that are known to contain sensory cells that can detect vibrations from prey items without touching the prey. The so-called remote-touch entails the perception of high-frequency acceleration components of mechanical vibrations in the feeding substrate created by prey. Remote-touch is facilitated by mechanoreceptors (Herbst corpuscles) embedded within densely clustered foramina (sensory pits) in both the premaxilla and mandible. The presence of a tactile bill sensory apparatus in spoonbills was inferred from the number and proximity of the sensory pits on the external surfaces of dry preserved bill bones but had no histology to confirm this. This study examined the bill morphology of Royal Spoonbills P. regia using skeletal specimens and histological sections of freshly preserved tissues and confirmed the presence of Herbst corpuscles within sensory pits on all surfaces of both upper and lower mandibles. The density of pits varied across each surface of the mandibles and was greatest near the tip and on the interior surfaces (ventral surface of upper mandible and dorsal surface of lower mandible). The number of corpuscles also varied between the upper and lower mandibles and was higher in total than had been recorded for closely related ibises. The unique morphology of the spoonbill’s bill is an extreme specialisation toward maximising the opportunity for the species to detect and capture prey in shallow water or wet mudflats. Because the spoonbill has sensory pits (and therefore cells) that are not confined to a small region of the bill, rather than describing this sensory apparatus as a bill-tip organ (as in other species), it is more accurate to describe the entire bill as the sensory organ.
Birds are known to use ships opportunistically as refuges during their migrations at sea, although detailed studies on these occurrences are limited. This study records the ship-assisted displacement of a Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo from offshore south-east of Tasmania to the subantarctic Macquarie Island. Observations over a 3-day period aboard a resupply vessel showed the Cormorant used the ship as a resting platform, resulting in passive transport over 1260 km. To our knowledge, Macquarie Island is the southernmost location where this species has been recorded, and this sighting documents one of the possible pathways for vagrancy. We report detailed sightings of vagrant Great Cormorants on Macquarie Island and provide an updated list of vagrant non-marine waterbird and landbird species observed there since 2001. We discuss the role of human activities in influencing bird distribution and possible consequences of vagrant birds on remote ecosystems.
Wild, free-ranging Australian White Ibises Threskiornis molucca were studied between 1978 and 1984 at three breeding sites in southern Victoria: Rhyll Swamp and Coolart Lagoon (where the Ibises fed in ‘natural’ sites including wetlands, pastures and intertidal mudflats) and at Healesville Sanctuary (where they fed predominantly on food provided to captive animals and in urban fringe areas). Clutch size, breeding success, mating patterns and site fidelity of individually recognisable birds were studied over three breeding seasons at Healesville. There was frequent change of mates, and breeding pairs that stayed together over the three breeding seasons were more successful than those that changed mates. Adults had high site fidelity at all sites. Recoveries of birds banded as nestlings showed variation in dispersal and philopatry between the sites and provided rates of recruitment into the breeding population. The data presented add substantially to knowledge of breeding at natural sites. Comparisons of population-level data with previous studies show that the breeding season was later and shorter, breeding success was lower, and there was more juvenile dispersal at natural than at ‘urban’ sites. Sexual size dimorphism is documented in bill length, which showed no overlap between males and females, and therefore allows reliable identification of sex. The novel combination of detailed study of breeding by individuals and at a population level over multiple seasons provides deeper insights into the species’ ecology than have previously been possible.
A Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae, previously reported to have repeatedly inspected a potential nest hollow and mated with an adult male Blue-winged Kookaburra D. leachii on Magnetic Island, north Queensland, in August 2025, was photographed feeding a brood of two juvenile Blue-winged Kookaburras at the same location in late December 2025. This is the first record of a Laughing Kookaburra assisting Blue-winged Kookaburras to raise their offspring, as a cooperative helper.
The waterbirds of the Arcoona Lakes in central northern parts of South Australia have previously been studied following large rainfall events in 1989 and 2007. These ephemeral wetlands refilled in 2022, providing an opportunity to study the lakes for a third time. Unlike the previous rainfall events, where much of south-eastern Australia was relatively dry, there was extensive and widespread rainfall across Australia throughout 2022. Despite the widespread availability of habitat, waterbirds still flocked to the Arcoona Lakes. We recorded 48 species, with total abundance comparable to the 2007 rainfall event, but lower than the 1989 event. Single-day abundance at Coorlay Lagoon exceeded 20,000 individuals, highlighting these wetlands as Nationally Important (international Ramsar Criterion 5, adopted by BirdLife Australia for identifying nationally important bird sites). Across all three studies, 64 species of waterbird have been recorded using the Arcoona Lakes, including migrants from the Northern Hemisphere, as well as large congregations of Blue-billed Duck Oxyura australis and Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa. In total, 25 species have been recorded breeding at the lakes. Inland wetlands remain relatively understudied; our surveys provide important data on the use of inland wetlands by waterbirds, and continue the longitudinal research at the Arcoona Lakes that now spans more than three decades. Since the Arcoona Lakes are seldom visited, we also include records, and some photographs, of bird species other than waterbirds.
This note describes a Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata directing a series of swoops at an Eastern Brown Snake Pseudonaja textilis. The mobbing interaction occurred while the snake was on the ground. Previous literature suggests that the Eastern Brown Snake could constitute a potential nest predator.
A regular foraging interaction between cranes and raptors in grasslands and savannahs of the Gulf Plains, northwestern Queensland, is described. Cranes (both Brolgas Antigone rubicunda and Sarus Cranes A. antigone) foraging for insect prey (largely locusts) in tall grass were frequently followed by raptors (five species observed), which fed on insects disturbed by the cranes.
We describe and for the first time photograph the juvenile plumage of a New Britain Goshawk Tachyspiza princeps, observed in the Whiteman Range, New Britain, Papua New Guinea.
Tasmania’s Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) was deliberately introduced to south‑east Tasmania in 1934 and has since dispersed across much of the island’s central bioregions. Despite this expansion, the Lyrebird’s future range dynamics remains uncertain, with recent modelling projecting that it will take over 50 years for the species to establish in the north-west of the island. Here we document recent, verified camera‑trap detections at or well beyond the extreme edge of the expected spread in 2025, at three locations: repeated sequences near Bird River at Macquarie Harbour (2018 to 2022), a single event near Rosebery in the southern Tarkine (2021-11-16), and a three-second video near Mt Roland in the central north (2025-08-08). These camera observations extend well beyond the Atlas of Living Australia records current to 2025. Local sampling intensity in each region was high: 24,516 camera‑days across 36 sites near Bird River–Queenstown (median = 762 camera days per site), 36,669 camera‑days across 77 sites near Rosebery (median = 400), and 17,822 camera‑days across 32 sites around Mt Roland (median = 651). The observed north-west dispersal appears to be consistent with an early advance along rainforest–scrub corridors. The 2025 Mt Roland record might represent the leading edge of an undetected expansion front, or a vagrant individual. Targeted surveillance in north-west Tasmania will be required to test these alternatives and refine forecasts of the species’ future spread across the island.
