History of Sydney's birds

Seagull in city setting, Sydney © Australian Museum

Seagull in city setting, Sydney
Photo: R Major © Australian Museum

Coastal habitat, Sydney © Australian Museum

Coastal habitat, Sydney
Photo: D Priddle © Australian Museum

Harbourside park, Sydney © Australian Museum

Harbourside park, Sydney
Photo: J Fields © Australian Museum

Suburban habitat, Sydney © Australian Museum

Suburban habitat, Sydney
Photo: J Fields © Australian Museum

Sydney-wide summary

Eight species that were present between 1860 and 1900, but which are absent from Sydney now, are listed under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act. Another two threatened species which were not recorded between 1860 and 1900, are occasionally seen in Sydney today (Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Powerful Owl). Thirty-five species represented in the Museum's collections between 1860 and 1900 are no longer seen in Sydney, but 65 species that were not represented in early Museum collections are now common.

Find out which birds have been the 'winners' and 'losers' in Sydney's bird populations over time.

Winners

Parrots: Fifteen species of parrots were recorded in 2000 compared with just two species present in the collection between 1860 and 1900. Interestingly, the two latter species are no longer found in Sydney, and both are now listed as 'vulnerable' under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act (see Losers: Ground Parrot). Several of the parrots that are present today, but which were not present in Museum collections of the late 1800's were recorded in Sydney in the early 1800's by George Caley. Some were probably present in Sydney but were not collected, whereas others may have declined through the late 1800's due to land clearing. However, it seems unlikely that the virtual absence of parrots in the Sydney collection between 1860 and 1900 was simply a collecting oversight. The winners include the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Rainbow Lorikeet and King Parrot.

Large honeyeaters: Six species of honeyeaters were present in 2000 that were not recorded between 1860 and 1900, including the Noisy Miner, Red Wattlebird and Noisy Friarbird. Four of these six weigh more than 50 g, with an average weight for all new arrivals of 66 g compared with just 19 g for the eight species of honeyeater that have disappeared since 1900 (See Losers: Small honeyeaters).

Large carnivores: Large omnivorous (eating a range of foods) and carnivorous (meat-eating) species are characteristic of the urban birds we see today. These include the Grey Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Australian Raven, Laughing Kookaburra and Pied Currawongs. Nineteen such species were recorded in the 2000 Atlas data, but only six of these species, (including the Laughing Kookaburra and Pied Currawong) are represented in the Museum's bird collection between 1860 and 1900. In addition, nesting records of the Pied Currawong show that this species did not nest in the Sydney region until after 1960. This means that it is far more common in Sydney today than it was before 1900. No species of large carnivore, that was recorded in the pre 1900 data, is absent from the 2000 data.

Exotic species: Not surprisingly, the number of species introduced by humans has increased since European settlement. Before 1900, the only introduced species in the Museum's collections from Sydney were the House Sparrow and Spotted Turtledove. The Spotted Turtledove is now one of the most common birds in Sydney, but the House Sparrow may be declining. Another eight exotic species are well-established in Sydney today, including the Rock Dove (Common Pigeon), Common (Indian) Myna, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Nutmeg Manikin, European Goldfinch and European Greenfinch.

Noisy Miner: The Noisy Miner was not recorded in the Museum's Syndey collections between 1860 and 1900 but is now one of the most common and widespread native birds of Sydney. In the Birds in Backyards 2000 Survey, the species was recorded in 60 % of gardens.

Losers

Australian Bustard: When was the last time you saw an Australian Bustard in Sydney? Or in New South Wales for that matter? Australian Bustards are now listed as 'endangered' under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act. The specimen in the Australian Museum collection was collected from Kensington.

Ground Parrot: The ground parrot was one of only two parrot species recorded in the Musuem's Sydney collection between 1860 and 1900, and both of them (the Turquoise Parrot is the other) are now listed as 'vulnerable' under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act. Neither species is found within 100 km of Sydney today.

Birds of fertile soils: The Sydney region is founded upon two main soil types: sandstone-based and shale-based soils. Shale-based soils are more fertile and were more rapidly exploited by early settlers, resulting in the clearing of most of the 'Cumberland Plains' vegetation. Sandstone-based soils were less sought after and today, large patches of sandstone vegetation are protected within national parks. Birds that frequent vegetation types associated with sandstone are therefore more likely to persist in, or visit Sydney's suburbs from large natural areas, than are birds that frequent shale vegetation. Shale-frequenting birds that were not recorded in the Birds Australia Atlas within 10 km of Sydney up to 2000 include: Brown Tree-creeper, Hooded Robin, Diamond Firetail, Turquoise Parrot and Bush Stone-curlew. All these species appear on the schedule of threatened species in New South Wales.

Small honeyeaters: There are 16 species of honeyeaters in the Australian Museum collection between 1860 and 1900, all of which weigh less than 50 grams (average weight = 18.5 g). Eight of these species were still recorded in 2000, but eight were not, including the Regent, Fuscous, Scarlet, Tawny-crowned, and Crescent Honeyeaters. Of the losers, the Regent Honeyeater is now listed both in New South Wales and Australia-wide as an endangered species. Several of the large honeyeaters, notably the Noisy Miner, aggressively exclude smaller honeyeaters from their territories, and this is the most likely explanation for the loss of small honeyeaters.

White-fronted Chat: The Museum holds six White-fronted Chats collected from six different locations within 10 km of the city between 1860 and 1900 (including Chatswood). Chats are no longer encountered within 10 km of the city, and only two populations remain in the whole of the Sydney region - one at Newington Nature Reserve (Sydney Olympic Park), and one at Towra Point Nature Reserve (Botany Bay). This species prefers swampy areas, which once occurred in various locations in Sydney, but which have now been drained for residential development.

Bird watching: then and now

Choose an area to compare bird lists from 1900 and 2000.

Birds in Backyards