Premium
The ground parrot ( Pezoporus wallicus Kerr) in south‐eastern Australia: a fire‐adapted species?
Author(s) -
MEREDITH CHARLES W.,
GILMORE ALEXANDER M.,
ISLES ANDREW C.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
australian journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1442-9993
pISSN - 0307-692X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-9993.1984.tb01374.x
Subject(s) - biological dispersal , habitat , ecology , vegetation (pathology) , range (aeronautics) , geography , population , population density , biology , medicine , materials science , demography , pathology , sociology , composite material
The ground parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) has a coastal distribution in Victoria and has declined in range since European colonization. Its habitat consists of two major vegetation communities: coastal heathland and sedgeland. These are further divided into various sub‐communities. These habitats contained high densities of cyperaceous and restionaceous plants, the seeds of which form the bulk of the bird's diet. Seeds and small fruits of some dicotyledonous plants and grasses are also eaten. Seed production by sedges remains fairly constant over time in sedgelands but varies in heathland, depending on time since burning. This variation is reflected by parallel changes in ground parrot population density. Both long unburnt and very frequently burnt heathlands are unsuitable for ground parrots. The birds also require dense vegetation cover. Ground parrots appear to live in territorial breeding pairs with enforced natal dispersal. This is an adaptation to an environment where habitat is patchily distributed in space and variable in quality over time.