Foraging behaviour and habitat use of the feathertail glider (Acrobates pygmaeus) at Waratah Creek, New South Wales

1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 457 ◽  
Author(s):  
RL Goldingay ◽  
RP Kavanagh
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Significant Preference ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
Nectar Feeding ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Production Forests

Observations were made of the foraging behaviour of the feathertail glider (Acrobates pygmaeus) at Waratah Creek in south-eastern New South Wales (NSW). Gliders were observed on 164 occasions, including 42 observations of feeding, 41 observations of moving along a substrate and 68 observations of gliding to a tree, an understorey plant or to the ground. On the remaining occasions, gliders were lost from view before any information was recorded. Most (91%) feeding observations occurred in live eucalypts. When feeding in eucalypts, 61% of observations were of gliders searching under loose shedding bark and 32% were of gliders engaged in foliage gleaning. Foraging amongst loose bark is suggested to represent feeding on honeydew and arthropods while foliage gleaning is indicative of gliders engaged in feeding on manna, honeydew, lerps and arthropods. Nectar feeding was uncommon and only 3% of trees in which gliders were observed were flowering. In contrast, 42% of these trees showed signs of recent bark shed. Two observations were of gliders foraging on the ground, suggesting that arthropods may also be captured there. Comparison of the frequency of use of different tree species with the abundance of those species showed a highly significant preference for E. fastigata, while other species were used in proportion to their abundance. Analysis also showed that gliders used trees in the smallest of three size classes (<40 cm diameter at breast height) less often than expected on the basis of the abundance of these trees. Overall, gliders used the six different habitat types in the study area in proportion to their abundance but showed significant seasonal differences in the use of these habitats. These results permit consideration of the management requirements of the feathertail glider in the timber production forests of NSW. It is concluded that the requirements of this species are catered for by existing management prescriptions.

Home ranges of feral cats (Felis catus) in central-western New South Wales, Australia

2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn Molsher ◽  
Chris Dickman ◽  
Alan Newsome ◽  
Warren Müller
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Adult Cats

Twenty-one feral cats were radio-tracked using direct sighting and triangulation techniques (amassing 730 location fixes) during winter in an agricultural landscape in central-western New South Wales. Factors affecting home-range size, home-range overlap and habitat use were assessed. Mean home-range size was 248 ha (s.e. = 34.9, n = 15 cats, 598 location fixes). Home-range size and habitat use were not influenced by sex or age of adult cats, prey abundance or time of day. However, cat weight significantly influenced range size, with heavier cats having larger ranges than smaller cats. Although the cats are apparently solitary, their home ranges overlapped considerably, particularly between young adults and old adult cats. Cats were active both by day and night and did not occupy permanent dens. Home ranges encompassed mixed habitat types that provided both shelter and prey. Open woodland and open forest were the main habitat types covered by home ranges, but within these areas cats showed a preference for grassland, where rabbits were more abundant. The results recorded in this study indicate that cat-control programs should concentrate in mixed habitat areas, where both shelter and food are available, and over widely dispersed areas. The absence of group living suggests that the effectiveness of virally vectored fertility or biological control agents would be limited.

Variation in wood density of Pinusradiata in New South Wales, Australia

1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Wilkes
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Basic Density ◽  
Winter Rainfall ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Age Variations ◽  
Foliar Phosphorus ◽  
Extreme Difference ◽  
Phosphorus Levels

Basic density was assessed at 23 positions in stems of mature Pinusradiata D. Don growing at 22 sites throughout New South Wales. The most striking and consistent form of variation was within stem, where density increased appreciably in the centrifugal direction, e.g., by an average of 44% over the first 26 rings at breast height. Less obviously, a basipetal increase occurred low in the bole in tissues of a given formative age. Variations in density between trees on a single site frequently exceeded 20%. The extreme difference between sites was approximately 20%, with 20 of the stands differing by less than 11%. Across the sites, density tended to vary positively with rainfall in the summer months (R2 = 0.27–0.29), and negatively with foliar phosphorus levels (R2 = 0.16–0.31), winter rainfall (R2 = 0.10–0.19), and the productivity parameters of stem diameter (R2 = 0.21–0.26) and height (R2 = 0.14–0.24). Density was essentially unrelated to site temperature. Effects, particularly those of rainfall, are possibly mediated in part by the earlywood/latewood ratio in annual increments.

New records of Hastings River mouse Pseudomys oralis from State Forest of New South Wales pre-logging surveys.

2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
PD Meek ◽  
K McCray ◽  
B Cann
Keyword(s):  
New Records ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Ecological Studies ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Patchy Distribution ◽  
The Past ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Water Courses ◽  
New Evidence

THE Hastings River mouse Pseudomys oralis is one of the rarest of the pseudomyines and is patchily distributed across New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland, although it is believed to have been more common in the past (Watts and Aslin 1981). It is currently listed as ‘endangered’ at both State (NSW) and Commonwealth levels and there have only been three ecological studies of the species (Townley 2000; Keating 2000; Meek 2002a). One interesting aspect of Pseudomys ecology is their patchy distribution across the landscape (Watts and Aslin 1981), even where habitat appears unaltered and undisturbed. Historically, P. oralis was believed to be widely dispersed, preferring creek and gully habitats dominated by Cyperaceae and Juncaceae species (Read 1993a; Pyke and Read 2002). New evidence indicates that water courses are not as important as previously believed with animals being trapped across a range of topography and habitat types (Townley 2000; Meek 2002a).

