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Birds must cope with all manner of ectoparasites, from insects and mites to bacteria and fungi. During their grooming routine, several Norfolk Island green parrots Cyanoramphus cookii were observed and photographed, and a pair was videoed, biting off and chewing small pieces of lateral shoot and bark of pepper trees Piper excelsum and working the chewed material through their feathers. They also stripped the leaves and rubbed their beaks along the branches before extracting preen oil. Pepper trees are a well‐known source of piperine and other potent aromatic chemicals that are insect repellent and antimicrobial. This appears to be a rare example of a bird using plant material to anoint themselves, which we interpret as a way to repel blood‐sucking insects and ectoparasites and, possibly, void endoparasites, thereby improving fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the population dynamics of endangered species is crucial to their conservation. Stochastic population models can be used to explore factors involved in population change, contributing to the understanding of a species' population dynamics. Norfolk Island Green Parrots Cyanoramphus cookii have undergone significant population fluctuations in the last 50 years. Since 2013, most nestlings hatched in managed, predator-proofed nest sites have been individually marked. These nests have been considered the primary source of population growth. Yet, in 2021, most adult birds were unmarked, raising the question of whether unmarked parrots have been entering the population through undetected breeding in natural nests, and to what extent. We modelled Green Parrot population growth between 2013 and 2021 using stochastic population models in VORTEX to explore the potential dynamics involved in the observed population growth. Basic models involving breeding only in managed nests produced population estimates between 158 and 266, whereas more complex models that included breeding in unmanaged nests, and accounted for the large proportion of unmarked birds, produced population estimates between 360 and 1,041. We conclude that natural nests may have played a significant role in the population growth since 2013. If this is the case, broad-scale predator control may be largely responsible. Furthermore, our study shows how population models may be used to infer underlying demographic processes and inform conservation strategies, even in instances of data scarcity. Our method can be applied to other threatened species, and may prove particularly useful for small populations whose population dynamics remain unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species on small, isolated islands are particularly prone to extinction from human-related threats including climate change. As a case study, we investigated body condition of nestlings of the critically endangered, conservation-dependent subspecies of Tasman Moreporks Ninox novaeseelandiae on Norfolk Island. Annual productivity is low, with only 53 fledglings produced on the island 1989–2007, two in 2019 and an unknown number between. As predicted under climate change, the island is experiencing increasingly drier conditions and more extreme precipitation events. It was postulated that this would negatively impact on body condition. A condition index for 48 nestlings was positively correlated with typical annual rainfall (<1500 mm), but depressed in years of extreme precipitation (>1871 mm). Optimal nestling condition coincided with long-term, median annual rainfall and female nestlings were in better condition than males. The timing of breeding became progressively later over the study period. These results are interpreted as food resource-related, via prey availability and hunting conditions. Implications include that in dry years and under very wet conditions, some adult females may be unable to put on sufficient weight to attempt to reproduce and those that do breed may produce fewer nestlings, and, importantly, that the current population may be around capacity. Conservation efforts should take into consideration the impacts of climate change, particularly on small, human-impacted islands, where species face interacting threats, and resources and options for adaptation are severely limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long‐term studies are required to reveal responses by long‐lived, top‐order predator populations to ongoing seasonal fluctuations. However, such investigations are rare in the Australian context. Between 2009 and 2019, the breeding density and productivity of an arid and a mesic wedge‐tailed eagle Aquila audax population, each occupying an area of 2800 km2, were compared (11–98 pairs monitored annually). Breeding pairs spaced themselves evenly in both study areas, with no significant difference between the average arid zone nearest‐neighbour distance of 5.32 ± 1.98 km (n = 44) and that determined for the mesic zone (4.88 ± 2.32 km, n = 54). This similarity in spacing suggests a maximum average density is tolerated by these territorial raptors. By contrast, annual breeding success (proportion of pairs fledging young) and productivity (fledged young per pair) differed significantly between the two populations, with rainfall (but not temperature) influencing reproduction. In the arid zone, the proportion of successful pairs per occupied breeding home range was consistently low each year (mean = 12 ± 7% fledged broods per pair, range 0–26%) and positively correlated with annual rainfall. In the mesic zone, it was consistently high each year (mean = 69 ± 9%, range 57–91%) and not significantly correlated with annual rainfall. Overall productivity figures showed similar differences, with 0.13 and 0.77 fledglings per pair per year for arid (n = 9 years) and mesic (n = 11 years) eagles, respectively. Such low arid zone productivity, the lowest ever recorded for the species, could have long‐term implications in the face of the increased frequency of extreme weather events. That breeding density can be independent of climatic factors provides new insight into the way a large Aquila species integrates with Australia's predominantly arid environment. This study provides an important baseline data set for continued research on long‐term occupancy and productivity trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Margaret Alison Cameron, a champion for birds and mentor to nature lovers, passed away at the age of 86. She had a notable career as a librarian and served in various positions at university libraries in Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales. Margaret was also actively involved in birdwatching and conservation, serving as the President of BirdLife Australia from 1986 to 1989. She was recognized for her contributions with honors such as the Member of the Order of Australia and the Natural History Medallion. Margaret's dedication and passion for birds and her community made her a well-known figure in the field of ornithology. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: Fabrication; honesty; ornithology; conservation; endangered species EN Fabrication honesty ornithology conservation endangered species 178 180 3 07/11/20 20200501 NES 200501 Society trusts that scientific research results are an honest and accurate reflection of a researcher's work. The inquiry was instigated by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), Australia's largest non-government conservation land manager. [Extracted from the article]

