THREATENED SPECIES SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

Established under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

The Minister’s delegate approved this Conservation Advice on 13/07/2017 .

Conservation Advice Psephotus chrysopterygius

golden–shouldered

Conservation Status Psephotus chrysopterygius (golden–shouldered parrot) is listed as Endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) (EPBC Act effective from the 16 July 2000. The species is eligible for listing as prior to the commencement of the EPBC Act, it was listed as Endangered under Schedule 1 of the Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 (Cwlth).

Species can also be listed as threatened under state and territory legislation. For information on the listing status of this species under relevant state or territory legislation, see http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/sprat.pl

The main factors impacting on the species that are considered to be the cause for its eligibility for listing in the Endangered category are its restricted extent of occurrence that is continuing to decline due to degradation of habitat quality through invasive ti-trees associated with a decline in nest density.

Description The golden-shouldered parrot measures 240-260mm in length including its long tapered tail. Like most it is brilliantly coloured, especially the male which is primarily turquoise with a salmon pink belly and bronze wings boasting a streak of bright yellow. The bronze extends to some of its tail feathers, with the rest being black like its crown. Females and immature are mostly various shades of green with a turquoise rump (DEHP 2016).

The male is turquoise with a black crown, bright yellow on the wing and forehead and with a salmon pink belly. Females and immature birds are mostly green with a turquoise rump (Garnett & Crowley 2002).

Distribution The golden-shouldered parrot occurs in the headwaters of the Morehead River and adjacent westward flowing streams (Morehead population) and the upper tributaries of the Staaten River (Staaten population) (Garnett & Crowley 2002). As of 2016, the range of the Morehead population is currently about 1000 km 2 and is still contracting, at least along its northern and eastern boundaries for which detailed distributional data is available. The Staaten population is currently thought to be contained in an area of about 300 km 2 west of the Lynd River in the headwaters of Cockburn, Back and White Horse creeks. Parrots are occasionally seen but no additional populations have been found in the last three decades, despite searching (Garnett & Crowley 2002, Garnett et al. 2011).

Relevant Biology/Ecology The golden-shouldered parrot Gould 1858 is one of three small granivorous parrots that nest in mounds (antbeds). It is closely related to the extinct P. pulcherrimus (paradise parrot) of south-east Queensland, and more-distantly to the P. dissimilis Collett (secure hooded parrot), of the Northern Territory (Christidis & Norman 1996). Golden-shouldered parrots are restricted to Cape York Peninsula, far north Queensland. Their distribution once covered most of Cape York Peninsula (McLennan 1923; Thomson 1935; Weaver 1982; Garnett and Crowley 1997, 1999 cited in Garnett & Crowley 2002), but is now restricted to two small areas (Garnett & Crowley 2002).

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Nests are excavated in mounds of , primarily Amitermes scopulus , on grassy areas within ti-tree or eucalypt savannas. After breeding, the birds disperse through open E. tetrodonta woodland (Darwin Stringybark), concentrating their feeding activity on the super-abundant seeds of Schizachyrium spp. (fire grasses), on which they need to forage for less than 2 hours a day (Crowley & Garnett 1999; Crowley et al. 2004). After the first wet-season rains, they form flocks in association with breeding Artamus cinereus (Black-faced Woodswallow), so predation by Cracticus nigrogularis (Pied Butcherbird) is less likely (Crowley et al. 2004). Through the wet season the parrots switch foods continually, feeding through most of the daylight hours. Nesting begins in the late wet season, as seeds of perennial grass, particularly Alloteropsis semialata (cockatoo grass) (Crowley & Garnett 2001), and green legumes become abundant. A generation time of 4.1 years is derived from an age at first breeding of 1.0 years and a maximum longevity in the wild of 8.0 years (Garnett et al. 2011).

The northern population were estimated at 1500 mature individuals based on surveys in 2009 but surveys in 2016 suggest this number is now smaller (S.Shephard pers.comm.). The southern population is assumed to be about 1000 mature individuals based on partial surveys in 1999 and 2004. Following the trend since at least the 1920s, nest densities and presumably population numbers, have continued to decline between 2000 and 2016, as ti-tree Melaleuca spp. has invaded grassland (Crowley et al. 2004; Preece et al. 2009 cited in Garnett et al. 2011).

Golden-shouldered parrot nests are the only known habitat of Trisyntopa scatophaga (antbed parrot ), which is listed as Endangered.

Threats Table 1 – Threats impacting the golden shouldered parrot in approximate order of severity of risk, based on available evidence.

