Heya Tonya
I did my special topics on the range expansion of the Common Koel into South Eastern Australia. Me and Dr. Naomi Langmore discovered that the colonization of Red Wattlebirds by the cuckoo is partly to blame. If my memory is right the two species met (Koels expanding south, Red Wattlebirds expanding north) round ~1950 in the Sydney area from which point their spread took off. Urban habitats also favour Red (and Little Wattlebirds) in addition to having many fruit bearing trees. Add a warming climate and this tropical species is fairing very well indeed.
The species has increased on the south coast as well and though it is also found in more natural settings. There are three youngsters that I know off within 300 meters of my house this season, all fed by Red Wattlebirds.
Now as to why the species is patchy in the ACT. It's a recent colonist the first breeding records being in 2009. So perhaps the species hasn't colonised all suitable areas, or as you say, only prime urban areas suit the needs of the adults.
Hope this helps :-)
D.
From:
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:01:48 +1100
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] Koels - why so patchy?
Hi all,
I just moved to O'Connor, where there is a Koel that calls constantly, and I've noticed that Koel are fairly common in the Inner North. But I spend quite a lot of time in the botanic gardens (like all day most days for much of the breeding season), and have for the past few years, and I've only rarely ever heard a koel there, despite the fact that there are tons of wattlebirds and orioles that could serve as hosts. Does anyone know why Koel are more abundant in the suburbs - perhaps a diet of planted trees serves better than natives, and that's more important than host abundance? Any thoughts of opinions would be appreciated!
Cheers,
Tonya
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Tonya Haff
PhD candidate
Evolution, Ecology and Genetics
Research School of Biology
Australian National University
Mobile:+61-4-3331-2908
Lab: +61-2-6125-5651
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