ADDENDUM TO SOUTH COAST THREATENED BIRDS RECOVERY PLAN South Coast Threatened Birds: Background Information, Species-specific Recovery Plan and Area-based Management Plan Western Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus flaviventris) Western Bristlebird (Dasyornis longirostris) Noisy Scrub-bird (Atrichornis clamosus) Western Whipbird (western heath) (Psophodes nigrogularis nigrogularis) Western Whipbird (western mallee) (Psophodes nigrogularis oberon) Rufous Bristlebird (western) (Dasyornis broadbenti litoralis) 2006 Sandra Gilfillan, Sarah Comer, Allan Burbidge, John Blyth and Alan Danks Department of Environment and Conservation for the South Coast Threatened Birds Recovery Team FOREWORD This addendum document was originally intended to be the recovery plan for the South Coast Threatened Birds but it does not the fit the Commonwealth’s EPBC Act 1999 requirements for a Recovery Plan. Therefore the endorsed Recovery Plan was written summarising this document within the EPBC requirements. This addendum supports the South Coast Threatened Birds Recovery Plan by providing detailed background information, species-specific recovery actions and area-based management actions. The information in this document is accurate at December 2006, although the document was revised in March 2009. Preparation by Sandra Gilfillan1, Sarah Comer2, Allan Burbidge3, John Blyth4 and Alan Danks5 for the South Coast Threatened Birds Recovery Team 1 Threatened Species Recovery Planner, South Coast Region, Department of Environment and Conservation 2 Regional Ecologist, South Coast Region, Department of Environment and Conservation 3 Principal Research Scientist, Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation 4 Birds Australia WA representative on the South Coast Threatened Birds Recovery Team 5 Regional Leader Nature Conservation, South Coast Region, Department of Environment and Conservation CITATION: Gilfillan, S., Comer, S., Burbidge, A., Blyth, J. & Danks, A. (2006) South Coast Threatened Birds: Background Information, Species-specific Recovery Plan and Area-based Management Plan, Addendum to South Coast Threatened Birds Recovery Plan, Department of Environment and Conservation, Albany. Department of Environment and Conservation South Coast Region Western Australia Contents 1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................1 1.1 Rationale........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Document Structure ........................................................................................................................ 2 1.3 Definitions ........................................................................................................................................ 3 2 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................4 2.1 Conservation Status........................................................................................................................ 4 2.1.1 Reasons for Threatened Status.................................................................................................4 2.1.1.1 Western Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus flaviventris)..................................................4 2.1.1.2 Western Bristlebird (Dasyornis longirostris) ......................................................................5 2.1.1.3 Noisy Scrub-bird (Atrichornis clamosus)............................................................................5 2.1.1.4 Western Whipbird (western heath) (Psophodes nigrogularis nigrogularis) ........................5 2.1.1.5 Western Whipbird (western mallee) (Psophodes nigrogularis oberon)...............................5 2.1.1.6 Rufous Bristlebird (Dasyornis broadbenti litoralis) ............................................................6 2.2 Species Descriptions, Taxonomy, Distribution and Population Trends.................................... 6 2.2.1 Western Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus flaviventris) ......................................................6 2.2.1.1 Description of Species and Taxonomy................................................................................6 2.2.1.2 Discovery and Historical Distribution.................................................................................7 2.2.1.3 Current Distribution (Post 1980).........................................................................................7 2.2.1.4 Population Trends .............................................................................................................10 2.2.2 Western Bristlebird (Dasyornis longirostris) ........................................................................11 2.2.2.1 Description of Species and Taxonomy..............................................................................11 2.2.2.2 Discovery and Historical Distribution...............................................................................11 2.2.2.3 Current Distribution (Post 1980).......................................................................................12 2.2.2.4 Translocated Populations ..................................................................................................12 2.2.2.5 Population Trends .............................................................................................................14 2.2.3 Noisy Scrub-bird (Atrichornis clamosus)..............................................................................16 2.2.3.1 Description of Species and Taxonomy..............................................................................16 2.2.3.2 Discovery and Historical Distribution...............................................................................17 2.2.3.3 Current Distribution (Post 1980).......................................................................................17 2.2.3.4 Translocated Populations ..................................................................................................18 2.2.3.5 Population Trends .............................................................................................................18 2.2.4 Western Whipbird (western heath) (Psophodes nigrogularis nigrogularis) and Western Whipbird (western mallee) (P. n. oberon)...............................................................................................23 2.2.4.1 Description of Species and Taxonomy..............................................................................23 2.2.4.2 Discovery and Historical Distribution...............................................................................23 2.2.4.3 Current Distribution (Post 1980).......................................................................................23 2.2.4.4 Population Trends .............................................................................................................25 2.2.5 Rufous Bristlebird (western) (Dasyornis broadbenti litoralis) .............................................26 2.2.5.1 Description of Species and Taxonomy..............................................................................26 2.2.5.2 Discovery and Historical Distribution...............................................................................26 2.2.5.3 Current Distribution ..........................................................................................................26 2.3 Habitat Requirements ................................................................................................................... 27 2.4 Biological and Ecological Characteristics.................................................................................. 27 2.5 Threatening processes ................................................................................................................. 32 2.5.1 Historical Causes of Decline .................................................................................................32 2.5.2 Current Threatening Processes ..............................................................................................32 2.5.2.1 Loss or Degradation of Habitat through Too Frequent and/or Too Extensive Fire ..........32 2.5.2.2 Predation by Feral Predators .............................................................................................35 2.5.2.3 Dieback caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi ...................................................................36 2.5.2.4 Clearing of Native Vegetation...........................................................................................37 2.5.2.5 Fragmentation of Remnant Vegetation .............................................................................37 2.5.3 Potential Threatening Processes ........................................................................................... 38 2.5.3.1 Grazing or Disturbance by Non-native Animals .............................................................. 38 2.5.3.2 Weed Invasion.................................................................................................................. 38 2.5.3.3 Climate Change ................................................................................................................ 39 2.5.3.4 Changes in Hydrological Regimes ................................................................................... 40 3 SPECIES-SPECIFIC SOUTH COAST THREATENED BIRDS RECOVERY PLAN 42 3.1 Recovery Objectives ....................................................................................................................