1) Family name: Pardalotidae
2) Scientific name: Dasyornis
longirostris
3) English name: Western Bristlebird
4) Subspecies survival status:
Endangered (The few remaining small populations probably total fewer than
1,000 individuals. Though mostly within reserves, are all highly susceptible
to fire. By proposed new IUCN criteria categorized as Endangered [Ne probably
<500; ó5 subpopulations with Ne>100; fires could result in >50%
population reduction over 5 to 10 generations]).
5) Former distribution:.Coastal south-west
Western Australia near Perth and Albany.
6) Current distribution:
East of Albany between Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve and east of Waychinicup
River, and from 4 locations within the Fitzgerald River National Park.
7) Habitat: Dense closed heath
0.5-1.5 m high, sometimes with scattered patches of mallee eucalypts, though
more open heaths may be used if there are enough patches of dense shrubs
in the area. Swampy vegetation, predominantly sedges, and thickets may
be important as refuge after fires. Habitat at Two Peoples Bay can be reoccupied
after 4 years, though breeding may take longer. At Fitzgerald River the
species was not found in vegetation burnt less than 14 years previously.
8) Reasons for decline: Excessively
frequent burning (confirmed), clearance for agriculture (confirmed), destruction
of habitat by fungus Phytophthora (speculative). Local extinctions are
known to have occurred after fire and are almost certainly the main cause
of the contraction of range. This has been exacerbated by clearance for
agriculture. Management actions aimed at reducing fire frequency may have
resulted in the spread of Phytophthora within Fitzgerald River National
Park, though this has not affected areas occupied by the subspecies.
9) Conservation reserves on which subspecies
occurs: Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve: Mount Manypeaks Nature
Reserve; Waychinicup National Park: Fitzgerald River National Park:
10) Public land on which subspecies occurs:
Western Australia Water Authority Reserve 13807, Angove River Catchment,
Boulder Hill Shire Reserve, unvested Crown Land north of Mount Manypeaks
Nature Reserve and east of Waychinicup River.
11) Other land on which subspecies occurs:
Private land near Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve.
12) Is knowledge about subspecies adequate
for objectives and actions to be defined accurately? Yes.
13) Recovery plan objectives:
To ensure the continued persistence of the species throughout its current
range and assist its recolonisation of areas from which it has been extirpated.
14) Actions already initiated: a)
Ecological studies were conducted at Two People's Bay in the late 1970s
by CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology. b) A survey of the
populations in Fitzgerald River National Park was conducted in 1986 by
the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union; another brief survey was conducted
there in 1990 by the Department of Conservation and Land Management.
15) Actions required: a) Incorporate
into conservation reserves occupied habitats east of Albany, particularly
unvested Crown Land north of Mount Manypeaks Nature Reserve. b) Define
precise boundaries of existing population in Fitzgerald River National
Park to guide management actions and allow more precise monitoring. c)
Develop further and apply management guidelines to reduce spread of Phytophthora
and to suppress fire. d) Investigate habitat use in existing
sites. e) Establish assessment procedures for testing new sites.
e) Assess new sites and translocate birds to them. f) Make
assistance with translocation part of the Ranger Training Program for the
Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management
16) Organizations responsible for conservation
os subspecies: Western Australian Department of Conservation
and Land Management/Alan Danks.
17) Other organizations and individuals
involved: CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology/Graeme Smith,
Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union/Shapelle McNee.
18) Can the recovery plan be carried
out with existing resources? No.