Journal article
Compounding and complementary carnivores: Australian bird species eaten by the introduced European red fox Vulpes vulpes and domestic cat Felis catus
Bird Conservation International, Vol.32(3), pp.506-522
2021
Abstract
Two introduced carnivores, the European red fox Vulpes vulpes and domestic cat Felis catus, have had extensive impacts on Australian biodiversity. In this study, we collate information on consumption of Australian birds by the fox, paralleling a recent study reporting on birds consumed by cats. We found records of consumption by foxes on 128 native bird species (18% of the non-vagrant bird fauna and 25% of those species within the fox’s range), a smaller tally than for cats (343 species, including 297 within the fox’s Australian range, a subset of that of the cat). Most (81%) bird species eaten by foxes are also eaten by cats, suggesting that predation impacts are compounded. As with consumption by cats, birds that nest or forage on the ground are most likely to be consumed by foxes. However, there is also some partitioning, with records of consumption by foxes but not cats for 25 bird species, indicating that impacts of the two predators may also be complementary. Bird species ≥3.4 kg were more likely to be eaten by foxes, and those <3.4 kg by cats. Our compilation provides an inventory and describes characteristics of Australian bird species known to be consumed by foxes, but we acknowledge that records of predation do not imply population-level impacts. Nonetheless, there is sufficient information from other studies to demonstrate that fox predation has significant impacts on the population viability of some Australian birds, especially larger birds, and those that nest or forage on the ground.
Details
- Title
- Compounding and complementary carnivores: Australian bird species eaten by the introduced European red fox Vulpes vulpes and domestic cat Felis catus
- Authors/Creators
- J.C.Z. Woinarski (Author/Creator)A.M. Stobo-Wilson (Author/Creator)H.M. Crawford (Author/Creator)S.J. Dawson (Author/Creator)C.R. Dickman (Author/Creator)T.S. Doherty (Author/Creator)P.A. Fleming (Author/Creator)S.T. Garnett (Author/Creator)M.N. Gentle (Author/Creator)S.M. Legge (Author/Creator)T.M. Newsome (Author/Creator)R. Palmer (Author/Creator)M.W. Rees (Author/Creator)E.G. Ritchie (Author/Creator)J. Speed (Author/Creator)J-M Stuart (Author/Creator)E. Thompson (Author/Creator)J. Turpin (Author/Creator)B.P. Murphy (Author/Creator)
- Publication Details
- Bird Conservation International, Vol.32(3), pp.506-522
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press on behalf of Bird Life International
- Identifiers
- 991005540438907891
- Copyright
- © 2021 The Authors.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Sustainability; Harry Butler Institute
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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Source: InCites
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.35 Zoology & Animal Ecology
- 3.35.274 Wildlife Ecology
- Web Of Science research areas
- Biodiversity Conservation
- Ornithology
- ESI research areas
- Plant & Animal Science