Threat factor Threat Evidence base type and status Grazing and Habitat disturbance Grazing cattle known Cattle graze wet season seeding grasses that are a food (Bos indicus ) current source for the golden-shouldered parrot. Cattle grazing also causing reduces fuel loads and lowers fire intensity, leading to compositional increases in the density of woody shrubs that probably change in increases nest predation. Cattle also knock over termite habitat mounds, reducing nest site availability (Garnett & Crowley 1999, Crowley et al. 2004, Garnett et al. 2011). Disturbance known Feral pigs knock over termite mounds, reducing the number of to nest sites - current potential nest sites. They also feed on the roots of cockatoo termite grass, reducing its density (Crowley et al. 2004, Garnett & mounds by Crowley 2002, Garnett et al. 2011). Feral pigs (Sus scrofa ) Fire Change in fire suspected The change in fire regime has resulted in an increase in the regime current density of woody plants, notably Melaleuca viridiflora (broad- leaved ti-tree). This appears to have increased the vulnerability of birds to predation during the wet season and while nesting. The second effect has been the development of a coarser mosaic of burning histories, which is thought to decrease the chances of dispersing parrots finding suitable habitat in the wet season (Garnett & Crowley 1999, Crowley et al. 2004).

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Conservation Actions

Conservation and Management priorities Grazing and Habitat disturbance o Ensure land managers are aware of the species’ occurrence and provide protection measures against key and potential threats particularly feral pigs and cattle grazing. o Manage sites to identify, control and reduce the spread of invasive species particularly feral pigs through baiting and culling. o Protect nesting mound from destruction through feral pig rooting in the range of the northern population. o Manage wet season grazing to ensure that there is sufficient food availability for the golden-shouldered parrot during the wet season. o Ensure land owners/managers use an appropriate management regime for cattle that does not detrimentally affect the golden shouldered parrot and manage total grazing pressure at important sites through exclusion fencing or other barriers. Fire

o Manage fires to ensure that prevailing fire regimes do not disrupt the life cycle of the golden shouldered parrot, that they support rather than degrade the habitat necessary to the golden shouldered parrot, that they do not promote invasion of exotic species, and that they do not increase impacts of grazing/predation. o Maintain fuel loads through the dry season then undertake storm burns after the first rains of the wet season, particularly in areas where ti-tree invasion of grasslands is occurring and on open gravel slopes on the hills. Also storm burn small areas of savanna woodland in areas with dense cockatoo grass to synchronise flowering and seeding.

Stakeholder Engagement

o Engage with state government, Indigenous traditional owners, pastoral leaseholders and non-government organisations to manage known threats to the golden shouldered parrot. o Determine objectives for any public engagement to improve management on private land to ensure recent scientific knowledge is incorporated into public land management.

Survey and Monitoring priorities • More precisely assess population size, distribution, ecological requirements and the relative impacts of threatening processes by annual surveying for trends in habitat condition, location of flock in during wet season and breeding season for the southern and western populations respectively.

Information and research priorities • Conduct surveys of nests in known habitat of the golden shouldered parrot. Garnett et al. (2011) recommended five year intervals. • Survey suitable habitat and potential habitat to locate any additional populations. • Determine the relative importance of nest predation over early wet season food shortages in controlling parrot populations.

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• Test the impacts of active management of nesting habitat on breeding success, including thinning of ti-tree near nests and protection of termite mounds from pigs and cattle • Test the impacts of supplementary feeding on wet season survival.

References cited in the advice

Crowley, G.M., Garnett, S.T. and Shephard, S. 2004. Management guidelines for golden- shouldered parrot conservation. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Brisbane. https://web.archive.org/web/20160301053726/http://www.firescape.com.au/wp- content/uploads/2012/10/Management-Guidelines-GSP-Conservation.pdf

Garnett, S.T. and Crowley, G.M. 2002. Recovery Plan for the golden-shouldered parrot Psephotus chrysopterygius 2003-2007. Report to Environment , Canberra. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Brisbane

Garnett, S., Szabo, J. & Dutson, G. (2011). The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010 . CSIRO Publishing.

Other sources cited in the advice

BirdLife International (2011) ‘Species factsheet: Psephotus chrysopterygius’. Viewed: 21 April 2016. Available on the Internet at: http://www.birdlife.org.au/australian-birdlife/detail/parrots- in-peril

Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (DEHP) (2016) Endangered Golden-shouldered Parrot, Queensland Government. Viewed: 21 April 2016. Available on the Internet at: https://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/wildlife/threatened- species/endangered/endangered-animals/goldenshouldered_parrot.html

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