The research on the Gouldian Finch’s basic lifestyle is ongoing. We particularly need to know why so many juveniles are lost during the wet season and what the dynamics of the dry season nomadic phase are.
enough zoos with enough space to accommodate all the species requiring help. Furthermore, the zoos are better equipped and more likely to concentrate on the larger species which also provide a better public display, whereas private aviculturists largely tend to specialise in the smaller bird species. The research on the Gouldian Finch’s basic lifestyle is ongoing. We particularly need to know why so many juveniles are lost during the wet season and what the dynamics of the dry season nomadic phase are. By reading Dr Sarah Pryke’s papers, you will realise that the Gouldian has problems at each stage of its life cycle, all of which no doubt have compounded to exert downward pressure on numbers. However, the most significant problem has been man’s interference with habitat. Gouldian Finch
habitat is under threat from significant change created by cattle and land clearance for agriculture and mining, however the biggest threat of all are the annual wild fires which sweep through the landscape year after year. This is a relatively new phenomenon which has only occurred since European settlement and is dramatically changing the vegetative structure of the landscape.
In any change of habitat there are winners and losers. The vegetation which benefits from annual hot wild fires is proliferating whilst the plants which cannot stand this regime are declining. This in turn has an effect of the insects and animals which rely on the plants for sustenance and of course therefore the knock on effect right up the food chain. In the case of the Gouldian this change to the habitat, together
24 BIRD SCENE
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