Janelle L. Thomas

• Master of Wildlife Management
• Manager at BirdLife Australia

A shorebird that lives largely in the interior of a dry continent. A beautifully coloured bird that is so well camouflaged it seems to melt into the landscape. A rarely seen inhabitant of remote swamps that sometimes turns up in suburban wetlands.

Rabbits form a signifi cant component of the diet of the Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax, particularly in temperate mainland Australia. The breeding-season diet of this eagle species was studied on Kangaroo Island, South Australia – a large island lacking rabbits. Wedge-tailed Eagles at three nest sites consumed mostly mammals (67% of prey individu...

Distributional and habitat information on eight introduced bird species in north Sulawesi, Indonesia, is presented. The accounts are based on our observations as well as being gathered from published sources and unpublished trip reports. Three species (Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita, Sooty-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster and Red-coll...

The ecology of most of Sulawesi’s owl species is poorly known(Bishop 1989, Debus 2002, Fitzsimons 2010). The Speckled Boobook Ninox punctulata is one of four Ninox species that are endemic to Sulawesi and its satellite islands, although the recent discovery by Madika et al. (2011) could bring up this number to five. It occurs throughout the island...

Radio-telemetry was used to monitor movements and burrow usage by O. anatinus living in the Yarra River catchment, about 20 km east-north-east of the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria. The home ranges of six adult or subadult animals were 2.9–7.3 km (mean ± s.d. = 4.6 ± 1.6 km) long, with individuals travelling up to 10.4 km (males)...

Australia recently committed through the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to halt human-induced extinction of known threatened species and to reduce extinction risk of threatened species significantly by 2030. We review recent trends in extinction risk of Australian birds to provide context for current and future conservation ef...

The 2019–2020 Black Summer bushfires resulted in the conservation status listing and uplisting of many species because of the significant loss of species’ habitat, while also highlighting the lack of basic empirical data available for many of our threatened taxa. The Kangaroo Island Western Whipbird Psophodes nigrogularis lashmari and Western Bassi...

The catastrophic wildfires that swept across eastern Australia during the Black Summer of 2019-2020 were unprecedented in their size and impact on both biological communities and the environment. Although the scale of the South Australian fires were not as extensive as those experienced on the east coast their proximity to densely populated areas a...

Half of Kangaroo Island (KI) burnt in Black Summer, with lives, homes, businesses and assets destroyed in wildfires driven by catastrophic conditions. The environmental impact was devastating to wildlife and habitats. Several birds lost more than 70% of their area of occupancy. Those with small home ranges, or adapted to short bursts of flight, may...

Understanding how animals move through their landscape - to access food, shelter and breeding resources - is critical when managing wildlife, even more so for threatened species impacted by fire. The Black Summer fires of 2019-2020 burnt over 210,000 hectares on western Kangaroo Island, South Australia, leading to a number of the island's bird spec...

Kangaroo Island (KI) is Australia’s third largest island. It is not only a place of rugged beauty but also an important sanctuary for wildlife, being both fox - and rabbit free. As a stronghold for many threatened species, it is a place of global significance for birds and other wildlife, some of which are found nowhere else in the world. The entir...

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The northern population of the eastern bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus) meets the IUCN criteria for being ‘Critically Endangered’. Habitat loss and inappropriate fire has resulted in an 80% decline in the population since monitoring began in the 1980’s, and today the wild population stands at less than 40 individuals. Habitat management is help...

Volunteers and citizen scientists can make an important contribution to bird monitoring and threatened species conservation projects. Members of BirdLife Australia's Threatened Bird Network (TBN), a programme which encouraged community participation in conservation projects for threatened birds, were surveyed in 2013 to gain an insight into their d...

The conservation profession is increasingly seeking effective ways to reduce societal impact on biodiversity, including through targeted behavior change interventions. Multiple conservation behavior change programs exist, but there is also great uncertainty regarding which behaviors are most strategic to target. Behavioral prioritization is a tool...

Oyster Rock occurs in the Institut Islands/Montesquieu Islands in the Kimberley region, north-western Western Australia. Very few ornithological surveys of this island have been undertaken. We circumnavigated the rock on 23 April 2017 and observed the following species (and estimated numbers): Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii (at least 300), Greater C...

