Buff-breasted Buttonquail & Coxen’s Fig-Parrot declared Critically Endangered but is it too late?

The Queensland Government has pledged to work to save the Buff-breasted Buttonquail from extinction after upgrading its status to Critically Endangered, although the delay in doing so may mean the species misses out on crucial conservation funding. State authorities also upgraded the Coxen’s Fig-Parrot to Critically Endangered in government declarations published late last week. The upgrading of the buttonquail’s status is recognition of the view that the species is far more rare than is generally appreciated and indeed may be extinct. It is endemic to the savannah woodlands of Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula. North Queensland naturalists John Young (below) and Lloyd Nielsen in the late-1980s began reporting Buff-breasted Buttonquail from woodlands between the Atherton Tableland and Lakeland Downs at the southern end of Cape York. Since then, numerous records of the species from that region have been claimed, but no supporting evidence such as a photograph has emerged to support any report.

The University of Queensland’s Research and Recovery of Threatened Species group has been undergoing intensive surveys of this and other areas of Cape York in recent years to locate the species in a program headed by PhD student Patrick Webster. Webster and his colleagues have failed to find evidence of the presence of the species anywhere, but they logged numerous records of the closely related Painted Buttonquail (below). In March 2021, the group lodged a submission with the state’s Special Technical Committee detailing results from these surveys and urging the upgrading of the bird’s status to Critically Endangered. The submission was rejected, with state authorities arguing that more evidence was needed before taking that step. Last July, the group submitted a fresh submission.

At the same time, I reported in the pages of The Weekend Australian that a photograph of a nest (below) claimed by John Young to belong to belong to a Buff-breasted Buttonquail in fact was occupied by a Painted Buttonquail; the image had been manipulated to mask details of the nest. Soon after, I published an image which Young and Nielsen claimed to be of a Buff-breasted buttonquail which had not previously been released publicly . Most people who have seen the image say it is in fact a Painted Buttonquail. Although Young and Nielsen claim to have found numerous nests belonging to Buff-breasted Buttonquail and to have seen birds on many occasions, no images have been produced to support the claims.

The 20-month delay by Queensland authorities in upgrading the status to Critically Endangered meant the species was not included in the federal Government’s list of the 20 most endangered birds under its Threatened Species Strategy, so the buttonquail may miss out on funding for crucial conservation programs and research. The Queensland Department of Environment and Science said in a statement that it will continue to protect habitat known to be important for the species; work with partners to improve knowledge and understanding of the buttonquail; and implement management actions where possible to support the recovery of the species. As well, the department will continue efforts to control cattle, manage fire (including appropriate planned burn prescriptions) and manage habitat.

The department said it has determined that populations of both the Buff-breasted Buttonquail and Coxen’s Fig-Parrot were “extremely low”. This admission constitutes a major change of view on the part of state authorities that is welcome if overdue. In 2018, the state took the extraordinary step of downgrading the status of the fig-parrot from Critically Endangered on the basis that its estimated population of between 50 and 250 had not changed for many years. No evidence has surfaced to support this population estimate. Like the Buff-breasted Buttonquail, no evidence in the form of photographs, dead birds or solid follow-up observations has emerged to corroborate a single one of the many records of Coxen’s Fig-Parrot that have been accepted as genuine by state authorities. Again like the buttonquail, the fig-parrot (below) sadly may be extinct.

The bird has disappeared in the wake of the widespread destruction of subtropical lowland rainforest in south-east Queensland and north-east NSW. I have argued that an attempt be made to restore a substantial area of this endangered habitat by allowing hoop pine plantations in Imbil State Forest in the Sunshine Coast hinterland (below) – an area once frequented by the fig-parrot - to regenerate as rainforest, beginning with a small 200ha trial program. The Queensland Government and the timber industry rejected the proposal.

New Zealand Part 3: Orange-fronted Parakeet, NZ King Shag, North Island Saddleback on Blumine Island

A highlight of our 3-week trip to New Zealand was a visit to Blumine Island in the stunning Queen Charlotte Sound, part of the Marlborough Sounds that dominate the landscape of the South Island’s northern end. We had a delightful 6 days in the port town of Picton (below) where we were to hop on the ferry at the end of our stay to cross Cook Strait to the North Island.

Blumine Island has been cleared of predators, allowing for the reintroduction of several species that are today extremely rare and threatened elsewhere. It’s a wet landing so not a regular stop-off for tour operators. You need to arrange with the boat company beforehand to be dropped off and picked up. We had 2 hours on the island (below) - more than ample time to pick up the specialties - and used the company E-ko Tours. Be warned, the fares – like just about everything in NZ – are not cheap.

