An alliance of leading environment groups has expressed alarm at the state of Victoria’s native birds, following the release of research showing that a shocking two-thirds of woodland bird species have declined dramatically over the past five years. The research was undertaken by leading ecologists Professor Ralph MacNally, director of the Australian Centre for Biodiversity at Monash University, Professor Andrew Bennett and Dr Jim Radford from Deakin University and Dr Peter Vesk from the University of Melbourne. The extensive study was carried out across 30,000 sq/km of northern and central Victoria and revealed many woodland bird species, including honeyeaters, pardalotes, thornbills and lorikeets, were in sharp decline. The scientists believe the fall in numbers is due to climate change, particularly reduced rainfall, coupled with the extensive loss of habitat in the region over more than 150 years.

“The collapse in bird numbers strongly suggests the availability of food has crashed,” Professor Bennett said.

The flowering of red ironbark trees, which provide an important food source for nectar-feeding birds, has become less frequent because of the drought. In five of the past eight years red ironbark eucalypts have flowered little or not at all.

Most worrying, species thought to be secure, such as the Red Wattlebird and the Laughing Kookaburra, have declined as much or more than species already considered endangered. The study found little evidence of successful breeding, suggesting that there were no young birds to replace those that died. It also showed species had declined within large areas of bushland, including in national parks. Victoria Naturally Alliance spokeswoman Karen Alexander said the research findings were a dire warning that Victoria could be facing a wave of extinctions. Ms Alexander said there was a critical need to improve the quality of existing habitats and restore habitats especially in more fertile areas adjacent to existing bushlands. According to CSIRO, 30 per cent of Victoria’s animals and close to half our plant species are already extinct or threatened with extinction. And now climate change is hitting our remaining species hard. The group claims the research is a wake-up call for the State Government to put a major injection of funding into the protection and restoration of the natural environment.