Register      Login
Marine and Freshwater Research Marine and Freshwater Research Society
Advances in the aquatic sciences
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > MF > MF09088
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 61(8)

Australian waterbirds – time and space travellers in dynamic desert landscapes

R. T. Kingsford A D , D. A. Roshier B C and J. L. Porter A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Australian Wetlands and Rivers Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of NSW, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.

B Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Institute for Land, Water & Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW 2640, Australia.

C Present address: School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic. 3217, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: richard.kingsford@unsw.edu.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 61(8) 875-884 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF09088
Submitted: 15 April 2009  Accepted: 18 November 2009   Published: 13 August 2010

Abstract

Australia’s waterbirds are mostly nomadic, capitalising on highly variable aquatic resources in the arid interior (70% of the continent) for feeding and breeding. Waterbirds, unlike most aquatic organisms, can move between catchments, exploiting habitat wherever it occurs. In Australia, patterns of resource availability for waterbirds are mostly pulsed with peaks of productivity, coinciding with flooding and differing in time and space, affecting individuals, species and functional groups of waterbirds. Australian waterbirds are no different from waterbirds elsewhere, with their behaviour reflecting broad-scale resource availability. They respond to changing patterns of resource distribution, with rapid movements at spatial and temporal scales commensurate with the dynamics of the resource. The most serious conservation threat to waterbirds is a bottleneck in resource availability, leading to population declines, increasingly forced by anthropogenic impacts. River regulation and other threats (e.g. draining) reduce the availability of wetland habitat and decrease the probability of viable resource patches. It is axiomatic that waterbirds need water and such population bottlenecks may occur when the availability of water across the continent is limited. The rehabilitation of regulated rivers with environmental flows and protection of naturally flowing rivers in the arid region are essential for long-term sustainability of Australia’s waterbird populations.

Additional keywords: breeding, environmental flows, movements, river management, wetlands.


Acknowledgements

We are indebted to the late Jim Puckridge for his insights into the flows of arid-zone rivers and the implications for their ecology. We thank Stuart Halse and Julian Reid for their comments, which improved this manuscript. This work was supported by the University of NSW and Charles Sturt University. Satellite tagging of black swans (Approval Authority 990615/01) and straw-necked ibis (Approval Authority 000626/02) were approved by the NSW Animal Care and Ethics Committee of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.


References

Arthington, A. H. , and Pusey, B. J. (2003). Flow restoration and protection in Australian rivers. River Research and Applications 19, 377–395.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Bailey P. C. E., Boon P. I., Blinn D. W., and Williams W. D. (2006). Salinisation as an ecological perturbation to rivers, streams and wetlands of arid and semi-arid regions. In ‘Ecology of Desert Rivers’. (Ed. R. T. Kingsford.) pp. 280–314. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.)

Balcombe, S. R. , Bunn, S. E. , McKenzie-Smith, F. J. , and Davies, P. M. (2005). Variability of fish diets between dry and flood periods in an arid zone floodplain river. Journal of Fish Biology 67, 1552–1567.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Barker R. D., and Vestjens W. J. M. (1989). ‘The Food of Australian Birds. 1. Non Passerines.’ (CSIRO: Melbourne.)

Bayliss, P. , and Yeomans, K. M. (1990). Seasonal distribution and abundance of magpie geese, Anseranas semipalmata Latham, in the Northern Territory, and their relationship to habitat, 1983–86. Australian Wildlife Research 17, 15–38.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Blackley R., Usback S., and Langford K. (Eds) (1996). ‘A Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia.’ 2nd edn. (Australian Nature Conservation Agency: Canberra.)

Boulton A. J., Sheldon F., and Jenkins K. M. (2006). Natural disturbance and aquatic invertebrates in desert rivers. In ‘Ecology of Desert Rivers’. (Ed. R. T. Kingsford.) pp. 133–153. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.)

Braithwaite, L. W. (1981). Ecological studies of the Black Swan. II. Colour and plumage changes, growth rates, sexual maturation and timing and frequency of breeding in captivity. Australian Wildlife Research 8, 121–133.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Brock M. A., Capon S. J., and Porter J. L. (2006). Disturbance of plant communities dependent on desert rivers. In ‘Ecology of Desert Rivers’. (Ed. R. T. Kingsford.) pp. 100–132. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.)