In the late 1970s, keen to get a handle on the status of Australian birds, Henry was instrumental in setting up and analysing BLA's first and second Atlas projects. Graph Professor Henry Nix in 1988, while he was director of ANU's Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies (now known as the Fenner School of Environment and Society). With the death of Henry Nix in February, Australia lost an influential and inspiring ornithologist-ecologist and a great enthusiast for birds. [Extracted from the article]

Henry's BIOCLIM-based paper on birds was tucked away in the relatively inaccessible proceedings of the conference, lessening and delaying its impact ([6]). While Director, Henry continued his research interests in computer-based methods for inventory, evaluation planning and management of land and water resources, and advised and mentored many researchers. Together with Matt McGlone (NZ Landcare Research), Henry organised a workshop, assembling 12 scientists from Australia, 12 from NZ and seven from UK. Henry Nix was an engaging, gentle, generous, charming, principled man, and an excellent scientist. [Extracted from the article]

The population of the Norfolk Island boobook owl Ninox novaeseelandiae undulata, a nocturnal bird restricted to the Australian territory of Norfolk Island, was reduced to a single female in 1986. Deliberate introduction of two males of its nearest relative, the New Zealand boobook N. n. novaeseelandiae, as a conservation intervention has allowed the taxon to persist on Norfolk Island, albeit in hybrid form. Although declared Extinct in 2000, a re-examination of this unique situation has concluded there is a strong argument that the taxon should be categorized as Critically Endangered because, on average, approximately half the nuclear genome of the original taxon and all the mitochondrial DNA is conserved in all living owls on the island. This thus represents a special case in which the taxon can be considered to be extant, in hybrid form, even though no pure-bred individuals survive. More generally, we suggest that, in exceptional cases, hybridization may not be a threat to highly threatened species and that guidelines are needed to determine when to consider hybrid populations as extant forms of the original taxon, and when to declare extinction through hybridization. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Trisyntopa neossophila Edwards (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae) is an unusual moth whose breeding cycle is closely synchronised with a termite mound nesting parrot of northern Australia; the hooded parrot ( Psephotus dissimilis Collet). T. neossophila is one of three coprophagous, nest dwelling moths in the genus Trisyntopa Lower 1918. True coprophagy is rare in the Lepidoptera, although some species occasionally consume faeces to gain rare nutrients. We present observations of the life cycle of T. neossophila, a moth that lays its eggs in the nest of a hooded parrot, so that larvae hatch in synchrony with the hatching of the parrot's eggs. The larvae spend their larval period in the nest and exclusively consume the excrement of the nestling parrots. When the parrot chicks fledge, the larvae move to the walls of the nest cavity to pupate, emerging the following wet season to repeat the process during the next parrot breeding season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trisyntopa neossophila sp. n. (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae), reared from the nest of the hooded parrot ( Psephotus dissimilis Collett), is described using morphological characters. Aspects of its biology are reported and similarities to the biology of Trisyntopa scatophaga (White) found in the nests of the golden-shouldered parrot ( Psephotus chrysopterygius Gould) are discussed and questions formulated to suggest further work on the parrot–moth relationship. The possibility that a moth was associated with the extinct paradise parrot ( Psephotus pulcherrimus (Gould)) is considered in the light of the phylogenetic relationships between the parrots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1986 a single Norfolk Island Boobook Owl Ninox novaeseelandiae undulata remained. As part of a re-establishment programme, two male New Zealand Moreporks N. n. novaeseelandiae were introduced, one of which survived to pair with the female in the wild and breed successfully. By 1995 the population numbered 12 or 13 individuals of which seven were second generation (F2). However, there were only two breeding pairs. As the 11 hybrids could not be sexed using morphometrics we developed a molecular method based on a recently described avian polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based sexing technique. The population was found to contain six females and five males. A scarcity of mature males was established as the main factor slowing the recovery effort. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Norfolk Island Boobook Ninox novaeseelandiae undulata is confined to the small, isolated Norfolk Island group, an Australian territory. On morphological and biogeographical grounds, it is here classified as a large, distinctive subspecies of the New Zealand Morepork N. novaeseelandiae. In 1986 only one specimen, a female, survived. A shortage of large trees with suitable nesting holes appeared to be the immediate problem. The Australian Nature Conservation Agency, islanders and New Zealand wildlife authorities have cooperated in an attempt to re-establish an owl population in situ. Nest-boxes were erected in trees in the area frequented by the female and were used readily as roosts. In September 1987, two male New Zealand Moreporks were introduced. The female paired with one male and produced four hybrid F offspring (in 1989 and 1990). Two of these paired in mid-1991 and have since produced five F offspring (two in 1993 and three in 1994). The original female remains paired but now appears to be reproductively senile. At present there seems to be a shortage of mature males, since two female offspring are paired and both lay eggs and attempt to incubate them in the same nest; and a lone female has established a territory. In early 1995 all eleven owls appeared to be alive in the wild. The effort is low-cost, requires relatively little manpower, is carried out with minimal disturbance to the owls, and goes hand in hand with other conservation programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper concludes that 217 foliage-nesting species have been recorded nesting in mistletoe. These tallies do not seem credible, especially given that Young does not specialise in mistletoe-nesting birds. Young's reliability has also been challenged by a recent formal investigation by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy into his claims regarding the Night Parrot. [Extracted from the article]