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Breeding biology of a migratory Australian passerine, the golden whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis)

Version 2 2024-06-19, 14:37
Version 1 2023-02-08, 00:05
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-19, 14:37 authored by WFD Van Dongen, LL Yocom
The breeding biology of Australian passerines is characterised by long breeding seasons and the potential to produce multiple broods within a single season. However, many species undergo a yearly migration from their breeding sites to climatically milder wintering grounds. This migratory behaviour may impose constraints on the breeding biology of these species. We studied a migratory population of golden whistlers (Pachycephala pectoralis) at Toolangi State Forest, Victoria. Individuals typically arrived in early September, attempted to produce a single successful brood over a 3-month period and departed again in late April. Both site- and pair-fidelity were high, with an average of 66% of males returning to the same site, re-pairing with the same female in up to 100% of cases. Nest predation was common, with 45% of nesting attempts failing due to predation. Each pair initiated an average of 1.7 nests per season, resulting in an average of 1.2 fledglings per pair each season. The short breeding season and single-broodedness of the golden whistlers at Toolangi is atypical amongst Australian passerines and suggests that constraints may be imposed on species undergoing annual migration. In this regard, golden whistlers show more similarities to Northern Hemisphere migratory passerines than to the sedentary passerines of the Southern Hemisphere.

History

Journal

Australian Journal of Zoology

Volume

53

Pagination

213-220

ISSN

0004-959X

eISSN

1446-5698

Language

English

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Issue

4

Publisher

CSIRO PUBLISHING

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