The Vertebrate Fauna of Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve: Final

SCARLET ROBIN PETROICA BOODANG
EPBC Act: Not Listed TSC Act: Vulnerable Priority in Area: Low
Scarlet robin female. Photo © M.
Schulz
Scarlet robin male. Photo © N.
Williams
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Occurrence in the Survey Area
Uncommon visitor, with only two records in the Atlas of NSW Wildlife,
one being of low spatial accuracy and not displayed on the map below.
This species was not detected during the current survey. The single
accurate record is from the CRA surveys in 1998 and was from
sheltered forest along the Jenolan River, downstream from the caves.
The scarlet robin is listed in Eddison (2008) as uncommon and
seasonal. It is likely to be found within forested and woodland
environments. The lack of sightings and the fact that this species was
not detected during the current survey program suggests that JKCR
does not contain significant habitat for this bird.
Regional Conservation Significance
The scarlet robin is widespread in small numbers across much of the
region. There was a greater than 20 per cent decrease in the reporting
rate of this bird between 1984 and 2002 within the Sydney Basin
Bioregion and 31 per cent across the nation (Barrett et al. 2003).
Scarlet robin are reported reasonably frequently within the adjacent
Kanangra-Boyd and Blue Mountains NPs and it is widespread, though
not common throughout the Greater Blue Mountains. The primary
threats to this species exist off-park, these being habitat loss and
degradation. Due to the small number of records and the relatively small size of the reserve, JKCR
does not contribute significantly to the regional conservation of the species.
Threats in the Survey Area
The removal of fallen timber and dead standing trees and predation by feral cats and black rats. Also,
inappropriate fire regimes (e.g. high frequency fires), with the species requiring a mosaic of different
age classes, with a preference for drier forest types with reduced shrub cover (Higgins et al. 2006).
Management Considerations
Avoid the removal of fallen timber.
Avoid felling dead and hollow-bearing trees in dry forests as these are a scarce resource.
Aim for a mosaic of different forest age classes post
fire and avoid high frequency fires.
Control feral cats.
The Vertebrate Fauna of Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve