Birds of the Shire of Northam, about 100 km east of Perth

Abstract

A systematic account of birds observed in the Shire of Northam between 1930 and 1973 is given. Three broad districts can be recognized in the Shire: forests in the west, the Avon valley in the centre and wheatbelt in the east. Annual rainfall decreases, eastwards across the Shire from 816 to 448 mm and varies cyclically. Clearing for agricultural purposes has destroyed and is still destroying much wooded habitat or forest. A marked frontier for some species runs through the Shire. Change of status in some species has clearly been caused by agricultural development and many species respond to change in rainfall.