SIMON Corbell says the Scarlet Robin has been declared a vulnerable species.

“The Scarlet Robin (Petroica multicolor) has undergone a serious long-term population decline in the ACT, based on direct observation, and this declaration formally acknowledges that,” Simon said.

The Scarlet Robin occurs widely in eucalypt woodlands and open forest in south-east Australia, particularly where shrubs, logs, coarse woody debris and native grasses are present, but is absent from open grassland where no trees remain.

“The Scarlet Robin is an iconic, well-known bird familiar to many Canberrans, so I am pleased that we are working to secure its long-term future in the ACT. The Scarlet Robin has also been declared vulnerable in NSW.

The ACT Flora and Fauna Committee previously identified the Scarlet Robin as vulnerable, meaning the species is at risk of premature extinction in the ACT region in the next 25–50 years as shown by a current serious population decline, based on historic and current records.

The Canberra Ornithologists Group’s Woodland Bird Monitoring Project documented this decline in the ACT and this has been confirmed through further research by an Australian National University post-doctoral fellow who made an independent analysis of data collected at 92 woodland sites over 14 years by the Canberra Ornithologists Group.

Adult and immature birds descend from the forested slopes into the more open valleys around Canberra in autumn, when they sometimes appear in suburban gardens and return to their breeding territories in the higher altitude open forests and woodlands in March and August.

“Petroica boodang orford” by JJ Harrison (jjharrison89@facebook.com) – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.