Ecology and Conservation Biology of the Night Parrot

More than a century after the last confirmed sighting of a live Night Parrot, a small population of this legendary species was discovered in remote western Queensland. Almost nothing is known of its biology, ecology or the reasons for its sudden decline more than one hundred years ago. This project focuses on trying to unravel the mysteries of the Night Parrot. How do they survive in the arid landscape of central Australia, what are their resource requirements, how many more are out there, and what threatening processes are affecting them? Only with the answers to these questions will land managers be able to make decisions that will support the effect conservation of the Night Parrot.

Funding: APA (Australian Postgraduate Award), Bush Heritage Australia, Max Day Environmental Science Fellowship, Birds Queensland, National Environmental Science Program – Threatened Species Recovery Hub
Advisors: Assoc Prof James Watson, Assoc Prof Richard Fuller, Dr Steve Murphy, Dr Allan Burbidge