Science for Saving Species Research findings factsheet Project 2.5 Finding and conserving the night parrot In brief Night parrots are a nocturnal species Our research into the species’ regulators determining the formerly found throughout arid breeding ecology found that under conservation priority of the night central Australia. After undergoing ideal conditions, when resources are parrot. Our research into how to a severe decline in the late 19th plentiful, night parrots will attempt to detect night parrots has provided and early 20th centuries, the species breed continually. Despite this high information regulators can use all but disappeared. Despite several reproductive rate, young parrots are to assess whether searches for plausible reports throughout the vulnerable and it seems that most the parrot conducted as part of 20th century, it was 2013 before perish in the months after fledging. environmental impact assessment, a surviving population was found Young birds that do survive past for example, have been performed in western Queensland and field fledging seem to have an extended to the necessary standards. Our research into breeding biology research on the species could period of reliance on adults. It is not suggests that protecting habitat take place. clear whether adults will breed while and managing threats at known they still have dependent young. The initial research sought to parrot roosting and nesting sites understand the night parrot’s Our findings are important for are priorities for conserving the ecology and drivers of decline as conservation managers and night parrot into the future. well as determining methods of detecting this cryptic parrot. We Night parrot. Image: Steve Murphy aimed to build upon this knowledge base, continuing research into the night parrot’s breeding ecology, methods of detection, and trying to determine its distribution in western Queensland. We defined robust and repeatable survey protocols for locating the night parrot that are applicable to other parts of its possible range. Our detection methods were used to discover multiple populations of night parrots in central Western Australia, and that region is now thought to be the species’ stronghold. We also confirmed the suspected presence of night parrots in Diamantina National Park in Queensland. LEFT: Night parrot roosting habitat. Image: Nick Leseberg Background The night parrot (Pezoporus between 2013 and 2016 focused on The night parrots were also found to occidentalis) is a nocturnal parrot improving our overall understanding be predictably vocal. While at their that only occurs in arid central of this cryptic species. The research roost sites, the parrots called for a Australia. Despite occasional investigated the night parrot’s general short period each dusk and dawn. anecdotal reports, there were no ecology, determined how to detect They also sometimes called while definitive records of the bird for the elusive parrot, and identified what feeding and drinking. Given the almost a century. In 1990, however, threats might have driven its decline. predictability of this calling behaviour, a dead night parrot was found in It found night parrots to be relatively acoustic monitoring was established western Queensland, providing sedentary birds, maintaining long- as the most efficient technique for irrefutable proof of its continued term, stable roost sites for extended night parrot population monitoring. survival in the region. Following the periods of time. Fortunately, numbers of feral cats discovery of another dead bird on The parrots roost in low, dense were relatively low in the western Diamantina National Park in 2006, vegetation either in pairs or small Queensland landscape where the a surviving population of the bird groups. At night, they travel up parrots were known to occur, was discovered finally in 2013. to 10 km from their roost sites to and foxes were absent. Given the bird had never been feed and drink throughout the By late 2016, night parrots were studied thoroughly in the wild, landscape, concentrating their still known from only the one very little was known about the foraging on productive floodplains site in western Queensland. night parrot. Research conducted and run-on areas. What we did For this project, researchers from with some research also taking dynamics and inform us about The University of Queensland place on surrounding properties how it could be conserved. partnered with the Queensland including Mount Windsor Station Based on what we learnt of habitat Parks and Wildlife Service, Bush and Diamantina National Park. We preferences in western Queensland, Heritage Australia and several searched for further populations of we were able to suggest which parts private landholders in the western the species both on Pullen Pullen of Western Australia, historically a Queensland region where the night Reserve and in the surrounding stronghold for the species, were parrot is known to occur. region. We also conducted a considered the most likely for review of all (largely anecdotal) We conducted the majority of further populations to be found. contemporary and historical the research on Bush Heritage We supported several workshops records of night parrot sightings. Australia’s Pullen Pullen Reserve, for Indigenous rangers of desert We investigated the breeding country in Western Australia, that ecology of the night parrot in facilitated two-way ecological and Research aims its currently known western Traditional Knowledge exchange. At Queensland distribution. We wanted the workshops we shared what had We aimed to build on knowledge to know whether these known been learnt in western Queensland of the night parrot, by continuing night parrots were successfully including how to search for night to research its ecology and recruiting to the population, and parrots using automated recording determine how widespread how widespread their population units. We also provided other night parrots are in western was across the landscape. This ongoing technical assistance to Queensland. We aimed to define information could give us necessary these groups including in the robust and repeatable survey insight into the parrot’s population analysis of acoustic recording data. protocols and then employ these methods to survey for the night parrot at new locations. RIGHT: Nick Leseberg talking about what has been learnt in western Queensland about night parrot habitat preferences and acoustic monitoring methods at a 2018 workshop on night parrots hosted by Paruku Indigenous Rangers and elders for other rangers and conservation groups from the southern Kimberley and northern Western Deserts. Image: Jaana Dielenberg Key findings Breeding ecology This means that recruitment to the that Western Australia is the likely Our new research into the breeding population through breeding is slow. stronghold for the night parrot, biology of the night parrot resulted This could be significantly affecting and therefore for its recovery. in a number of key findings. Over the species’ ability to recover from Although our survey methods have several years, we found evidence population declines. been applied throughout the species’ that night parrots were able to Detection methods former range, it has not led to the breed throughout the year and Our acoustic monitoring work has confirmed discovery of populations would attempt to breed almost been highly successful for detecting anywhere except in western continuously while conditions are the species further afield than Queensland and Western Australia. good. Previously, breeding was Pullen Pullen. Use of our detection There has been a potential detection thought to be closely dependent on methods resulted in the discovery in north-eastern South Australia, rain events; our research has shown of new populations of night parrots but this is yet to be confirmed. that rather than relying specifically in both Western Australia and Review of records of sightings on rain events, breeding is more elsewhere in western Queensland. likely to depend on general resource Our review of all historical and availability. While rain events do drive We defined a series of survey contemporary records of sightings the availability of resources in the protocols using data collected of the night parrot identified clear arid zones where the birds occur, at Pullen Pullen Reserve. These patterns of decline. These patterns those resources can remain available protocols inform the use of match those of ecologically similar for a significant period of time after automated recording units and small-to-medium sized mammals rain events, potentially up to several automated signal recognition from Australia’s arid zone, and are years. As long as adequate resources algorithms. In helping Australian likely to have occurred for similar are available, night parrots will Wildlife Conservancy analyse data reasons (habitat degradation, attempt to breed. collected in Diamantina National competition with introduced Park, where night parrots were herbivores, changed fire regimes We found that while many nesting previously unknown, we were reducing cover, and the spread of attempts successfully produce able to confirm the presence introduced carnivores, especially young birds that subsequently of the species in the park. cats). Further, the patterns confirm fledge, few birds survive past this our finding that central and northern stage, which is limiting recruitment So far, we have not detected any Western Australia and western to the