Wildfires fuelled by catastrophic fire conditions and below average rainfall swept across Kangaroo Island from the 20th of December 2019. Over several weeks, the fires burnt 210,606 ha, just under half of the island, including the vast majority of Flinders Chase National Park and Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area. Wildfires at this scal...

The diet of the Mourning Gecko (Lepidodactylus lugubris) on Fiji is described as “insectivorous, eating small moths, ants, beetles, and other insects”, however, few species-specific details of prey type for L. lugubris are recorded. Here we describe the capture the consumption of an an emerald moth Thalassodes sp. (most likely T. chloropis) by L. l...

We describe two instances of a Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides caching a House Mouse Mus musculus in winter: (1) beneath ground vegetation, and (2) beneath a clod of earth in a ploughed field. As caching is seldom reported in this or other Australian falcons, we review reports of caching by Australian falcons, and by Northern Hemisphere kestrels...

Despite its widespread range overlapping with urban centres and agricultural areas of Australia, there are few published studies on many aspects of the ecology of the Jacky Lizard Amphibolurus muricatus in the wild, including its diet. We describe an instance of a Jacky Lizard foraging on abundant mating bibionid flies Bibio imitator amongst remnan...

The Grey Range Thick-billed Grasswren (Amytornis modestus obscurior) should be a miraculous story of a bird rediscovered. However, this obscure member of Australia's forgotten flock may be soon lost once again - this time forever.

The Threatened Bird Network is a unique national program aimed at saving Australia’s threatened birds through community engagement, citizen science and direct recovery management. The network provides a link between volunteers and threatened bird conservation projects around Australia, by advertising and promoting project volunteer opportunities. S...

Understanding what factors motivate participation in citizen science programs is crucial to the retention of participants and the ongoing success or viability of a program. Additionally, the motivations that drive initial participation may differ to the motivations that drive ongoing commitment. Citizen science programs therefore, may need to conta...

The Helmeted Honeyeater (Lichenostomus melanops cassidix) is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’, under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, due to its limited population size and restricted distribution. Starting in 1989, the Helmeted Honeyeater Recovery Program has reduced the threat of extinction of this taxon through...

Despite their vulnerable status, Powerful Owls can survive within major cities within their range; though increasing urbanisation is likely to impact their long-term persistence. Using citizen science, the Powerful Owl Project has monitored Powerful Owls in Sydney since 2011, providing detailed information on their ecology and breeding behaviour. H...

The Southeast Asian water monitor Varanus salvator is considered to be a generalist carnivore. Here, we describe an observation of a V. s. macromaculatus feeding on a dead adult Bornean bearded pig Sus barbatus barbatus in Borneo, and review other cases of V. salvator feeding on Sus species elsewhere in southeast Asia.

Emoia cyanura is an abundant and widespread skink occurring on many islands of the Pacific Ocean (Ineich and Zug 1991. Copeia 1991:1132–1136; Zug 2013. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands: A Comprehensive Guide. University of California Press, Berkeley. 306 pp.). On Fiji it occurs primarily in moderate to closed canopy forest but can occ...

Bronchocela cristatella is an agamid lizard inhabiting forests, forest edges, and gardens in southeast Asia (Das 2010. A Field Guide to the Reptiles of South-east Asia. New Holland Publishers, London. 376 pp.). It is generally insectivorous (Diong and Lim 1998. Raffles Bull. Zool. 46:345–359), consuming mayflies, beetles, flies, and ants, in additi...

An education guide for school children on the endangered birds of the Murray Mallee, south-eastern Australia

The Threatened Bird Network (TBN), established in 1996, is a national volunteer based program aimed at encouraging community participation in threatened bird recovery projects. TBN links community members with a range of opportunities (e.g. bird surveys, recovery programs, training workshops) to build the capacity and skills of volunteers and enhan...

Woodland habitats are rich areas supporting a diverse set of bird species. Over 33% of Australia’s land bird species are associated with woodland areas. The high profile Swift Parrot and Regent Honeyeater are just two of these species that depend on woodland areas.This booklet aims to help you identify woodland-dependent and common woodland species...

