THESE LEGS WERE MADE FOR WALKING – TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL VARIATION IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE COMB-CRESTED JACANA Irediparra gallinacea IN NEW SOUTH WALES
| Posted: |
09/04/2021 |
| Author(s): |
Chris R. Dickman, Errol R. Nye |
The range of the Comb-crested Jacana Irediparra gallinacea in New South Wales is thought to have extended
southward from the north-eastern coast to near Sydney in the 1930s, and to be receding again now. We review all
available atlas records, literature sources, sightings and other records to clarify the species’ distribution and status in
New South Wales. Records from Windsor in the early 1840s and from near Mudgee in 1889 suggest that Comb-crested
Jacanas resided as far south as Sydney at the time of European settlement, and more recent records confirm that this
southern distributional boundary has not changed. However, historical records do indicate that the southern edge of the
distribution is unstable. Fluctuations in the presence and abundance of Comb-crested Jacanas along this edge appear
to be the result of limited tolerance to extreme climatic events, such as drought, and reduced fecundity in southern
latitudes. The draining and degradation of larger wetlands on the New South Wales coast will reduce the viability of vital
drought refuges, and may increase the pressure on already unstable local populations along the species’ southern
distributional boundary. Wetland conservation will be essential to stop further population losses.
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