Notes on Live Night Parrot Sightings in North-western Queensland

Garnett, Stephen T.; Crowley, Gabriel; Duncan, R. Scot; Baker, N.J.; Doherty, Patrick

doi:10.1071/mu9930292

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…These conversations occurred as part of studies of two endangered species, the Golden-shouldered Parrot Psephotus chrysopterygius and the Night Parrot Pezoporus occidentalis (Garnett and Crowley, 1993;1995b;1997). Each pastoralist was told, usually over a meal or cup of tea, of our interest in the parrots and their decline.…”

Section: Discussion With Pastoralistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Information about current burning practices was collected during informal, unstructured discussions with 30 pastoralists who had worked for at least 10 years on Cape York Peninsula and spent the majority of that time in the cattle industry, although four had subsequently transferred to conservation management or ecotourism. These conversations occurred as part of studies of two endangered species, the Golden-shouldered Parrot Psephotus chrysopterygius and the Night Parrot Pezoporus occidentalis (Garnett and Crowley, 1993;1995b;1997). Each pastoralist was told, usually over a meal or cup of tea, of our interest in the parrots and their decline.…”

Section: Discussion With Pastoralistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changing Fire Management in the Pastoral Lands of Cape York Peninsula of northeast Australia, 1623 to 1996

Crowley

Garnett

2000

Australian Geographical Studies

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Accounts of European explorers between 1623 and 1880 indicate that fires were lit by Aboriginal people on Cape York Peninsula in northeast Australia throughout the dry season (May–October). Diaries kept by three generations of pastoralists in the Musgrave area (1913–1952, 1953–1974 and 1976–1992) show that burning activities were largely confined to a two to six week period between May and early August. The timing of burning depended on the amount and date of cessation of wet season rainfall. More rarely, ‘storm‐burning’, burning under hot conditions within a few days of the first heavy rains of the wet season, was undertaken. Long‐term pastoralists felt a responsibility to use fire wisely and had a detailed knowledge of the role of fire in land management. Their decisions to burn were based on the extent of grass curing, and soil and weather conditions, all of which affected the extent of each burn. They used early dry season fires mainly to maintain forage and control cattle movements. Storm‐burns were reputed to control woody weeds, but were used infrequently because of difficulty in controlling their spread and uncertainty as to when the next rains would stimulate new grass growth.

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Section: Discussion With Pastoralistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussion With Pastoralistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing Fire Management in the Pastoral Lands of Cape York Peninsula of northeast Australia, 1623 to 1996

Crowley

Garnett

2000

Australian Geographical Studies

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“…We concur with Garnett et al . () that night parrots can be found in a wide range of habitats, but highlight here for the first time the importance of feeding areas in proximity to dense ground layer vegetation for roosting and nesting (Murphy et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…A similar range of landforms (alluvial plains and hillslopes) and vegetation types ( Triodia and mixed herb‐grasslands) were recorded in the Selwyn Ranges (north‐western Queensland) around the seven locations where night parrots were reported in 1992–1993 (Garnett et al . ). The sighting of two night parrots at water at Fortescue Marsh in Western Australia in 2005 occurred close to extensive plains of samphire (a chenopod) alongside expanses of Triodia (Davis & Metcalf ), while the March 2017 confirmed sighting in Western Australia was from a spinifex plain adjacent to an open chenopod shrubland dotted with a chain of ephemeral pools fringed by samphire ( Tecticornia spp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Movements and habitat use of the night parrot Pezoporus occidentalis in south‐western Queensland

et al. 2017

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The nocturnal, cryptic and geographically remote nature of night parrots, combined with their apparent rapid decline, means that very little is known of their biology or ecology. The discovery of a resident population in south-western Queensland in 2013 provides the first opportunity to undertake detailed studies on this most enigmatic of birds. We attached a radio tag to a bird for 20 days in April 2015 and a GPS tag to another bird for 5 days in May 2016 to study movement patterns and habitat use. Both birds displayed similar behaviour but the GPS-tagging provided a much finer resolution of spatial data. They called at dusk from their diurnal roosts amongst spinifex hummocks and then flew to more floristically diverse habitats dominated by large-seeded species to feed. We conducted floristic surveys to describe the feeding grounds of the GPS-tagged bird and make dietary inferences. This individual spent most of its time in highly diverse but ephemeral habitats, including seasonally inundated plains and depressions associated with the outer Diamantina floodplain and gilgais on ironstone plains. Prolifically seeding ephemeral species, most notably the annual grass Uranthoecium truncatum, dominate these feeding grounds. This work suggests that the habitat mosaic containing roost sites in close proximity to feeding grounds with key seed-producing species is an important factor, rather than an association with spinifex or samphire alone. Further work is needed to examine movement patterns and habitat use in more typical dry seasons and the impact of cattle grazing on night parrot feeding areas, particularly with regard to seed production. The information presented here is vital for both in situ conservation of the Pullen-Pullen-Mt Windsor-Diamantina population and for setting future research and survey priorities.

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“…During the last decade there have been 15 individual sight records although none have been authenticated (a corpse was found in 1990: Boles et al 1994). Historical reports and several recent ones in an area of circa 200km 2 near Cloncurry suggest that it may indeed be nocturnal (Garnett et al 1993).…”

Section: Pezoporus Occidentalismentioning

confidence: 99%

African parrot conservation

2012

Parrots of Africa, Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands

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The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or the Species Survival Commission.

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Notes on Live Night Parrot Sightings in North-western Queensland

Cited by 10 publications

References 6 publications

Changing Fire Management in the Pastoral Lands of Cape York Peninsula of northeast Australia, 1623 to 1996

Changing Fire Management in the Pastoral Lands of Cape York Peninsula of northeast Australia, 1623 to 1996

Movements and habitat use of the night parrot Pezoporus occidentalis in south‐western Queensland

African parrot conservation

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