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Spotted Quail-thrush Cinclosoma punctatum - fragmentation & decline in

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Subject: Spotted Quail-thrush Cinclosoma punctatum - fragmentation & decline in western Victoria?
From: Rory Poulter - Atlas Project <>
Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 10:34:56 +1000
The strong decline of the Spotted Quail-thrush is one of a number of
species that was picked up early in the Atlas. In all states (NSW, Vic,
Qld, Tas and SA) it is showing a strong decline of >50% since the First
Atlas. The NSW Bird Atlas is showing a simlilar decline over the last 15
years.
Most other dryland ground dwelling species as a group are showing moderate
to strong declines.
Overall the Atlases and the NSW Bird Atlas is still showing more than twice
as many species decreasing as increasing in all states.

Rory



At 17:29 16/4/2002 +1000, you wrote:
>    The Spotted Quail-thrush Cinclosoma punctatum occurs from near
>Adelaide in  South Australia around coastal and  near-coastal eastern
>Australia to  south-east Queensland.  The isolated population in the  Mount
> Lofty  Ranges near  Adelaide, C. punctatum anachoreta& Crowley  2000).  In
>contrast, the eastern  Australian population C. punctatum  punctatum, and
>eastern Tasmanian population, C. punctatum dovei, are both considered
>Least Concern.  & Crowley  (2000). During March-April 2002 I took part in a
>process of reviewing the  Victorian threatened avifauna against new IUCN
>Red List criteria (Gärdenfors et al. 2001; IUCN 2001), to update the
>previous published summary (DNRE 2000).   Amongst other sources we used
>recent output from the &#8216;Atlas of Victorian  Wildlife&#8217; (AVW)
>database maintained by the Department of Natural Resources and  Environment
>(DNRE), Arthur Rylah Institute,  Melbourne.  The AVW includes data from the
>Birds  Australia Atlas II project, and from a wide range of other sources.
>Records from AVW for each of the species  under consideration were broken
>up into &#8216;before and after 1990&#8217; categories to  aid in the
>detection of any recent trends (either increase/decrease in range,  local
>extinctions, etc.). The isolated nature of Spotted Quail-thrush populations
>in the Grampians  and Lower Glenelg &#8211;  Portland areas is evident
>enough  from Emison et al. (1986), but recent  AVW data shows a decline in
>area of occupancy for both locations.  There were no records of Spotted
>Quail-thrush from the Grampians during the 1990s (last submitted record
>1987),  and the area of occupancy in the far south-west had contracted to
>the eastern  end of Lower Glenelg National Park and adjacent Cobbobonee
>State Forest (last  submitted record 2000).  Both of  these locations are
>well separated from Spotted Quail-thrush strongholds in the  Box-Ironbark,
>Central  Highlands and Gippsland  areas. Recent records show that the
>population in the eastern  Otway  Ranges between Lorne and Torquay is  also
>quite isolated (last submitted record 1995). In addition there appears to
>have been up to a 50% decline in reporting  rate for Spotted Quail-thrush
>across stronghold areas in the Box-Ironbark,  Central  Highlands and
>Gippsland.  Observer activity in these areas does  not appear to be the
>critical factor, as records of some other cryptic species  in these areas
>do not show a similar decline. It would appear then that the Spotted
>Quail-thrush might be in minor decline across its range in  Victoria, but
>in major decline in  fragmented and isolated areas of south-west  Victoria.
> The populations in the Grampians and  Lower Glenelg &#8211;  Portland
>areas may be going the way  of C. punctatum anachoreta in  South Australia,
>and local  extinction is a distinct possibility. What to do? §
>Include targeted  searches for this species in your activities if you visit
>areas in western  Victoria where it is or was known  to occur. §         
>Victorian records (including surveys which fail  to locate SQT) to either
>the Bird Australia Atlas II or AVW  databases.   References   DNRE (2000).
>Threatened Vertebrate Fauna in  Victoria &#8211; 2000.  A systematic list
>of vertebrate fauna  considered extinct, at risk of extinction or in major
>decline in  Victoria.  (Department of Natural Resources and  Environment,
>East  Melbourne). Emison, W.B.,  Beardsell, C.M., Norman& Loyn,  R.H.
>(1987).  Atlas of Victorian Birds.  (Department of Conservation and
>Environment and the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union,  Melbourne). &
> Rodríguez, J.P. (2001).  The  application of IUCN Red List Criteria at
>regional levels.  Conservation Biology 15: 1206-1212. & Crowley, G.M.
>(2000).  The Action Plan for Australian Birds &#8211;  2000.  (Environment
>Australia:  Canberra). IUCN. (2001).  IUCN Red List Categories and
>Criteria:  Version 3.1.  (IUCN Species  Survival Commission, Gland,
>Switzerland and  Cambridge,  UK).    =================================
>Lawrie Conole Senior Zoologist   Ecology Australia Pty.  Ltd. Flora and
>Fauna Consultants 88B Station Street FAIRFIELD VIC 3078 Australia e-mail:
>   mob: (0419) 588  993 fax: (03) 9481 7679
>   =================================
*****************************************
Rory Poulter
Database Custodian

Birds Australia Atlas Project
415 Riversdale Road
Hawthorn East,  Victoria, Australia  3123
Ph (03) 9882 2622
Fax (03) 9882 2677
www.birdsaustralia.com.au

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