Justification This species is listed as Endangered because the breeding population is very small and declining, as it continues to face a multitude of threats in both its breeding and wintering ranges.

Family/Sub-family Psittacidae

Species name author (White, 1790)

Taxonomic source(s) Christidis and Boles (1994), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Identification 25 cm. Slim parrot with pointed wings and long, pointed tail. Adult male predominantly bright green with blue patch on crown and red frontal band, throat and undertail-coverts. Red blotches on flanks. Adult female slightly duller, most with prominent cream underwing-bar. Juvenile has pale orange bill and dark brown iris. Similar spp. Distinguished from Musk Lorikeet Glossopsitta concinna by red underwing-coverts, and from Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus by latter's scaly yellow underbody markings. Voice Often calls loudly however can also be quiet and cryptic. Calls have mellow piping tone, that differs from the harsher lorikeet calls. Hints Search areas of flowering blue gums in eastern Tasmania in summer, and eucalypts with lerps on the leaves or flowers within the mainland range during autumn-winter, especially box-ironbark forest.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

1,000-2,499

decreasing

12,400 km²

Yes

Range & population Lathamus discolor breeds during the austral summer in Tasmania, Australia, mostly along the south-eastern coast from St Helen's to Southport with a small breeding population in the north near Deloraine. After breeding, birds disperse throughout Tasmania before migrating north to mainland Australia for the winter. In most years, a large portion of the population winters in central Victoria, with a smaller number of birds wintering further afield⁵. However during periods of extreme drought in central Victoria, Swift Parrots undertake large-scale movements (up to 1,000 km) to drought refuge habitats in wetter coastal areas of New South Wales⁵. Small flocks are recorded in Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory on a regular basis⁵. The range in South Australia appears to have contracted, with only irregular recent records of small flocks or individual birds from the south-east of the state. In 1987-1988, the population was estimated at 5,000 birds and 1,320 breeding pairs, and in 1995-1996, at 1,000 breeding pairs. In 2001, the population was estimated to number less than 2,500 mature individuals¹.

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: In Tasmania, it is almost always associated with blue gum Eucalyptus globulus or swamp gum E. ovata when breeding. Flowering may be sufficient to support breeding in only three years out of every 10. Most breeding birds are found in remnant forest patches of less than 0.01 km². They nest in hollows of both live and dead eucalypt trees⁵. The most common tree species they use for nesting are stringybark Eucalyptus obliqua, white peppermint Eucalyptus pulchella and Tasmanian blue gum Eucalyptus globulus, white gum Eucalyptus viminalis, gum-topped stringybark Eucalyptus delegatensis and dead stags⁵. On the mainland, it lives in eucalypt forest and woodlands, mainly box-ironbark habitats on the inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range. Critical food resources occur within this habitat, principally nectar from prolific flowering species such as red ironbark E. tricarpa, grey box E. microcarpa, yellow gum E. leucoxylon and mugga ironbark E. sideroxylon, and lerp (sugary secretions from sap sucking insects on leaves⁵). During the winter the birds are semi-nomadic and visit a network of traditional sites in reaction to flowering events and lerp availability⁴. Its habitat use varies between years, depending on climatic conditions and the resulting food availability⁵. However it will also repeatedly use the same sites between years and often remain in winter foraging habitats for extended periods within a season⁵. In some years, urban landscapes containing indigenous or non-local flowering eucalypts are also readily used². The importance of larger trees as a food source has been shown in this species's breeding range³ and wintering range⁴, as such trees tend to offer a more reliable and abundant source of nectar.

Threats In Tasmania, breeding habitat is significantly reduced and fragmented through clearance of E. globulus for agriculture, residential development, plantation timber, sawlog production and clear-felling for woodchips. Over 50% of the original grassy E. globulus forest in Tasmania has been cleared³. Selective logging has resulted in the removal of larger trees from the remaining forest patches. Such patches are typically unfenced and exhibit poor regeneration³. Competition for remaining nest-sites with Common Starlings Sturnus vulgaris could be a problem along forest edges. Even with protection of remaining habitat (80% private land), maintenance and recovery may be limited by the dependence of breeding on an irregular nectar supply. It also suffers high mortality through collision with windows, vehicles and fences. On the mainland, clearance and degradation of habitat for agriculture, forestry and residential and commercial development has had the biggest impact⁵. Much of the preferred lowland habitat on the most fertile and productive sites has been cleared or substantially modified². Drought refuge habitats continue to be cleared and fragmented for coastal developments⁵. Remnants, including much of what currently exists in the conservation reserve system, have been heavily cut-over and degraded, and this practice is continuing in many areas, including hardwood production forests. This practice is considered to result in poor and unreliable nectar-sources through the reduction of large mature trees. Competition from large nectarivores may be exacerbated by forest fragmentation. In winter, the species relies heavily on public land that has been exploited for timber, honey and minerals⁴. Global warming threatens to alter habitat phenology and climatic conditions such that habitat availability may be significantly reduced⁵. The species is also threatened by disturbance, Psittacine beak and feather disease and illegal bird capture and trade⁵.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix II. Management actions completed or underway include regular population surveys in Tasmania and throughout the mainland range, utilising a large network of volunteers⁶ (coordinated by the Swift Parrot Recovery Team and the Threatened Bird Network), addition of areas of critical habitat to the conservation reserve system in Victoria, development and refinement of guidelines for forestry in E. globulus and box-ironbark forests (at identified priority sites), development of community awareness programmes and revegetation and habitat rehabilitation.

Conservation measures proposed Establish an annual monitoring programme to determine trends and breeding distribution under different climatic conditions. Conduct research on nesting distribution, breeding success and population viability. Identify nesting and foraging sites and migration routes and map them using GIS. Monitor the extent of habitat loss and alteration surrounding known sites. Develop a habitat phenology monitoring project. Establish incentive, conservation and management agreement and community projects each year for the protection, restoration or conservation management of habitat. Provide recommendations for the revision of threatened fauna manuals and forestry prescriptions when licence agreements are due for renewal in each state. Provide conservation information to key Local Government Areas. Produce spatial and temporal climate change models, review the potential influence of climate change on the species and identify future management strategies. Establish and maintain a collision database. Produce and distribute collision prevention brochures. Produce media releases each year for increased public awareness. Develop a monitoring protocol for Psittacine beak and feather disease and distribute information to all fauna rescue and state conservation organisations.

References Garnett and Crowley (2000). S. Bryant pers. comm. (2003). 1. Swift Parrot Recovery Team (2001). 2. C. Tzaros in litt. (2003). 3. Brereton et al. (2004). 4. Kennedy and Tzaros (2005). 5. D. Saunders in litt. (2007). 6. Saunders et al. (2007).

Further web sources of information

Australian Govt - Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000 - Recovery Outline

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Stephen Garnett (Birds Australia), Rachel McClellan (BirdLife International), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Contributors Sally Bryant (Parks & Wildlife Service, Hobart), Debbie Saunders (Department of Environment & Conservation, NSW), Chris Tzaros (Birds Australia)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Guy Dutson (Birds Australia), Stephen Garnett (Charles Darwin University), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Lathamus discolor. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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