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ANNUAL SURVIVAL RATES OF BOWER-OWNING MALE GREAT BOWERBIRDS Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis IN TOWNSVILLE, QUEENSLAND


This study documents the annual survival rate of bower-owning male Great Bowerbirds Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis in Townsville, Queensland. The mean survival rate of bower-owning males was 84 per cent from 2003 to 2007. The estimate of survival is slightly lower than that recorded for bower-owning males of three other species (range: 90 – 93%). Lower estimates could be a consequence of dispersion from the study area, particularly of younger birds. Lower estimates could also have occurred because Townsville is a suburban environment containing hazards that bowerbirds do not experience under natural conditions. Over the course of the study, one male drowned in a swimming pool and one appeared to have died due to predation. At least eight unbanded individuals (sex and status unknown) were struck by vehicles on the study site.

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