A CANBERRA Ornithologist Group report, “Long-Term Trends in ACT Woodland Birds 1998-2019”, reveals declining trends in 32 bird populations.

For more than 21 years the Canberra Ornithologist Group has collected data from across 142 grassy woodland locations, monitoring each site four times a year.

The results indicate declining trends for 32, mostly small, bird species, 16 of which are regarded as common and woodland dependent birds.

These include Weebill, Grey Fantail, Superb Fairy-Wren, Rufous Whistler and three species of Thornbills.

On the other hand, the results showed significant increases of large-bird species, many common, habitat generalists, adapted to urban environments and birds associated with degraded woodland communities – including Pied Currawongs and magpies.

There was also an unexpected decrease in the “canopy feeder” groups, which includes insectivores and nectar feeders such as Honeyeaters.

The trend for the Noisy Miner, an aggressive, colonial native honeyeater showed a six-fold increase, the most of any species in the analysis.