Hi Isaac and Jenny
Fox and Lyrebird coexistence is really interesting and something I have also
wondered about a lot. You would think that foxes might decimate a Lyrebird
population. I have spent a lot of time over the past few years in wet forests
in Yarra Ranges National Park and adjacent State Forests and have seen and heard
numerous Lyrebirds and also seen many foxes and cats as well, but never seen any
sign of Lyrebirds being killed. I have seen the odd intestine, or part thereof,
that I think might come from possums, as well as remains of some birds, like
Crimson Rosellas, but only the odd feather from a Lyrebird.
I don't know of any study of predation on Lyrebirds; I wonder if there is one.
Some people claim that a reduction in Lyrebird numbers in Sherbrooke Forest
(Dandenong Ranges east of Melb) has been due to foxes or dogs or cats, but
recently someone suggested (was it on birding-aus?) that it might be that there
is so much grass in Sherbrooke that there is nowhere for the Lyrebirds to
forage.
Cheers,
Merrilyn
Jenny Skewes wrote:
> Hi Isaac
> Welcome back to Oz!
>
> How vulnerable are lyrebirds to foxes?
> For the 20 years we lived surrounded by wet forest at Warburton (Vic), there
> were always lots of lyrebirds, and lots of foxes too.
> Are there studies on this?
>
> Jenny
>
|
