Monitoring the Rufous Scrub-bird Atrichornis rufescens in the New England region
| Posted: |
02/09/2016 |
| Author(s): |
Mick Andren |
A locally-based monitoring survey of the Rufous Scrub-bird Atrichornis rufescens in the New England region was
undertaken during three breeding seasons from 2010 to 2013 to establish baseline numbers of territories. Twelve
kilometres of transects were established in the Horseshoe Road area in known Scrub-bird habitat and surveyed 10
times. Twelve ‘territories’ were identified based on male birds calling on three separate occasions from the same site. It
required seven surveys to identify the 12 territories and all of them remained occupied at the completion of the survey in
2013. Monitoring of this species is possible due to the conspicuous calling of male Scrub-birds; they were detected on
64 percent of systematic surveys of known territories. The habitat along Horseshoe Road appears to be of high quality
for the Rufous Scrub-bird as numbers of territories were similar to surveys undertaken using similar methods in what
is considered high quality habitat in the Barrington Tops and Wiangaree areas. A comparison with previous surveys
involving different methods in the Horseshoe Road area from 1997 to 2004 indicated that territory numbers are stable
(12 now compared with 13 previously) and that 75 percent of current territories are in the same location as previously.
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