Disturbance of Breeding Birds

Home

Some species of birds are highly susceptible to disturbance by people and their activities, and others are not so sensitive. For example, at one end of the scale is the Crested Shrike-tit. This striking and distinctive bird builds its deep, woven cup-shaped nest high in the outer foliage of eucalypts and other trees, but will readily desert the nest completely if disturbed by people coming too near, including birdwatchers. If this occurs late in the breeding season, the birds may not attempt to breed until the following breeding season. As the species is widespread in south-eastern Australia, this may not sound especially serious, but in areas such as northern and south-western Australia, and in the Mount Lofty Ranges of South Australia, where the species is threatened, any disruption to its breeding could have serious ramifications.

Similarly, Hooded Plovers are easily disturbed from their nests. As this species nests in shallow scrapes on sandy ocean beaches, it is often disturbed by sunbathers or people walking along the beach (with or without dogs). When disturbed, nesting or brooding Hooded Plovers leave their nest or young unattended, usually until long after the source of disturbance has left. This leaves the eggs or chicks vulnerable to all sorts of threats, including extremes of temperature (without the adults present to regulate the temperature of eggs or chicks by shading or warming them), being stepped on by unwary people or their dogs, and predation by gulls or crows. This is a very serious issue, as a low survival rate of young Hooded Plovers makes this an endangered species, especially as increasingly popular recreational use of ocean beaches mainly coincides with their breeding season. Birds Australia is currently conducting a project to monitor the effects of disturbance of beach-nesting shorebirds in southern Australia.

Not all birds, however, are as susceptible to disturbance. For example, Red Wattlebirds often build their nests in shrubs near sites of human activities, such as gardens and in parks, readily tolerate people walking to within a metre or two of the nest, and may scold the visitor before quickly returning to the nest.