The boat takes you through the delightful scenery of the Marlborough Sounds.

We hadn’t not long left port when we encountered a pod of Dusky Dolphins, including a couple of females with small calves in tow.

We checked out a small colony of the endemic Spotted Shag on a. rocky outcrop.

The main seabirds about were plenty of Australasian Gannet (first image below), White-fronted Tern and Fluttering Shearwater (second image), with a few Sooty Shearwaters.

At another rocky outcrop we found one of the targets – the New Zealand King Shag, which is endemic to the Marlborough Sounds, with all of its nesting sites within a 50km radius. We had 5 birds at our first stop and another 9 at a second outcrop which they shared with a New Zealand Fur Seal. Another bird was seen flying near Blumine Island, giving a total of 15 seen.

We found the two targets on the island – Orange-fronted (or Mahlberg’s) Parakeet and South Island Saddleback – within 10 minutes of landing. A single parakeet was calling from scrub at the landing point and easily located (first image in this post). It was later joined by a second bird. Then another pair was found nearby, with one bird seen entering and leaving a nesting hole (below).

The saddlebacks were just as showy, putting on quite a performance around the small camping ground by the landing point.

New Zealand Bellbirds and New Zealand Pigeons were common and easy to see.

Before leaving Picton I checked out some wetlands nearby where quite a few Black-billed Gulls, another NZ endemic, were present.

As reported in the first post for this trip, I visited the Zealandia Reserve on the outskirts of Wellington to see Little Spotted Kiwi. I returned for a day trip to enjoy the resident Tuataras – an ancient reptile driven to the point of extinction before last minute intervention by the NZ authorities.

Also in the reserve were a few North Island Saddleback, until recently considered conspecific with its South Island counterpart , but the juveniles of the two species have very different plumages.

North Island Robins were common and vocal.

Takahe, another species brought back from the brink, has been introduced to Zealandia but the single pair there has yet to breed. I’ve seen this species previously in the South Island’s Murchison Mountains - the only place where a wild population survives.

A male Rifleman rounded up a fine trip.

New Zealand Part 2: Westland Petrel Flying High

Other than kiwis (following post) I was keen to catch up with a few other NZ birds I’d missed during my previous 6 or 7 visits to the country. One is an endemic breeding seabird, the Westland Petrel, which is an occasional visitor to Australian waters but one I’d missed on multiple pelagics. We had a few days in the delightful town of Punikaiki with its dramatic coastal scenery (below) and abundance of forest.

The petrels breed nowhere but in a 4km stretch of forest at elevations at between 50 and 250m within a couple of kilometres of the coast south of Punikaiki (below).

I positioned myself by Coast Road 5km south of the town at sunset near Scotsman Creek. The birds fly over here to reach their nests in the Te Ara Taiko Reserve after dark. About half an hour after sunset, between 50 and 70 petrels duly flew over at varying heights. Although getting dark they were clearly large, all dark Procellaria petrels. These birds are winter breeders and chicks are only just beginning to fledge now; many more birds fly over earlier in the breeding season.

While waiting for the petrels I saw a Shining Bronze-Cuckoo of the NZ-breeding nominate subspecies.

Although ticked, I was keen for more petrel encounters. Bruce Menteath runs petrel-viewing tours on his property which accommodates a couple of the 36 sub-colonies spread over a breeding area of 8 square kilometres. I met Bruce at sunset and walked the 200 stairs to a viewing platform used by petrels as a launching pad for returning to sea after feeding chicks. Bruce explained that birds usually land within 1 square metre of a favoured landing site and walk from there for 10-20 metres to the nest. Unfortunately we failed to see any adult birds – which was highly unusual - but Bruce showed me a well-developed chick in its burrow (below) on the way down. He refuses to accept payment if he fails to show clients an adult bird.

About 4000 petrels breed in the area and the total population is estimated at 10,000, so the birds appear to be holding their own. Locals do their bit by turning off street lights when newly fledged youngsters are at risk from vehicle and street lamp strike.

Other endemic NZ birds doing well around Punikaiki included Weka, which appeared to be everywhere. The species is one of the problem predators of petrel chicks and eggs. Weka (adult with chick below) on the trip generally were much more numerous than during my past visits to NZ, and were absurdly tame.

Grey Gerygone was abundant, as was the NZ Grey Fantail.

The charismatic Tui was all over the place.

So was the friendly Tomtit.

Two endemic ducks, NZ Scaup and Paradise Shelduck, were widespread and common, while Glenn saw a Blue Duck fly over at Arthur’s Pass, which we visited before Punakaiki and after arriving in Christchurch.

