The Plains vagabond is a small, endangered bird with a fawn mark on its chest, found only in the dry grasslands of southeastern Australia. It is estimated that only 250 to 1,000 of these speckled birds remain in the wild, according to Bush Heritage Australia. The vagrant of the plains is browbeated with imminent extinction and is the only surviving species on its branch of the evolutionary tree.
To track this rare species of birds, fifteen vagrants were released to their native habitat in New South Wales (New South Wales), carrying tiny solar-powered backpacks equipped with satellite-based tracking technology, said a press release from the Minister of Environment and Cultural Heritage of the Government of New South Wales.
This is only the second time the birds have been released in New South Wales and is part of a joint government conservation effort between South Australia (SA), Victoria and New South Wales.
“This second return of the vagrants to their original habitat in New South Wales is the result of years of conservation work to bring the species back to the edge of the abyss,” New South Wales Environment Minister James Griffin said in the press release. “The vagrant is a small terrestrial bird that is particularly vulnerable to browbeat such as foxes and wild cats, as well as habitat loss in native grasslands. They are an integral part of the ecosystem, since their presence or absence is an indicator of the health of their natural habitat.”
As part of the “Save our Species” program sponsored by the Government of New South Wales — which has funded over a ten-year period — the vagrants were released to oolambeyan National Park, an important habitat for rare bird species.
Solar-powered backpacks can provide satellite data for up to two years. The trackers of previous backpacks only had a battery life of 12 weeks and could only be tracked with field transmitters.
“These vagrants carrying a solar backpack are paving the way for us to collect important data that will ultimately help us improve our conservation efforts for wild populations in the future,” Griffin said.
Before a drastic drop in numbers over the past decade, the lowland migrant was visible across eastern Australia, the Guardian reported. A large part of their well-known habitat is located on private land.
Quail-like birds have very specific habitat needs. The population is not able to provide for itself in droughts, when there are fewer insects and materials for making nests. But in times of extreme rains, an excess of weeds can cause birds to move, but researchers do not know where the endangered birds are going.
The fifteen released lowland hikers were from conservation programs – eleven from Taronga Western Plains Zoo in New South Wales, three from Monarto Safari Park in SA and one from Werribee Open Range Zoo in Victoria, the press release said.
“Three of the recently released birds are from monarto Safari Park, and this project is an excellent example of how our zoos in a number of JURISDICTIONS are working together with the help of private landowners to save a native species,” said Susan Close, Minister of Climate, Environment and Water of South Australia.Press release.
The second release in New South Wales follows a release of ten birds in March near Hay in New South Wales and 16 last year in Victoria, along with a national restoration initiative to bring the species back to the brink of extinction.
This is the very first version of plains wanderer that uses satellite technology to track endangered species, and the more we know about this elusive bird, the better the chances of successful conservation. This joint initiative is part of our record investment in the protection of our valuable biodiversity.
