Australia’s Indigenous rangers have played a vital role in discovering a previously unknown population of the night parrot, one of the continent’s rarest birds, which was believed to have been extinct for over a century.
A small population of these elusive yellowish-green parrots was first identified in 2013, and until now, it was thought that only a few dozen existed. However, a new study published in the journal CSIRO Wildlife Research has revealed that as many as 50 critically endangered night parrots may be living in the Ngururrpa Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) in the far east of Western Australia. This finding could potentially establish the largest known population of this extremely rare bird globally.
“The endangered night parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) is one of the rarest birds in Australia, with fewer than 20 known to occur in Queensland and, prior to 2020, only occasional detections from a handful of sites in Western Australia,” scientists noted.
In the study, researchers utilized an acoustic recorder known as a songmeter to gather evidence of night parrots at 17 out of the 31 locations they surveyed within the Ngururrpa IPA. They identified a total of ten roosting areas. The night parrot is known for being “highly secretive,” primarily living on the ground, and is mostly active at night. It only takes flight when frightened or in search of water.
Based on their survey, scientists estimate that there could be “at least 50 night parrots” residing in the Ngururrpa IPA, marking it as the largest known population of this elusive species in the world.
Satellite images indicate that one of the significant threats to the birds’ habitat is fire, which occurs in the surrounding sandplain country every 6 to 10 years. “The surrounding landscapes differ in their vegetation types and inherent flammability, indicating that fire is likely to be a more significant threat to night parrots,” researchers explained.
To assess the risk from predators, scientists employed camera traps and collected predator droppings to analyze their diets. While feral cats in the region pose a threat to the night parrots, researchers believe that dingo wild dogs, which prey on the cats, may be beneficial to the survival of the birds.
The study emphasizes the importance of predator control measures that do not harm the dingoes. “We recommend management that focuses on strategic burning to reduce fuel loads in the surrounding landscape, and limiting predator control to methods that do not harm dingoes,” researchers advised.
This discovery highlights the critical role Indigenous rangers and conservation efforts play in protecting one of Australia’s rarest birds.