Brooker, M. G. (1993). Aerial counts of waterbirds on Narran Lake, New South Wales. Australian Bird Watcher 15, 13–18.
Dingle H. (1996). ‘Migration: The Biology of Life on the Move.’ (Oxford University Press: New York.)

Drent, R. , Both, C. , Green, M. , Madsen, J. , and Piersma, T. (2003). Pay-offs and penalties of competing migratory schedules. Oikos 103, 274–292.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Ford H. A. (1989). ‘Ecology of Birds.’ (Surrey Beatty: Sydney.)

Frith, H. J. (1959). The ecology of wild ducks in inland New South Wales. II. Movements. CSIRO Wildlife Research 4, 108–130.
Frith H. J. (1982). ‘Waterfowl in Australia.’ 2nd edn. (Angus and Robertson: Sydney.)

Gentilli, J. , and Bekle, H. (1983). Modelling a climatically pulsating population: grey teal in south-western Australia. Journal of Biogeography 10, 75–96.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Greenberg R., and Marra P. P. (2005). ‘Birds of Two Worlds: The Ecology and Evolution Of Migration.’ (Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MD, USA.)

Griffioen, P. A. , and Clarke, M. F. (2002). Large-scale bird-movement patterns evident in eastern Australian atlas data. Emu 102, 99–125.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Jaensch R. P. (1994). Waterbird breeding and populations in the Barkly Lakes Region in the 1993–4 wet season. Report to the Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory, Darwin.

Jenkins, K. M. , and Boulton, A. J. (2003). Connectivity in a dryland river: short-term aquatic microinvertebrate recruitment following floodplain inundation. Ecology 84, 2708–2723.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Kingsford R. T., and Porter J. (1999). Wetlands and waterbirds of the Paroo and Warrego Rivers. In ‘A Free-flowing River: The Ecology of the Paroo River’. (Ed. R. T. Kingsford.) pp. 23–50. (New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service: Sydney.)

Kingsford R. T., and Porter J. L. (2008). Survey of waterbird communities of the Living Murray Icon Sites – November 2007. University of New South Wales, Sydney.

Kingsford, R. T. , and Porter, J. L. (2009). Monitoring waterbird populations with aerial surveys – what have we learnt? Wildlife Research 36, 29–40.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Kingsford R. T., Bedward M., and Porter J. L. (1994). Wetlands and waterbirds in northwestern New South Wales. Occasional Paper 19. New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, Sydney.

Kingsford R. T., Thomas R. F., and Wong P. S. (1997). Significant wetlands for waterbirds in the Murray–Darling Basin. New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service report to the Murray–Darling Basin Commission, Sydney.

Kingsford, R. T. , Boulton, A. J. , and Puckridge, J. T. (1998). Challenges in managing dryland rivers crossing political boundaries: lessons from Cooper Creek and the Paroo River, central Australia. Aquatic Conservation: Marine & Freshwater Ecosystems 8, 361–378.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Kingsford R. T., Jenkins K. M., and Porter J. L. (2002). Waterbirds and effects of river regulation on the Menindee Lakes of the Darling River in arid Australia. New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, Sydney.

Kingsford, R. T. , Brandis, K. , Thomas, R. F. , Knowles, E. , and Crighton, P. , et al. (2004a). Classifying landform at broad landscape scales: the distribution and conservation of wetlands in New South Wales, Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 55, 17–31.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Kingsford R. T., Georges A., and Unmack P. J. (2006). Vertebrates of desert rivers: meeting the challenges of temporal and spatial unpredictability. In ‘Ecology of Desert Rivers’. (Ed. R. T. Kingsford.) pp. 154–200. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.)

Kingsford R. T., Brandis K., and Porter J. L. (2008). Waterbird response to flooding in the northern Murray–Darling Basin 2008. University of New South Wales, Sydney.

Klaassen M. (2003). Relationships between migration and breeding strategies in Arctic breeding birds. In ‘Avian Migration’. (Eds P. Berthold, E. Gwinner and E. Sonnenschein.) pp. 237–249. (Springer: Berlin.)

