critically endangered Capricorn yellow chat

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finchbreeder
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Joined: 27 Jun 2009, 20:00
Location: Midwest of West. Aust. Coast
Location: Midwest of West.Aust.Coast

A project for the Queensland finch Society?

The critically endangered Capricorn yellow chat could lose its habitat on Curtis Island within 20 years if sea levels continue to rise at current rates, researchers say.

The birds were reduced to just a couple of pairs 20 years ago, but numbers have rebounded to almost 40 on Curtis Island.

The increase has been attributed to an annual feral pig shooting program instigated in 2006 and the removal of cattle four years ago when the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service bought back a grazing lease.

But CQUniversity researcher Bob Black, who has been surveying the chat for 18 years, said the population increase may be short-lived.

"The future doesn't look terribly rosy because, within 20 years from now, they won't have enough good habitat to feed and breed," Mr Black said.

The chat is only found on three flat marine plains on the central Queensland coast, and since 2002 the sea level has risen 80 millimetres.

"Where they live is so close to sea level and they only live on treeless marine plains," Mr Black said.

"They basically have nowhere else to go as the rising sea tides push up the channel."

Although much of the plain on Curtis Island is still above sea level, the tides are higher and leave ponds that eventually dry out and create salt deposits.

Mr Black said when the ponds dried out, the salt deposits killed the vegetation.

There were four chat breeding sites with sedges when Mr Black and his team began their survey, but the sedges have disappeared from two of the sites.

"Eventually the chats will be pushed to the end of the plain and the habitat will no longer suit them," Mr Black said.

Mr Black also said the chats had moved almost two kilometres from their original habitat in the past 20 years.

It would be awful to lose this little bird.
LML
LML
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Rod_L
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Joined: 05 Mar 2018, 15:30
Location: Mandurah WA

They have the same problem with sea turtles and they brought in tonnes of sand via ship, and raised the level of a sand island so the eggs didn't drown. It made a huge difference to hatching and survival rates. Perhaps they can do the same thing for the birds. Basically make the islands bigger and higher.
death to all cats & ants
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finchbreeder
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Posts: 11489
Joined: 27 Jun 2009, 20:00
Location: Midwest of West. Aust. Coast
Location: Midwest of West.Aust.Coast

Maybe just dykes like in Holland to stop the sea?
LML
LML
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