Erythrura gouldiae
– Endangered
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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ANIMALIA
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Phylum:
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CHORDATA
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Class:
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AVES
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Order:
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PASSERIFORMES
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Family:
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ESTRILDIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Erythrura gouldiae
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Species Authority:
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(Gould, 1844)
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Synonym/s:
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Chloebia gouldiae (Gould, 1844)
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Common Name/s:
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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EN C2a(ii) ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2006
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Assessor/s:
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BirdLife International
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Evaluator/s:
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Butchart, S. & Pilgrim, J. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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This species is listed as Endangered as it has a very small population which is undergoing a continuing decline owing to ongoing habitat modification.
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History:
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| 1988 | - | Threatened (Collar and Andrew 1988) |
| 1994 | - | Endangered (Collar, Crosby and Stattersfield 1994) |
| 2000 | - | Endangered (BirdLife International 2000) |
| 2004 | - | Endangered (BirdLife International 2004) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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Chloebia gouldiae is found in northern Australia, with scattered records from Cape York Peninsula through north-west Queensland and the northern Northern Territory to the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is only known with regularity from a handful of sites in Queensland. Birds are more numerous in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. There is strong evidence of a continuing decline, even at the best-known site near Katherine. The population is conservatively estimated to be less than 2,500 mature individuals at the start of the breeding season.
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Range Map:
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 (click for detailed map)
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Countries:
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Native:
Australia
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Population
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Population Trend:
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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It lives in open, tropical woodland with a grassy understorey, nesting exclusively in tree-hollows. In the non-breeding season, it occurs in a wide variety of woodland habitats. Throughout the year, it feeds almost exclusively on grass seed.
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System:
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Terrestrial
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Threats
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Threats:
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Grazing and altered fire regimes are thought to be the main threats. Cattle and horses prevent grass from seeding, and the fire history of many sites has become too uniform, obliterating the mosaics of burnt and unburnt habitat the birds require. Trapping may have had a local effect in the past. Infection with the parasitic mite Sternostoma tracheacolum was long thought to be one of the principal reasons for decline. However, it is now considered that it may be indicative of stress to the birds resulting from a broader change at the landscape level that has affected a range of granivore species.
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Conservation measures underway:
Management actions completed or under way include the completion and implementation of a recovery plan, the establishment of regional operations groups, detailed research on fire, food and movements at two sites, an extensive programme of protective fencing to prevent damage by herbivores, the collation and maintenance of a database of all known sight records and a review of the patterns of distribution, habitats, potential threats and conservation status of savanna granivorous birds. Attempts at reintroduction have so far proved unsuccessful.
Conservation measures proposed:
Undertake strategic surveys of suitable habitat. Obtain indices of population sizes at key habitats. Monitor persistence at sites throughout current range. Characterise habitat at a regional level. Continue reintroduction program in eastern Queensland Analyse feeding and breeding habitat at a regional scale. Develop techniques for habitat rehabilitation. Manage significant sites in an appropriate manner. Develop management guidelines for land-holders. Liase with land-holders about appropriate land management. Promote the recovery programme and evaluate performance.
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