Comparative ecology of the noisy friarbird Philemon corniculatus (Latham 1790) and the red wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata (Shaw 1790) in central eastern New South Wales

  • Anthony S. J. Saunders

Western Sydney University thesis: Doctoral thesis

Abstract

Densities and behaviour of Noisy Friarbirds Philemon corniculatus and Red Wattlebirds Anthochaera carunculata were measured during 1992 and 1993 at six sites along an east-west transect through central New South Wales from the Central Coast through to the Central Western Slopes, and at Goobang National Park from 1993 to 1996. Both P. corniculatus and A. carunculata were found to be mostly canopy foragers with occasional forays into the shrub layer when food resources became available there. Flower-probing and foliage gleaning comprised the bulk of foraging behaviour. Most of the food resources used by these honeyeaters were seasonally unreliable and unpredictable, so that they needed to shift between foods and track them over hundreds of kilometres. A strong relationship was found between the densities of honeyeaters and the density of flowering trees at both regional and local scales. Sites on the western slopes were more important for nectar during winter and spring, while sites on the tablelands provided a greater diversity of foods over all seasons. When foraging at foliage, both honeyeaters were found to preferentially select Eucalyptus punctata. These two honeyeaters are very mobile and appear to cope within the fragmented landscape. Their ecological role as plant pollinators, seed dispersers and insect population limiters may have increased proportionally due to habitat fragmentation compared with less mobile species with similar ecological roles. Hence they may also have become more important in maintaining habitat patch quality
Date of Award2004
Original languageEnglish

Keywords

  • honeyeaters
  • NSW
  • birds
  • ecology

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