The Threatened Bird Network (TBN) is a national volunteer based program aimed at encouraging community participation in conservation tasks for threatened birds. Established in 1996, TBN has linked community members with a range of opportunities, such as bird surveys, recovery programs and training workshops. TBN has over 6000 members, who volunteer...

The Threatened Bird Network (TBN), established in 1996, is a national volunteer based program aimed at encouraging community participation in threatened bird recovery projects. TBN links community members with a range of opportunities (e.g. bird surveys, recovery programs, training workshops) to build the capacity and skills of volunteers and enhan...

Powerful Owls are found in eastern Australia and, despite their Vulnerable status, can survive within major cities, although increasing urbanisation is likely to impact their long-term persistence. Using citizen science, the Powerful Owl project has monitored Powerful Owls in Sydney for the last five years, providing detailed information on breedin...

The Murray Mallee provides habitat for six nationally-listed threatened species: Mallee Emuwren (Endangered), Black-eared Miner (Endangered), Regent Parrot (eastern) (Vulnerable), Red-lored Whistler (Vulnerable), Malleefowl (Vulnerable) and Western Whipbird (eastern) (Vulnerable). Fire is a major threat to many of these species as they require rela...

The Murray Mallee provides habitat for six nationally-listed threatened species: Mallee Emu-wren (Endangered), Black-eared Miner (Endangered), Regent Parrot (eastern) (Vulnerable), Red-lored Whistler (Vulnerable), Malleefowl (Vulnerable) and Western Whipbird (eastern) (Vulnerable). Fire is a major threat to many of these species as they require rel...

The Australian Painted Snipe Rostratula australis is one of Australia's most cryptic and unpredictable endemic wetland birds. Until the early 2000s, the Australian Painted Snipe was considered a subspecies of the widespread Greater Painted Snipe R. benghalensis. As a consequence, little was known about the species' ecology, abundance and distributi...

All species of swallow primarily forage on the wing although occasionally come to ground to take prey. There are only a few documented cases of Australian swallow species foraging while on the ground, and descriptions of foraging techniques in these instances are limited. Here we provide details of observations on ground-foraging of the Welcome Swa...

According to the major texts on Fiji’s birds, fish are considered to form only a small part of the collared kingfisher’s diet, and it appears that when fish are taken, this is only in mangroves and beachpools. This article describes systematic fishing by collared kingfishers in a deep inland freshwater body.

Wetlands across Australia have suffered dramatic loss and degradation of habitat since European settlement, particularly in the south-east regions of Australia. Ecological pressures such as river regulation, water diversion, land clearing and climate change have placed immense stress on wetlands. As a result, a number of birds reliant on these ecos...

Historically very little has been known about the cryptic Australian Painted Snipe Rostratula australis. In response to this paucity of information, the Australian Painted Snipe Project was initiated in 2001 by Birds Australia’s Threatened Bird Network and the Australasian Wader Studies Group. Through this project, a database of recent and historic...

Documents predation of Regal Striped Skink (Ctenotus regius) by Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus) in the mallee of northern Victoria

Live-trapping and radio-tracking methods were used to investigate the movements of Platypus Ornithorhyncus anatinus through a sizeable concrete culvert (45 metres long), which was built under a soil embankment as part of a flood mitigation system in Melbourne's southeastern suburbs. Five adult or subadult males were recorded crossing the embankme...

(1) Surveys undertaken in the Dandenong Creek catchment in the 1997/1998 field season resulted in the capture of 20 platypus: one animal along Clematis Creek, one animal in the upper reaches of Dandenong Creek (near the Liverpool Road Retarding Basin), two animals along Corhanwarrabul Creek (including one near the proposed route of the Scoresby Fre...

Northern Quolls with normal senses as well as quolls with the vibrissae cut or hands anaesthetised were videorecorded while they were reaching through a hole to obtain food pellets, and while they were catching crickets. Analyses of these recordings revealed that the wrist (ulnar carpal) vibrissae and the vibrissae on the upper lip provided informa...