Strategic management of Aleppo Pines on Lower Eyre

3.4.5 <strong>Aleppo</strong> <strong>Pines</strong> as an EPYTBC food resource
Field observations <strong>of</strong> EPYTBC feeding behaviour conducted since 1999 have identified the
following:
1. The EPYTBCs are highly adapted to forage on immature and un-opened <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine cones.
Dextrous use <strong>of</strong> their toes, beak and tongue allows the EPYTBC to efficiently strip seeds from
the cone. The birds also extract each seed from the wing and discard the wing.
2. Field studies conducted throughout the late 1990s show that EPYTBCs spend at least 75% <strong>of</strong> all
foraging time feeding on seeds from <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine cones in the breeding area (van Weenen
and Cooper 2000). More recent pre-fire observations suggest that this figure may be as high
as 85-90% for some breeding pairs (J Cooper, pers. comm.). Although not quantified,
observations <strong>of</strong> the birds’ foraging behaviour in their winter habitat suggests similar
dependence on <strong>Aleppo</strong> <strong>Pines</strong> as a major food resource.
3. During the breeding season, both individuals <strong>of</strong> a breeding pair have been observed foraging
on <strong>Aleppo</strong> <strong>Pines</strong> together, suggesting a reduction in sentinel behaviour and more efficient
foraging trips.
4. <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine foraging visits can last over 4 hours and EPYTBCs can generally consume the
seeds from eight pine cones in 1 hour. Some birds have been observed consuming the
average number <strong>of</strong> 235 seeds per cone (see Table 4, Section 4.2.2) in 2-3 minutes. If eight
cones can generally be consumed in an undisturbed 1 hour foraging visit, this equates to
potentially 3,760 seeds consumed by the breeding pair. This compares to 15 hakea cones
being taken (or 30 hakea seeds) in 30 minutes by the female only, as the male generally keeps
guard (J Cooper, pers. comm.).
5. Selection occurs both within and between stands <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> <strong>Pines</strong> in both the summer and
winter habitats. Differences in the structural form <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine utilised have been noted. In
the northern habitat, spindly, individual trees as short as 2-3 metres have been used, while
pines selected in the breeding area tend to be large (at least 6 metres high), full-bodied trees.
6. Eyre Peninsula Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos leave behind obvious feeding signs in the form
<strong>of</strong> characteristically chewed cones that are dropped around the base <strong>of</strong> the tree (Figure 6).
(Jane Cooper, past project <strong>of</strong>ficer, EPYTBC Recovery Team and local ornithologist, pers. obs. and
unpublished data).
Figure 6 Chewed <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine cones, characteristic feeding signs <strong>of</strong> EPYTBCs (Photos: Jason van
Weenen and Sarah Way)
<strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>management</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> <strong>Pines</strong> on Lower Eyre Peninsula to maximise biodiversity conservation outcomes 9