For those who might be wondering what is keeping our lone GC
Babbler around, below is a picture of it extracting and eating a
succulent-looking caterpillar from the well-watered lawns of Duntroon. No
doubt there is abundant food for it there. This prompts me to
venture a little home-spun biology. The expansion of successful
seed-eaters (Galahs, Crested Pigeons) presumes both abundant food and nesting
opportunities. The magpie is an example of an insect-eater that is
adapted to local food sources and nesting opportunities. Birds that
can use the local food but have no or limited nesting opportunities will
generally be capable of long-distance commuting, perhaps seasonally (White and
Straw-necked Ibis, Pelicans, YT Black-Cockatoos). The Babbler is an
example of a bird that is well-adapted to making use of local food
opportunities but no longer has the necessary vegetation for breeding and is
not adapted to long-distance commuting between nesting and feeding grounds.
Accordingly, the occasional wanderer might survive here, particularly if for
some reason it is not breeding-driven, but the species is not likely to become
(re)established.
