The Department of Environment and Science (DES) is monitoring fire-affected areas on K’gari (Fraser Island) for populations of the threatened ground parrot.
Ranger in Charge for the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), Linda Behrendorff said seven acoustic recorders had been deployed now that the ground parrot’s breeding season had begun.
Ms Behrendorff said the recorders would also help the Department monitor the recovery of other species.
“K’gari is home to more than 350 bird species, with many of them migratory, and the ground parrot is one of the least-sighted birds on the island,” she said.
“As its name suggests, it is a ground-dwelling bird that lives among coastal sedges, constructing nests at ground level and laying three to four eggs during the breeding season.”
Ms Behrendorff said the project had been conducted throughout the Great Sandy National Park since 2017 and aimed to assess the ground parrot presence in fen and heath areas, especially after fire events.
“So far on K’gari, the recorders have successfully captured the presence of ground parrots in the northern fire-affected areas including Wathumba and Moon Point swamp,” she said.
“This is a great outcome for the species and shows just how well the island’s wildlife, along with the flora, is adapting to fire.”
The Ranger in Charge said, in September, rangers would move the acoustic recorders to other locations to hopefully identify the range of the ground parrots.
“Ground parrots are renowned for vocalising in the period just after dusk and just prior to dawn, so the acoustic recorders are programmed to record for one hour just prior to sunset and sunrise,” she said.
“Our experts will listen to the recordings and estimate the population size and their range across the island.”
Ms Behrendorff said the project was part of the QPWS’s continuing study of fire-impacted areas on the island.
