Three of Connecting Country’s ‘Feathered five’ now listed as nationally threatened.
Posted on 6 April, 2023 by Anna
Diamond Firetail (photo by Geoff Park)
In March 2023, several bird species that occur locally were approved for listing as threatened under the Federal Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999.
This includes the Diamond Firetail Stagonopleura guttata, and south eastern subspecies of Hooded Robin Melanodryas cucullata cucullata, and Brown Treecreeper Climacteris picumnus victoriae.
These three species along with the Jacky Winter and Painted Button-quail were identified in Connecting Country’s ‘feathered five’ and have been the focus of community engagement and ongoing woodland bird monitoring since 2015.
Other bird species that occur locally have also been listed on the EPBC Act including, The Southern Whiteface Aphelocephala leucopsis and Blue-winged Parrot Neophema chrysostoma.
Species’ can be listed as either vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered or extinct under the EPBC Act. These categories represent increasing levels of population decline. For example, the Hooded Robin population has declined over 50% in just 10 years, making it eligible for listing as endangered.
While Connecting Country is heartened that the ongoing decline of these species has been nationally recognised, the inclusion of a species on this list is a double-edged sword. Through listing, species are afforded more legal protection and are more likely to receive funding than those that are not listed, however, making the list in the first place is deeply concerning as it means that these species have declined significantly in recent years and will need a lot of help to recover.
To make the list, a species (or ecological community) must first be nominated, a rigorous and time consuming process that usually falls upon members of the scientific community to do in their own time. A great little piece in the Conversation recently sought to demystify this process for the average punter.
https://theconversation.com/i-realised-the-fat-tailed-dunnart-was-under-threat-heres-how-i-got-the-species-officially-listed-200632
A Hooded Robin
It is nice to know though that Yandoit and its Hill have spotting of Diamond Firetails, hooded Robins, Painted Button Quail and Brown Treecreepers! Perhaps woodland building growth corridors is working….!
We think it is working also, from our bird monitoring figures! Keep up the good work Jodie