BirdLife Australia (BirdLife Partner) is delighted by the
recent announcement made by Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke and NSW
Environment Minister Robyn Parker to commit $9 million to eradicate rodents
from Lord Howe Island.
Lord Howe Island,
a World Heritage Area and a globally significant Important Bird Area, is home
to 182 bird species, three of which are endemic – making it one of Australia’s
most important seabird islands.
However since
settlement, nine of Lord Howe Island’s endemic birds have become extinct due to
rats and other human-related pressures, and today at least 13 different birds
on Lord Howe Island are still threatened by
rodents, including the Nationally Vulnerable White-bellied Storm-Petrel and
Lord Howe Woodhen. Rats have also been implicated in the decline and extinction
of 13 invertebrate and two plant species.
The Lord Howe
Group is the only breeding site in Australasia for the White-bellied
Storm-Petrel, and one of only two Australasian breeding sites where the
Kermadec Petrel breeds; due to predation by rodents, neither species still
breeds on the main island, and they now only nest on Balls Pyramid, a small,
rat-free island offshore from Lord Howe Island.
Last year
BirdLife Australia committed
to a campaign to secure funding for the eradication of rodents from Lord Howe Island. Our State of Australia’s Birds 2010
highlighted the eradication of rodents from Lord Howe Island as a key priority,
and our Head of Conservation, Samantha Vine, wrote to all relevant
parliamentarians, calling for the eradication plan to be funded under the
‘Caring for our Country’ program. We asked our supporters to do the same.
Thanks to the
effort of everyone who did their bit, we will soon see the largest eradication
operation to be attempted on an inhabited island. It will have enduring
conservation benefits for biodiversity globally: at least 13 bird species, 49
floral species, 12 ecological communities, and plenty more will benefit. The
reduction in predation and resource competition will also increase the
resilience of all species on Lord Howe Island to the impacts of climate change.
Exciting news
indeed.
Lord Howe
Woodhen
The Lord Howe Woodhen - Gallirallus sylvestris - is a flightless
bird of the
rail family – Rallidae. It is endemic
to Lord Howe Island off the Australian coast.
Description
A large,
olive-brown, flightless rail with bright chestnut wings. Olive-brown body,
duller on underside. Indistinct, paler supercilium. Bright chestnut wings with
narrow, dark brown bars on primaries and primary coverts. Long, decurved, pink
bill, more brown towards tip. Red iris. Light pink-brown legs. Juvenile
similar, but iris initially dark.
Call
A loud, piercing,
repeated whistle, often as duet.
Food
Feeds on
earthworms, crustaceans, eggs and fruit.
Breeding
Woodhens mate for
life and are territorial. A mated pair will defend an area of approximately 3
hectares, with offspring being expelled from this area once grown. Egg laying
on Mount Gower occurs August to January, with the clutch size between one to
four eggs. The incubation period is 20 to 23 days and young birds are fully
developed at about 150 days.
Conservation Status – Endangered
This species is
listed as Endangered as it has an extremely small population which is
restricted to a tiny area of available habitat on one island. Conservation
efforts have resulted in the stabilisation of numbers which are estimated to be
around 220-230 birds.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours to create a tour for
you to see these endangered Rails.