Stochastic population models hindcast population trajectory and breeding history of an endangered parrot

ABSTRACT

Understanding the population dynamics of endangered species is crucial to their conservation. Stochastic population models can be used to explore factors involved in population change, contributing to the understanding of a species’ population dynamics. Norfolk Island Green Parrots Cyanoramphus cookii have undergone significant population fluctuations in the last 50 years. Since 2013, most nestlings hatched in managed, predator-proofed nest sites have been individually marked. These nests have been considered the primary source of population growth. Yet, in 2021, most adult birds were unmarked, raising the question of whether unmarked parrots have been entering the population through undetected breeding in natural nests, and to what extent. We modelled Green Parrot population growth between 2013 and 2021 using stochastic population models in VORTEX to explore the potential dynamics involved in the observed population growth. Basic models involving breeding only in managed nests produced population estimates between 158 and 266, whereas more complex models that included breeding in unmanaged nests, and accounted for the large proportion of unmarked birds, produced population estimates between 360 and 1,041. We conclude that natural nests may have played a significant role in the population growth since 2013. If this is the case, broad-scale predator control may be largely responsible. Furthermore, our study shows how population models may be used to infer underlying demographic processes and inform conservation strategies, even in instances of data scarcity. Our method can be applied to other threatened species, and may prove particularly useful for small populations whose population dynamics remain unclear.

KEYWORDS:

• Avian conservation
• breeding biology
• conservation ecology
• mark-resighting
• nest predation
• population ecology

Acknowledgments

Thanks to staff at Norfolk Island National Park for providing the nesting and banding records used for this study and to all park staff, past and present, involved in the collection of these data.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Author contributions

DG and RH conceived and designed the research; DG conducted the surveys; MW collected long-term data; DG and RH analysed the data; DG, RH, DS, NM, LO, PO, RC and MW wrote and edited the manuscript.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2023.2267606.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water through the National Environmental Science Program, by the Director of National Parks, and by an ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society PhD Scholarship. All fieldwork was performed under Australian National University Animal Ethics Committee approval (A2020_13) and Parks Australia wildlife research approvals.