The black throated finch Poephila cincta was once
distributed from northern New South Wales to Cape York Peninsula.
These finches live in grassy woodlands dominated by eucalypts,
melaleucas or acacias near water. They mostly eat seeds of grasses,
and now survive principally on grazing lands where they build grass
nests on branches and in hollows of trees. For more information see
"
Grazing lands may be key to survival for rare native finch
".
There are two sub-species: the northern (black-rumped)
sub-species P. c. atropygialis which occurs from Mareeba
on the northern Atherton Tablelands and extends over Cape York, and
the southern (white-rumped) form P. c. cincta which ranged
from the Atherton Tablelands to the south. The northern sub-species
appears to be widespread and secure, but the southern sub-species
has disappeared from most of its range.
The southern subspecies of the black-throated finch is currently
listed as
'Endangered' under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). It is listed as
‘Endangered’ under the schedules of the NSW Threatened
Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act) and
‘Vulnerable’ under the Queensland Nature Conservation
Act 1992 (NC Act). In Queensland it now occurs only as one
reasonably large population around the Ross River Dam near
Townsville, and as scattered small populations in the
Townsville/Charters Towers region and south to Clermont.
A
National recovery plan for the Black-throated finch southern
subspecies ( Poephila c. cincta ) has been prepared
which identifies a number of threatening processes and management
actions to address them. The Queensland Recovery Team consists of a
team of volunteers and representatives of relevant government
agencies who work together to address issues related to the
conservation of the finch. The Team collates information on the
distribution and occurrence of the finch, and carries out annual
counts at suitable waterholes near Townsville on a weekend in
October each year. Sightings of the bird can be reported to Marnie
McCullough, the sightings Coordinator, at PO Box 1085 Townsville
4810, on 07 4722 2519 or at marnie.mccullough@dpi.qld.gov.au
.
Because of their conservation status, it is illegal to collect
black throated finches from the wild. Help the black throated finch
by reporting any activities you see that are likely to harm them or
their habitat to the Department of the Environment and Water
Resources - Compliance
and Enforcement Branch or freecall 1800 110 395 for more
information.
Project Update
The BDTNRM is now the Trustee of the Black Throated Finch Trust.
The Trust was established by Stockland to provide for protection of
black-throated finches and their habitat in the
Townsville-Thuringowa area. The Trust will support high priority
on-ground works in collaboration with Stockland, state and federal
government agencies, community groups and the Black Throated Finch
Recovery Team. The Management Committee derives its membership from
Stockland, the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Water
Resources, the Recovery Team, the Queensland Environmental
Protection Agency and Thuringowa City Council.
References
Bravery, J.A. (1970). Birds of the Atherton Shire, Queensland.
Emu 70: 49 – 63. Franklin, D.C. 1999. Evidence of
disarray amongst granivorous bird assemblages in the savannas of
northern Australia, a region of sparse human settlement.
Biological Conservation 90 , 53-68.
Garnett, S.T. (1993). Threatened and Extinct Birds of
Australia . Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union Report 82.
RAOU, Melbourne.
Garnett, S.T. and G.M. Crowley (2000).
Action Plan for Australian Birds . Environment Australia,
Canberra.
Jennings, WB; Edwards, SV (2005).Speciational history of
Australian grass finches ( Poephila ) inferred from thirty
gene trees. Evolution, 59: 2033-2047.
Isles, N. (2007). Black-throated Finch. B.Sc. Honours thesis.
James Cook University, Townsville.
McKeon, G.M., Cunningham, G.M., Hall, W.B., Henry, B.K., Owens,
J.S., Stone G.S. & Wilcox, D.G. (2004). Degradation and
recovery episodes in Australia’s rangelands: An anthology.
In : Pasture Degradation and Recovery in
Australia’s Rangelands – Learning from History
(Eds. G McKeon, W Hall, B Henry, G Stone and I Watson). Queensland
Department of Resources, Mines and Energy.
McNaughton, M. (2002). Australian Parrots and Finches.
Cameron House, Wingfield, Australia.
Mitchell, D. F. 1996. Foraging Ecology of the Black-throated
Finch . Master of Science thesis submitted to James Cook
University of North Queensland.
Morcombe M. (2004). Field Guide to Australian Birds .
Steve Parish Publishing, Archerfield Australia.
National recovery plan for the Black-throated finch southern
subspecies ( Poephila cinta. cincta ) Black-throated
Finch Recovery Team, Department of Environment and Climate Change
(NSW) and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. 2007. Report to
the Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Canberra.
Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW), Hurstville and
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Brisbane.
NRA (NRA Environmental Consultants) (2004a). North Queensland
Gas Pipeline Project: Assessment of Impacts on the Black-throated
Finch from the Clearing of Four Areas. Report to Enertrade, 5 May
2004.
NRA (NRA Environmental Consultants) (2004b). Follow-up Black
Throated Finch Investigations at Upper Ross River. Letter Report to
Enertrade, 16 June 2004.
NRA (NRA Environmental Consultants) (2004c). Black Throated
Finch Surveys: Section 1 to Section 4 of Significant Area Plan.
Five Letter Reports to Enertrade.
NRA (NRA Environmental Consultants) (2005a). Enertrade North
Queensland Gas Pipeline – BTF Studies
(Post-construction).
NRA (NRA Environmental Consultants) (2005b). Results of
Black-throated Finch Monitoring During the Construction of the
Upper Ross River Crossing. Letter Report to Enertrade, 3 February
2005.
NRA (NRA Environmental Consultants) (2005c). Black-Throated
Finch Survey and Assessment: Proposed Ross-Townsville South
Transmission Line. Report to Powerlink.
NRA (NRA Environmental Consultants) (2005d). Waterway Gardens:
Threatened Species Survey and Assessment. Report to Stockland
Development Pty Ltd.
NRA (NRA Environmental Consultants) (2005e). Waterway Gardens:
Black-throated Finch and Striped-tailed Delma Management Plan.
Report to Stockland Development Pty Ltd. Stockland Background
Briefing Paper to Support Administration of the Waterway Gardens
BTF Trust Fund 18 NRA Environmental Consultants 14 May 2007
NRA (NRA Environmental Consultants) (2006a). Distribution of
Black-throated Finch Habitat in the Townsville-Thuringowa Local
Government Areas – A Predictive Model. Report to Enertrade
and the Department of Environment and Heritage, October 2006.
NRA (NRA Environmental Consultants) (2006b). Review of the
Status of the Black-throated Finch at Waterway Gardens. Report to
Stockland Development Pty Ltd.
NRA (NRA Environmental Consultants) (2006c).
Black-throated Finch Survey and Habitat Assessment: Rocky Springs
Townsville . Report to Townsville City Council.
NRA (NRA Environmental Consultants) (2007). Review of the
Ecology, Threats and Management Requirements of the Black-throated
Finch ( Poephila cincta cincta ) to Support Assessment
Processes Under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act.
Olsen P, Silcocks A, Weston M and Tzaros C
(2006) ‘
Birds of woodlands and grasslands ’ paper for the 2006
Australian State of the Environment Committee, Department of
Environment and Heritage, Canberra.
Wieneke, J. (1989). Birds of Townsville and Where to Find
Them . Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland, Townsville
Branch.
Z ann , R. (1976). Distribution, status and breeding of
Black-throated Finches Poephila cincta in northern
Queensland. Emu 76: 201-206.