AUSTRALIA COCKATOO SPECIES PATCH

In Australia, cats are likely to significantly increase the extinction risk faced by some bird species. Overall, bird killings by cats seem to greatly outnumber those caused by humans. Our figure is lower than a recent estimate for the United States, and slightly higher than in Canada. Our tally of bird deaths is comparable to similar estimates for other countries. However, particular species are hit much harder than others, and the population viability of some species (such as quail-thrushes, button-quails and ground-feeding pigeons and doves) is likely to be especially threatened. But our coarse assessment from many published estimates of local bird density suggests that there are about 11 billion land birds in Australia, suggesting that cats kill about 3-4% of Australia’s birds each year.

It is difficult to put a million-plus daily bird deaths in context without a reliable estimate of the total number of birds in Australia. Our results also show that cats are known to kill 71 of Australia’s 117 threatened bird species.īirds that feed or nest on the ground, live on islands, and are medium-sized (60-300g) are most likely to be killed by cats.īirds that nest on the ground, like this rainbow bee-eater, are particularly vulnerable to predation by cats. In natural and remote landscapes, 99% of the cat-killed birds are native species. We found records of cats killing more than 330 native bird species – about half of all Australia’s resident bird species. In a related study, we also compiled records of the bird species being killed by cats in Australia. Overall, this amounts to more than 377 million birds killed by cats per year in Australia – more than a million every day. Pet cats, meanwhile, kill about 61 million birds per year. We also estimate (albeit with fewer data) that feral cats in human-modified landscapes, such as the areas surrounding cities, kill a further 44 million birds each year. Bird-kill rates are highest in arid Australia (up to 330 birds per square km per year) and on islands, where rates can vary greatly depending on size. We conclude that, on average, feral cats in Australia’s largely natural landscapes kill 272 million birds per year. Number of birds eaten per square kilometre. We then combined these statistics with information about the population density of feral cats to create a map of the estimated rates of birds killed by cats throughout Australia. The results show that the average feral cat eats about two birds every five days. To provide a first national assessment of the toll taken by cats on local birds, we have compiled almost 100 studies detailing the diets of Australia's feral cats. Nor, until now, has there been a concerted effort to find out exactly how many birds are being killed by cats. His call produced little response, and there has been no successful and enduring reduction in cat numbers since. Undoubtedly, if many of our highly interesting and beautiful birds, especially ground-loving species, are to be preserved from total extinction, we must as a bird-lovers’ union, at no distant date face squarely a wildcat destruction scheme. Campbell noted that the arrival of feral cats in a location often immediately preceded the decline of many native bird species, and he campaigned vigorously for action: This has been a contentious issue for more than 100 years, since the spread of feral cats encompassed the entire Australian mainland. Some screeches are also given.Galahs, also known as rose-breasted cockatoos, are among the many native species being killed by feral cats. The contact call is a drawn-out “kee-ow”. Young birds resemble the adult female, but young males have a smaller cheek patch. The female has a larger yellow cheek patch, pale grey eye-ring (pink in males), white upper bill (grey-black in males) and black marks in the yellow tail panels.

AUSTRALIA COCKATOO SPECIES PATCH

It has a yellow cheek patch and yellow panels on the tail. It is easily identified by its mostly black plumage, with most body feathers edged with yellow, not visible at a distance.

The Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo is a large cockatoo. Research featured in the ‘ State of Australia’s Birds 2015‘ headline and regional reports indicates a significant decline for the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (and some other parrot species) in the East Coast.

The population on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula is now reliant on the seeds of the Aleppo Pine, a noxious weed, as its preferred habitat, Sugar Gum woodlands, has become extensively fragmented. Now, after the establishment of extensive plantations of exotic Monterey Pines, the cockatoos may feed more often by tearing open pine cones to extract the seeds. Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos were once content to feed on the seeds of native shrubs and trees, especially banksias, hakeas and casuarinas, as well as extracting the insect larvae that bore into the branches of wattles.

Australia cockatoo species