birding-aus

DNA confirms elusive Night Parrot found

To:
Subject: DNA confirms elusive Night Parrot found
From: Andrew Hobbs <>
Date: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 14:22:41 +0800
There are apparently 22 known specimens in various museums around the world. I would think it quite possible to use DNA analysis on those to make some estimates of population sizes etc. and their relationship to the recent samples. I would be surprised if that is not already being done or at least considered.

Cheers

Andrew

On 10/08/2013 10:30 AM, Peter Shute wrote:
Have there ever been any attempts to estimate what the population size might 
have been 200 years ago?

Peter Shute

Sent from my iPad

On 10/08/2013, at 11:34 AM, "John Graff" <> wrote:

 From the SPRAT profile for the species

"The small number of confirmed or verifiable records prevents the population size from 
being assessed with any accuracy. However, the population size is speculatively estimated to 
consist of about 50 breeding birds (Garnett & Crowley 2000)."

Garnett, S.T. & G.M. Crowley (2000).  The Action Plan for Australian Birds 
2000.  [Online].  Canberra, ACT: Environment Australia and Birds Australia.  
Available from: 
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/action/birds2000/index.html.

Cheers,
John

From: 
To: 
Date: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 01:25:43 +0000
CC: 
Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] DNA confirms elusive Night Parrot found

Hi Lawrie,

I've also often wondered why that figure gets bandied about. I blame a non-inquiring 
media. Like you Lawrie, I can't believe there would be so few, for the reason you stated. 
I suspect someone was put on the spot by a journo at some point and said some offhand 
comment like "maybe there's as few as 250". One factoid born!

Eric

On 10/08/2013, at 10:42 AM, "Lawrie Conole" <> wrote:

Thanks for posting that David.

The 'factoid' repeated in this story and in various versions elsewhere -
that there are only 50-250 Night Parrots in existence - continues to amaze
me.  Having just completed a PVA (population viability analysis) for
Carnaby's Cockatoo, I have contemplated some of the demographic factors
that allow a species to persist.  If, as it appears likely, that Night
Parrots still exist in SW Qld and NW WA (and tantalisingly maybe in NW
Vic), there would have to be >250 birds extant across this broad brown
land, surely.  Maybe the difficulty associated with finding the things
clouds otherwise clear heads, and generates low estimates in an attempt to
rationalise the tiny number of sightings by biologists/naturalists??

L.

++++++++++++
Lawrie Conole
Kyneton 3444
Australia
lconole[at]gmail.com
===============================

To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to: 

http://birding-aus.org
===============================
===============================

To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to: 

http://birding-aus.org
===============================
===============================

To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to: 

http://birding-aus.org
===============================
===============================

To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to: 

http://birding-aus.org
===============================



--
***********************************************************
Andrew Hobbs


***********************************************************

===============================

To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to: 

http://birding-aus.org
===============================

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU