SUMMARY
This project is working on solutions to improve breeding success for Swift Parrots by focusing on how to protect Swift Parrots from sugar gliders, as well as working towards protecting and improving key habitat areas..
BACKGROUND
The critically endangered Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor) migrates annually from mainland Australia to breed in Tasmania. Arriving around springtime, they seek out our flowering blue gums, form mating pairs and spend their summer breeding and raising chicks. While they often reuse the same nesting sites, they don’t always turn up at the same site over successive years and this unpredictability can pose challenges when it comes to conservation efforts.
Their numbers are in decline and they are at risk from a number of factors, including habitat loss, competition for nesting sites and predation of chicks and eggs by sugar gliders. Native to mainland Australia but introduced to Tasmania in the 1800s sugar glider diets include eggs, insects, lizards and small birds and their impact on Swift Parrot populations in Tasmania has been devastating. It’s estimated that nearly 85% of the Swift Parrot population is at risk each season of being killed by sugar gliders. Sugar gliders eat swift parrot eggs, chicks and even adult birds, drastically decreasing the reproductive success of the species. Research has shown that sugar gliders can impact up to 79% of nests, and 65% of breeding females in Tasmania can fall victim to sugar gliders each year. Sugar gliders are the only predators able to access breeding Swift Parrot nests due to very specific nest dimensions.
PARTNERS
Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, Australian National University (ANU), the Tasmanian Land Conservancy (TLC), Enviro Arb and Conservation Landholders Tasmania
FUNDING
The Australian Government’s National Landcare Program
PROJECT DURATION
2020-2023
APPROACH
- An initial pilot project to investigate whether localised sugar glider control has an effect on egg predation. The outcomes of this study will inform the best strategies for a longer-term control project.
- Installation of nest boxes at breeding sites where nesting sites are limited.
- Protecting high-value functional breeding habitat in important Swift Parrot breeding areas on private property through conservation covenants, and their associated natural values management plans.
Swift Parrot nesting locations are highly variable across the landscape, and from year to year, which in turn influences the impact that project activities will have each year – and the overall likelihood of positive conservation outcomes for Swift Parrots in the short, medium and long term. This variability will be addressed through an adaptive management approach; regularly evaluating outcomes and modifying delivery mechanisms to suit. A pre-emptive approach (developed by researchers from the ANU’s Difficult Bird Research Group (DBRG)) to predict the breeding locations of swift parrots each year involves annual eucalyptus flower bud surveys in the lead-up to the breeding season, which will in turn inform management actions for that breeding season.
Image credit: birdsaspoetry on Flickr
Image credit: Melissa McMasters on Flickr
PROJECT UPDATES
Where will all the flowers be? Using flower bud surveys to predict Swift Parrot movement
Tasmania is the only place in the world where the critically endangered Swift Parrot breeds, with many of their core breeding areas in the south-east of the state. Swift Parrots have a very specific diet and rely exclusively on the nectar of blue gums (Eucalyptus globulus) and black gums (Eucalyptus
The trials of trapping sugar gliders – five key lessons
The swift parrot is a critically endangered migratory bird that divides its time between Tasmania and mainland Australia. The swift parrot gets its name from its impressive flight speeds, but there is another aspect of this small charismatic bird that is also swift – its rate of decline. The two
MEDIA RELEASE: Taking Swift Parrots off the menu
When it comes to planning actions to protect the critically endangered Swift Parrot in Tasmania, it may come as a surprise that an important piece of the puzzle is finding out the type of nest boxes that Sugar Gliders prefer. Once listed as a protected species in Tasmania and undeniably
New Swift Parrot habitat protected in perpetuity
Access to high quality habitat is key to the survival and recovery of the rare and threatened Swift Parrot. However, not just any habitat will do. Swift Parrots migrate from the mainland to Tasmania every spring for their breeding season, and when it comes to food and nesting sites -
Conservation covenants protecting key habitat for Swift Parrots
Tasmania’s parks and reserves are important for protecting and sustaining habitats and the species that rely on them. However, a protected areas model alone is not enough to sustain biodiversity across our landscapes. Integrating protected areas into private land is increasingly recognised as important for broader conservation goals. As part
MEDIA RELEASE: Conservation covenants swiftly secured
Streaking through the air at speeds of up to 90 kilometres an hour, the brightly coloured and iconic Swift Parrot is one of only two parrots that annually migrate from mainland Australia to breed in Tasmania. Arriving in spring, they seek out flowering blue gums, find a mate and a
ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE
- Two conservation covenants covering 122 ha of Swift Parrot habitat approved
- Pilot study completed to assess whether localised Sugar Glider control would reduce nest predation of Swift Parrots. The results prompted further work to improve trapping effectiveness and cost-efficiency.
- Supported a free public tour at Inala Private Reserve area on Bruny Island (2020), giving attendees a chance to see Swift Parrots in the wild, learn about their habitat needs and find out more about how the community could help in conservation efforts.
- Trials completed investigating how to increase Sugar Gliders use of nest boxes.
LINKS AND MEDIA
ABC Rural interview (start at 32′): https://abcmedia.akamaized.net/radio/local_hobart/audio/202106/ack-2021-06-28.mp3