Variable Oystercatcher is common along the coast.

A thriving colony of White-fronted Terns can be enjoyed at close quarters at the Pancake Rocks south of Punakaiki.

After visiting Punikaiki and Picton (the subject of another post to come) we crossed from the South Island to the North Island across Cook Strait on the Islander ferry. I knew that at this time of year, Westland Petrels are quite common in Cook Strait and I saw several from the boat’s deck. Although quite distant, a couple were close enough for half-decent images (first and last in this post) and to clearly see the diagnostic bill features in the field.

New Zealand Part 1: On the hunt for Great Spotted and Little Spotted Kiwis

The five species of kiwi endemic to New Zealand have long been among my favourite birds. Unlike so many NZ birds, all five have managed to survive the predations of stoats and other introduced pests, although their populations are seriously depleted. Intervention by the NZ Department of Conservation and dedicated community-based conservation organisations has been instrumental in bringing kiwis back from the brink. I had previously had fantastic encounters with the North Island Brown and Okarito Brown Kiwis and wrote about them in articles about wildlife conservation in NZ for The Bulletin magazine and The Weekend Australian newspaper. I’ve just returned from a three-week trip to NZ with my partner Glenn where I hoped to do the same with two more species: the Great Spotted and Little Spotted Kiwis.

I started the hunt by heading out at night around Arthur’s Pass (above) high in the mountains of the South Island to listen and look for Great Spotted Kiwi, which is restricted to the island’s north-west. I heard a male calling briefly near the village but it was not interested in playback. More co-operative was a flock of Kea the next morning in the village centre (below).

We headed west of Arthur’s Pass to meet up with Kristy Owens and George Nicholas from the Paparoa Wildlife Trust, which is doing a magnificent job expanding the Great Spotted Kiwi population through a captive breeding and release program. Young birds are held in a 12ha forested “creche” near Atarau surrounded by a predator-proof fence until they are about 12 months old, when they are large enough to fend off stoats and other predators -which remain a threat to eggs and young birds – and can be released into the wild in the Paparoa Range of the west coast. A year after release, about 85% of birds are doing well.

Five birds were in the creche at the time of our visit, each weighing about 1.2 kilos and therefore almost ready for release. We radio-tracked one bird which leapt from cover and eluded us. Eventually we tracked down another kiwi (above) which Kristy gently extracted from a burrow it was sharing with a second bird. After weighing, measurements and other checks (below), the bird was taken back to the burrow.

Satisfactory as this encounter was, I was hopeful of further meetings with wild kiwis. We moved on to the west coast town of Punakaiki. I headed off at night to a well-known kiwi hotspot – Paparoa National Park, and Bullock Creek Road (below) which leads to it. Over several hours I heard a male and a female calling from the Inland Pack Track in the park and another male calling from the roadside. Then I saw a kiwi briefly before it disappeared in thick undergrowth. I heard 3 other male kiwis calling at different sites: on the main road south of Punakaiki where the Westland Petrel colony is located; on a nearby private property where petrels nest; and at the Waikori Road end of the Inalnd Pack Track. All up I saw 1 wild Great Spotted Kiwi and three others in the creche, and heard a total of 7 birds in different places, suggesting their population locally is not doing too badly.

We left the South Island for Wellington where I hoped to see the Little Spotted Kiwi on the 225ha Zealandia Ecosanctuary on the city’s outskirts. The reserve is owned by Zealandia, another private community group doing excellent work in the never-ending battle to protect NZ’s endangered wildlife. Described as the first reserve of its kind on the main islands, Zealandia is surrounded by a 8.6km predator-proof fence (below).

The project has reintroduced 18 species of wildlife back into the area, several of which had long been absent from the NZ mainland. Some, like the Kaka (below), had become extremely rare in the Wellington area but are now common thanks to the nesting and feeding haven provided by Zealandia.

Among the reintroductions is the Little Spotted Kiwi. About 150 kiwis thrive in the reserve (below) and the public has the chance to see one during guided nocturnal tours. I joined a tour and found it somewhat frustrating; more than half the time was during daylight and twilight hours, focusing on animals that can be more easily seen during the day. Our guides didn’t seem to be overly interested in locating kiwis.

Eventually, while watching semi-nocturnal Brown Teal moving up a streamline, I heard a rustle at my feet, looked down with my pencil torch, and there was a kiwi less than a metre away. It scratched about as it walked across my feet and a nearby track. By the time the rest of the group got on to it, the bird was moving away; these images were the best I could manage with the compulsory red filters on the guide’s torches. The guide was talking so much it was not possible to track what the kiwi was doing, but a memorable experience nonetheless.