Population ecology of the eastern pygmy-possum (Cercartetus nanus) in a montane woodland in southern New South Wales

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie M. Harris ◽  
Ross L. Goldingay ◽  
Lyndon O. Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Population Ecology ◽  
New South ◽  
Local Population ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
The Body ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Nectar Feeding ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Cercartetus Nanus

The population dynamics of nectar-feeding non-flying mammals are poorly documented. We investigated aspects of the population ecology of the eastern pygmy-possum (Cercartetus nanus) in southern New South Wales. We captured 65 individuals over a 4-year period during 5045 trap-nights and 1179 nest-box checks. The body mass of adult males (mean ± s.e. = 24.6 ± 1.0 g) was marginally not significantly different (P = 0.08) from that of non-parous adult females (28.2 ± 1.9 g). Females gave birth to a single litter each year of 3–4 young during February–May. No juveniles were detected in spring of any year. Mark–recapture modelling suggested that survival probability was constant over time (0.78) while recapture probability (0.04–0.81) varied with season and trap effort. The local population (estimated at ~20–25 individuals) underwent a regular seasonal variation in abundance, with a decline in spring coinciding with the cessation of flowering by Banksia. A population trough in spring has been observed elsewhere. This appears to represent some local migration from the study area, suggesting a strategy of high mobility to track floral resources. Conservation of this species will depend on a more detailed understanding of how flowering drives population dynamics.

Foraging Behavior of Glossy Black-Cockatoos

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 467 ◽  
Author(s):  
MN Clout ◽  
MN Clout
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Seed Weight ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
High Ratio ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eucalypt Forests ◽  
Total Seed

The foraging behaviour of glossy black-cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus lathami) was studied in eucalypt forests near Eden, New South Wales, Australia, from June 1982 to February 1983. In this area, the cockatoos fed solely on Allocasuarina littoralis seeds that they extracted from closed cones, leaving characteristic feeding litter beneath favoured trees. The cockatoos bred in winter and apparently raised their young entirely on A. littoralis seeds. They spent 88% of the day foraging. The basis on which the cockatoos selected particular A. littoralis trees in which to forage was investigated. They chose trees with larger cone crops but showed no evidence of selecting trees on the basis of cone size. They concentrated their foraging in trees bearing cones with a high ratio of total seed weight to cone weight, which is an index of the potential return (i.e. seeds) from each cone-opening effort.

Activity budget of the regent honeyeater, Xanthomyza phrygia, in northern New South Wales

2001 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damon L. Oliver
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Breeding Birds ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
General Behaviour ◽  
Nectar Feeding ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Access To Food ◽  
Breeding Seasons

One of the suggested reasons for the decline of the endangered regent honeyeater, Xanthomyza phrygia, is a decrease in foraging efficiency and increase in competition for resources due to the loss, fragmentation and degradation of woodlands and other habitats in south-eastern Australia. This study investigated the general behaviour of regent honeyeaters over 26 months during breeding and non-breeding seasons at three distinct locations in northern New South Wales. At the three locations, regent honeyeaters spent, on average, 43–52% of total time foraging, 22–40% resting, 6–10% flying, and 1.8–2.9% involved in aggression. In the Bundarra–Barraba region, regent honeyeaters spent 24% of total time breeding. In 1994 in the Warrumbungle National Park, birds that fed primarily on nectar spent more time in aggressive acts than birds that fed mostly on lerp. In 1995 in the Bundarra–Barraba region, nectar-feeding birds spent significantly less time foraging and more time in aggressive acts than lerp-feeding birds. In 1994, regent honeyeaters at Howes Valley spent less time foraging and in aggression and greater time resting in the afternoon than at other times of the day. In 1996 in the Bundarra–Barraba region, birds spent the greatest amount of time in aggressive acts and the least amount of time resting in the morning compared with other times of the day. Non-breeding regent honeyeaters in the Bundarra–Barraba region spent more time foraging, less time resting and less time in aggression in 1995 than in 1996. Non-breeding birds, on average, chased other birds 12.5 times per hour compared with an average of 20 times for breeding birds. Regent honeyeaters displayed a behavioural repertoire and proportion of time in different activities that is typical of other honeyeaters. Overall, this study showed that regent honeyeaters are not consistently or frequently suffering from a lack of, or problems with access to, food.

Spatial and temporal differences in the foraging behaviour of birds in a mixed eucalypt forest and woodland on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry F. Recher
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Temporal Differences ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Spatial Differences ◽  
Avian Biodiversity ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Eucalypt Forests

ABSTRACT In Australia’s eucalypt forests and woodlands, co-habiting birds differ in the foraging manoeuvres or methods used to search for and take prey, the substrates and plants on which prey are found, and the heights at which foraging takes place. On the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, eucalypt forest and woodland birds foraged on different substrates between study plots, seasons, and years. As a result, the proportions of foraging manoeuvres differed in space and time as different foraging methods were used to obtain food from different substrates. Of the 32 species tested for the summer of 1980/81, 24 foraged differently between one or more of the three plots studied. In winter, nine of 15 species on two plots foraged differently between plots. Differences in foraging were found between seasons and/or years for 20 species, including when data from individual plots were combined to test for differences in foraging between summer and winter. Of 70 comparisons of foraging behaviour for individual plots, that is, excluding combined plot data, 50 differed between seasons and/or years. Significant spatial and temporal differences in foraging were recorded for all foraging guilds. Bark and foliage foragers differed most frequently between pairs of plots in all seasons and years, with aerial foragers showing the fewest differences. Between seasons and years differences were greatest among ground-foragers and foliage-foragers where respectively 76% and 80% of intraspecies comparisons on individual plots differed. The differences were the result of temporal and spatial differences in the types and abundances of foraging substrates and the prey available to foraging birds. Each species has its own unique requirements and management targeted at one or a few species will disadvantage others. Consequently temporal and spatial habitat heterogeneity is necessary for the conservation of avian biodiversity.

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