Invasive Species in Australia

Birds Australia has produced an annual State of Australia’s Birds (SOAB) report since 2003. The 2006 SOAB report is devoted to invasive species, and can be downloaded as a .pdf (2.6 MB) document by clicking on the "Birds Australia" link above, then clicking on "study birds" and "SOAB". As with previous SOAB reports, the coverage of the topic at hand is excellent. It covers not only invasive birds, but also other invasive plants and animals and their impacts on native birds. The report lists 12 species of nonnative introduced birds "that have established widespread populations in mainland Australia" and notes that another 8 "have established localised populations on the mainland or on Islands." I here list the chapter headings along with topics related to birds:

A. Invasive Species as Habitat Modifiers:

Pisonia fruits and Gould's Petrel: petrels are entangled in the sticky fruits of the introduced tree

An African grass introduced to Lord Howe Island smothers Flesh-footed Shearwater breeding habitat

B. Invasive Species as Predators:

Fox predation on ground birds

Rat predation on seabirds

Cats and birds

C. Invasive Species as Competitors:

Honeybees and birds

Bumblebees and birds

Introduced Galahs and Long-billed Corellas compete for nest cavities with local endangered species

D. Preventing Invasion:

Gardeners, weeds, and birds

Risk assessments for exotic birds

Feral bird incursions in Western Australia

E. Assessing the Threat from Established Invasives:

Cockatoo management in Victoria

Common Mynas and Noisy Miners and the decline of small birds in cities

Currawongs: cause or symptom?

F. Control of Invasives:

Requirements for successful eradication

Dealing with indigenous despots

Threatened birds and alien species: a NSW perspective

Local eradication of House Sparrows

G. Protecting Threatened Birds from Invasives:

What is a bird worth?

Norfolk Islands: invasives and extinctions

Integrated management: cats, rabbits, and petrels

Predator management for Hooded Plovers

H. Learning to Live with Invasives:

Invaders in the cities: terrorists or companions?

Predatory birds and cane toads