-We surveyed for the presence/absence of bird species at 297 sites, each of 16 ha, chosen to represent the geographical extent and diversity of terrestrial environments across the Pilbara biogeographic region, Western Australia. We recorded 132 species with an average of 19.1 species per site with a range from 3 to 49. Sampling was carried out over a six-day period in each of two seasons, with visits of 0.5 to 1.0 hour to each site. The diurnal time of sampling at a site was varied in an effort to maximise the detection of species present. Environments sampled included stony hills, slopes and plains, massive rocks and scree slopes, clay plains, saline muds, deep sands and riverine sites. Vegetation on most sites consisted of hummock grasslands of spinifex (Triodia spp.), usually with widely scattered shrubs or eucalypt trees, while sites on alluvial plains typically supported bunch grasses, saline fl ats had samphires, run-on areas in the southern Pilbara often supported stands of mulga, and riparian sites had vegetation varying from shrubs to gallery woodlands. Bird species richness was highest in riparian sites and lowest on samphire fl ats. Patterns in species composition were correlated with vegetation and substrate variables, including soil depth, ruggedness of the topography, soil chemistry and the presence of trees or shrubs. Variation partitioning of results from a PCNM analysis, however, indicated that only 7% of the observed variation in species composition could be attributed solely to the 25 environmental variables we measured, suggesting that much of the Pilbara is relatively uniform from the perspective of terrestrial birds. These results suggest that the existing conservation reserve system is likely to adequately conserve most of the variation in terrestrial bird communities in the Pilbara. However, riparian vegetation, with its distinctive bird assemblages, requires special conservation attention. These areas are of limited extent in the Pilbara and are subject to pressures such as degradation by domestic and feral stock grazing, weed invasion and disturbance by mining infrastructure and groundwater extraction.
-The geographic range, status and breeding season are documented for 325 bird species known to occur in the Pilbara, Western Australia, since the first records were made in 1699. The fauna is a mixture of Torresian, Eyrean and Bassian components, along with a variety of seabirds, migratory wading birds and Asian vagrants. The region lies entirely within the arid zone and the overall harshness of the environment means that few species are resident. The richness of the total avifauna (resident and non-resident) is due mainly to the diversity of habitats, especially those on or near the coast. The region is an important refugial destination for a variety of Australian species and includes a range of endemic subspecies and colour morphs. The area from Eighty Mile Beach to Port Hedland saltworks is of international importance for shorebirds and, following cyclonic rains, Mandora Marsh and Fortescue Marsh are of continental importance for waterbirds. The 204 breeding species are mapped, and each species is assessed for possible changes in distribution or abundance since 1900.
We recorded 126 bird species at 63 sites in the northern Geraldton Sandplains and southern Carnarvon Regions, Western Australia. Classification of sites on the basis of the bird species present revealed the presence of five main groups of sites, each with at least two recognisable subgroups. Classification of bird species on the basis of the sites at which they occurred, revealed the presence of four main species groups, with some structuring within these.
-Geographic range and status is documented for the 279 bird species known to occur in the southern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia. The 162 .breeding species~re mapped, and each was assessed for possible changes m~bundance durmg the last century. No species is known to have become extinct. For about 75% of breeding species we could not detect a change, but about 13% have increased in abundance and 10-15% have decreased in abundance. These changes are comparable to those reported for a nearby arid area (the Murchison catchment), but are less than those reported for an eastern Australian arid area (western New South Wales).
Appendix S1. Summary of the major historical taxonomic treatments of Calamanthus sensu stricto, using the nomenclature of Schodde and Mason (1999), who recognised three species: C. montanellus (0 subspecies), C. campestris (7) and C. fuliginosus (4).
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