From restoring a lost birdsong to protecting genetic diversity and improving habitat management, Australian National University (ANU) researchers are finding new ways to support threatened bird species.
The Difficult Birds Research Group investigates the threats facing some of Australia's most threatened birds, combining scientific research with practical approaches to conservation.
Restoring a lost song: the regent honeyeater
For the critically endangered regent honeyeater, the threat of extinction extends beyond declining numbers in the wild. The species is also at risk of losing its traditional song.
As populations shrink, young birds have fewer opportunities to learn from experienced males. Some instead adopt the songs of other species, putting at risk a distinctive song culture passed between generations.
Researchers from Ƶand Taronga Conservation Society Australia have shown that this loss can be reversed. Through song-tutoring experiments at Taronga Zoo Sydney and Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo, young zoo-bred males learned the traditional wild song from recordings and two wild-born male tutors.
Today, more than 50 per cent of zoo-bred males sing songs that closely resemble the historic wild song. Birds that learned the traditional song have also gone on to tutor the next generation, and the zoo population is now the only remaining source of this song.
“Hearing the zoo-bred birds sing their wild song for the first time was incredibly moving – like a piece of their identity coming back to life,” said Dr Joy Tripovich.
Alongside this work, researchers are protecting wild nests by locating breeding birds, fitting protective collars around nest trees to deter possums and goannas, and managing known nest predators at key breeding sites.
In a recent update, researcher Ross Crates reported that nine regent honeyeater nests had been located during what was shaping up to be a promising breeding season. Protecting these nests provides further opportunities to support breeding success and the species’ recovery.
Together, these efforts highlight why conservation must protect not only the number of birds that remain, but also the learned behaviours and breeding opportunities that help populations survive.
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Protecting the genetic future of the King Island scrubtit
With an estimated 100 birds remaining in the wild, the critically endangered King Island scrubtit is one of Australia’s most threatened birds. Confined to three isolated patches of swamp forest on King Island in Bass Strait, the subspecies faces growing risks from genetic isolation and inbreeding.
A research team led by ANU, alongside the University of Sydney, Biodiversity Maintenance Australia and Charles Sturt University, has completed a major study of the scrubtit’s genetics, health and habitat to identify ways to support its long-term survival.
By comparing the genetics of island birds with their mainland Tasmanian relatives, researchers confirmed that the three island populations are genetically isolated. They also found important differences in genetic diversity between sites, with The Nook retaining the greatest diversity and emerging as a priority for conservation.
The findings provide a scientific foundation for a potential genetic rescue program. Researchers have identified six possible locations for establishing a fourth population, alongside options for carefully moving birds between existing populations to improve genetic diversity and reduce the risks of inbreeding.
“This research gives us a clear genetic picture of just how isolated and inbred these tiny populations have become,” said lead researcher Dr Ross Crates from ƵDifficult Bird Research Group.
Researchers have also begun fitting birds with coloured leg bands to track individuals over time and support long-term monitoring. Together, these findings and ongoing efforts are helping guide conservation decisions and identify practical ways to give the King Island scrubtit a better chance of survival.
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Turning research into action: managing noisy miners
Protecting threatened birds also means understanding the environments in which they live. In Australian woodlands, research into Noisy Miner management is helping guide practical conservation decisions to support woodland bird diversity.
Working with BirdLife Australia, the Difficult Birds Research Group has contributed to a Noisy Miner management guide and an online spatial tool that allows landowners and land managers to assess their properties for threatened woodland bird diversity, habitat restoration potential and Noisy Miner habitat suitability.
The tool helps identify areas where management and restoration may benefit threatened species, including the regent honeyeater and swift parrot. By making spatial research accessible through an interactive map and site-specific reports, it helps land managers explore potential management options without needing specialist GIS expertise.
Research is also informing conservation efforts on the ground. In collaboration with NSW Local Land Services, the team is continuing to manage Noisy Miner populations in key regent honeyeater breeding areas in the Greater Blue Mountains, including the Capertee and Wolgan valleys, Goulburn River National Park and Widden Valley.
Together, the management guide, online spatial tool and fieldwork demonstrate how research can inform practical conservation decisions, helping direct management and restoration efforts towards places where they may benefit threatened woodland birds.
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Building the evidence for recovery
Every threatened bird faces a different challenge, from learning its song to maintaining genetic diversity and protecting its habitat. Understanding these challenges is the first step towards finding solutions.
Through careful research and long-term monitoring, Ƶresearchers are turning knowledge into practical action, helping guide conservation efforts and give threatened birds a better chance of survival.
