King Island birds

King Island bird update

Over on King Island, ecologists working on our King Island Birds Project have discovered King Island Brown Thornbill in more sites than expected, and King Island Scrubtit in fewer sites than hoped.

Both birds are critically endangered, and this project is all about mapping their habitat, working out which parts of the island support important vegetation for them, and making recommendations about how we can protect their populations.

The surveys are already showing that even small remnant patches of native vegetation are important. KI thornbills, in particular, rely on forest with eucalypts and a complex understorey. All detections of KI scrubtits were associated with Melaleuca ericifolia communities. The main threat for both birds is habitat loss.

King Island Scrubtit Photo by Mark Holdsworth

This project is supported by Cradle Coast Authority with funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.