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Effect of an isolated bore on birds in the complex arid landscape of Faurisland, Shark Bay, Western Australia
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Effect of an isolated bore on birds in the complex arid landscape of Faurisland, Shark Bay, Western Australia

G.R. Fulton
Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, Vol.103, pp.79S-87S
2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70880/001c.129682
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Abstract

Artificial water points in Australian rangelands have had various adverse effects on native biota. In this study, the terrestrial avifauna of an isolated bore on Faure Island, Shark Bay, Western Australia, was evaluated for drinking and geographical abundance patterns. The bore is in a unique environment close to three major biological boundaries: biogeographical, vegetational, and climatic. The island is also of interest because marsupial species extinct on the mainland (e.g. boodieBettongia lesueur) have been re-introduced there. During a four-day survey, 1626 individuals from 20 bird species were observed. Of the species, 80% showed a gradient in relative concentration across the whole island, in the 100 ha around the bore and within the bore’s piosphere. Patterns of drinking and attendance at the bore are also reported. Some birds (e.g. Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes and Little Crow Corvus bennetti) increased their relative concentration near the watering point while others (e.g. Silvereye Zosterops lateralis and Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae) decreased. The null hypothesis that the bore had no impact on the distribution of birds was rejected.

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