Lawler, W. , Kingsford, R. T. , Briggs, S. V. , and Milkovits, G. (1993). Movements of grey teal Anas gracilis from a drying, arid zone wetland. Corella 17, 58–60.
Marchant S., and Higgins P. J. (1990). ‘Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Vol. 1. Ratites to Ducks.’ (Oxford University Press: Melbourne.)

Matheson, W. E. (1976). A further irruption of native hens in 1975. South Australian Ornithologist 27, 270–273.
Munro U. H. (2003). Life-history and ecophysiological adaptations to migration in Australian birds. In ‘Avian Migration’. (Eds P. Berthold, E. Gwinner and E. Sonnenschein.) pp. 141–154. (Springer: Berlin.)

Newton I. (2008). ‘The Migration Ecology of Birds.’ (Academic Press: London.)

Nix H. A. (1974). Environmental control of breeding, post-breeding dispersal and migration of birds in the Australian region. In ‘Proceedings of the 16th International Ornithological Congress’. (Eds H. J. Frith and J. H. Calaby.) pp. 272–305. (Australian Academy of Science: Canberra.)

Norman, F. I. (1971). Movement and mortality of wood ducks banded in Victoria. Emu 71, 57–60.
Reid J. (2009). Australian pelican: flexible responses to uncertainty. In ‘Boom and Bust – Bird Stories for a Dry Country’. (Eds L. Robin, R. Heinsohn and L. Joseph.) pp. 95–120. (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)

Roshier D. A. (2009). Grey teal: survivors in a changing world. In ‘Boom and Bust – Bird Stories for a Dry Country’. (Eds L. Robin, R. Heinsohn and L. Joseph.) pp. 75–94. (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)

Roshier, D. A. , and Asmus, M. W. (2009). Use of satellite telemetry on small-bodied waterfowl in Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 60, 299–305.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Roshier, D. A. , Robertson, A. I. , Kingsford, R. T. , and Green, D. G. (2001a). Continental-scale interactions with temporary resources may explain the paradox of large populations of desert waterbirds in Australia. Landscape Ecology 16, 547–556.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Roshier, D. A. , Whetton, P. H. , Allan, R. J. , and Robertson, A. I. (2001b). Distribution and persistence of temporary wetland habitats in arid Australia in relation to climate. Austral Ecology 26, 371–384.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Roshier, D. A. , Robertson, A. I. , and Kingsford, R. T. (2002). Responses of waterbirds to flooding in an arid region of Australia and implications for conservation. Biological Conservation 106, 399–411.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Roshier, D. A. , Klomp, N. I. , and Asmus, M. (2006). Movements of a nomadic waterfowl, grey teal Anas gracilis, across inland Australia – results from satellite telemetry spanning 15 months. Ardea 94, 461–475.


Roshier, D. A. , Asmus, M. , and Klaassen, M. (2008a). What drives long-distance movements in nomadic grey teal Anas gracilis in Australia? The Ibis 150, 474–484.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Roshier, D. A. , Doerr, V. A. J. , and Doerr, E. D. (2008b). Animal movement in dynamic landscapes: interaction between behavioural strategies and resource distributions. Oecologia 156, 465–477.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |

Simmons, R. E. , Barnard, P. , and Jamieson, I. G. (1999). What precipitates influxes of wetland birds to ephemeral pans in arid landscapes? Observations from Namibia. The Ostrich 70, 145–148.


Walker, K. F. , Sheldon, F. , and Puckridge, J. T. (1995). A perspective on dryland river ecosystems. Regulated Rivers: Research and Management 11, 85–104.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Walker, K. F. , Puckridge, J. T. , and Blanch, S. (1997). Irrigation development on Cooper Creek, central Australia – prospects for a regulated economy in a boom-and-bust ecology. Aquatic Conservation: Marine & Freshwater Ecosystems 7, 63–73.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Whitehead, P. J. , and Saalfeld, K. (2000). Nesting phenology of the Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata: responses to antecedent rainfall. Journal of Zoology London 251, 494–508.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Wilson, J. B. (1999). Guilds, functional types and ecological groups. Oikos 86, 507–522.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Woodall, P. F. (1985). Waterbird populations in the Brisbane Region, 1972–83, and correlates with rainfall and water heights. Australian Wildlife Research 12, 495–506.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |