An occupancy approach to monitoring regent honeyeaters

Conservation of rare and highly mobile species is frequently limited by a lack of monitoring data. Critically endangered regent honeyeaters (Anthochaera phrygia, population 350–400) pose a substantial conservation challenge because of their high mobility and irregular settlement throughout their estimated 600,000-km2 range. Given an ongoing population decline, enhanced monitoring efforts to inform population management are needed. We conducted an occupancy survey of regent honeyeaters and other nectarivores over 880 km2 of the species' core range in New South Wales, Australia, during spring 2015. We located approximately 70 regent honeyeaters, potentially representing 20% of the population. Presence of regent honeyeaters was best predicted by high local nectar abundance. Detectability of regent honeyeaters when breeding (0.59) was similar to common, co-occurring nectarivores and was sufficient to distinguish absence from non-detection. For rare and highly mobile species, monitoring approaches that prioritize sampling extent over site visit duration and explicitly accommodate their life-history attributes can provide valuable population data, with subsequent benefits for conservationResearchwas funded by the BirdLife Australia Allan Keast research grant, theMohamed BinZayed species conservation fund, donations from Birding New South Wales, Hunter Bird Observers Club, and Oatley Flora and Fauna, and a Commonwealth Government of Australia Environmental Offset paid by Cumnock Management

Risk aversion and uncertainty create a conundrum for planning recovery of a critically endangered species

Making transparent and rational decisions to manage threatened species in situations of high uncertainty is difficult. Managers must balance the optimism of successful intervention with the risk that intervention could make matters worse. We assessed nest protection options for regent honeyeaters (Anthochaera phrygia) in Australia. Formal expert elicitation highlighted two methods of nest protection expected to improve nest success. However, the risks and benefits of different actions were uncertain; for example, protecting nests from predators might also increase the risk of nest desertion by adults. To avoid risks, the recovery team opted to collect more information before implementation. The two methods of nest protection were compared using a field experiment. However, the same risk aversion limited the experiment to a single variable (nest predation) and dictated the use of artificial nests. The results of the experiment suggested neither action was likely to significantly reduce predation risks (<3% mean differences in survival between treatment and control). When presented with these results, managers made only minor revisions to their estimates; in part, this reflected low confidence by managers that artificial nests could reflect real predation risks. However, estimates were also revised more negatively for the initially less-favored option, despite absence of such evidence, possibly highlighting confirmation bias. In this uncertain situation, the status quo was initially maintained although it was perceived as suboptimal; implementation of the preferred option (tree collars) is now planned for the 2019 breeding season. We faced what might be a common conundrum for conservation of critically endangered species. High uncertainty affects management decisions; however, perilous species status also leads to strong risk aversion, which limits both the willingness to act on limited information and the ability to learn effectively. Structured methods can increase transparency, facilitate evaluation, and assist decision making, but objective limitations and subjective attitudes cannot be circumvented entirely

The Painted Finch in New South Wales

This note reviews records of the Painted Finch Emblema pictum in New South Wales and includes the first records of the species breeding in the State, noted as part of an influx in 2007–08. It is suggested that there has been a southward and eastward extension of the Painted Finch’s range in recent decades.9 page(s

R-value distributions of regent honeyeaters of known pedigree at Taronga Zoo for a) parents and offspring (mean R-value 0.3367); b) full-sibs (mean R-value 0.3498); c) half-sibs (mean R-value 0.0578); and d) unrelated birds (mean R-value -0.0369).

<p>R-value distributions of regent honeyeaters of known pedigree at Taronga Zoo for a) parents and offspring (mean R-value 0.3367); b) full-sibs (mean R-value 0.3498); c) half-sibs (mean R-value 0.0578); and d) unrelated birds (mean R-value -0.0369).</p

Geographic locations of sampling sites, sample sizes for each individual location, and pooled sample sizes.

<p>The birds at Sutton were pooled with those from Canberra, birds from Indigo Valley and Lurg were pooled with those from Chiltern, and birds captured at Cumbo Rd, Goulburn River, and Munghorn Gap were pooled together under the name Goulburn River for analyses.</p

Pairwise F_ST values for wild-caught regent honeyeaters at different sites.

<p>Asterisks indicate significance</p><p>* = p < 0.05</p><p>** = p < 0.01</p><p>*** = p < 0.001.</p><p>Pairwise F_ST values for wild-caught regent honeyeaters at different sites.</p

Estimated mean effective population sizes as estimated by ONeSAMP for different sampling locations and for wild birds sampled before 2000 and after 2010.

<p>Sample sizes at Goulburn River were too small for effective population size estimation.</p