The bird fauna of Melbourne: Changes over a century of urban growth and climate change, using a benchmark from Keartland (1900)

The bird fauna of Melbourne has changed in many ways since the 19th century, and this paper documents some of these changes using Keartland's paper as a benchmark for the 19th century, along with our own experience for recent decades. Woodland birds declined substantially as woodlands were cleared in the 19th century, and several species became locally extinct. Farmland birds prospered and then declined as farmland was converted to housing. Some forest birds colonised gardens and parks as trees and shrubs matured through the 20th century. Planting of native shrubs has benefited some species such as Little Wattlebird, and complex competitive interactions between aggressive honeyeaters and other birds are involved in shaping the bird fauna and the ecosystem. Climate variability has played a role, with droughts encouraging waves of immigration. In recent decades there have been spectacular waves of colonising species from inland Australia (Galah, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Little Corella and Crested Pigeon), the eastern seaboard (Rainbow Lorikeet) and the western plains (Long-billed Corella). Introduced European birds declined substantially during the 1997-2010 drought. Conservation of native vegetation has been the main factor contributing to the high diversity still represented in Melbourne's bird fauna. (The Victorian Naturalist 128 (5) 2011, 210-231).