A report by BirdLife Australia, State of Australia's Birds 2015, showing a decline in the populations of some of Australia’s most common native birds, has been commended by the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability as an example of the priceless role played by citizen scientists.
“BirdLife Australia plays an invaluable role in monitoring our amazing birdlife,” Dr Sparkes said.
“By engaging bird lovers and using handheld devices with GPS, they are able to log and monitor species in real time with locational accuracy giving us a comprehensive picture of how our bird species are tracking.”
The State of Australia’s Birds report shows:
- A decline in icon species (willie wagtail, laughing kookaburra, magpie)
- Significant decline in common species along East Coast
- Significant decline in arid zones of 20 carnivorous birds
The report also calls for effort to establish why there is a decline.
“I look forward to reading the Threatened Species Strategy being released at the Threatened Species Summit at Melbourne Zoo to see what positive approaches are being taken to protect habitat and our birds,” Dr Sparkes said.