A collaborative project undertaken by the School of Biological Science, Monash University, and supervised by Rohan Clarke
The unique and beautiful Norfolk Island, renowned for its avifauna, boasts high levels of biodiversity and endemism. A suite of the island’s birds are in peril however, with both ongoing declines and recent extinctions demonstrating that pervasive threats continue to impact this island’s fauna. Three of the eight endemic Norfolk Island passerines have been declared extinct, the last (the White-chested White-eye) as recently as 2006. Whilst a number of potential threats have been identified, the extent to which these threats impact on the populations of the five remaining passerine species is unknown.
A peek inside an active Norfolk Island Robin nest (Petroica multicolor)
Moments before an introduced rodent (Rattus sp.) attacked the nest of a Norfolk Island Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa pelzelni) to feed on the eggs inside
Two adult Slender-billed White-eyes (Zosterops tenuirostris) capture to fit with unique coloured leg bands
PhD student Allie Nance climbing a tree to deploy a motion-triggered camera at an active Norfolk Island Robin nest
This project aims to rapidly quantify threatening processes and current status of Norfolk Island’s passerines, specifically targeting the Robin, Gerygone, White-eye, Whistler and Fantail. In doing so we will provide local conservation managers with the ecological knowledge necessary for evidence-based decision-making. We aim to achieve this by:
- Investigating the breeding biology and causes of nest failure;
- Determining island-wide habitat-use; and
- Estimating population sizes for each species