Key Biodiversity Areas is a global program strongly supported by BirdLife Australia (read more here); designations provide a focus for conservation effort but are not legally binding. For the past few years, the Darling Downs group of BirdLife Southern Queensland has been acting as Guardian for the Key Biodiversity Area described as Bunya Mountains and Yarraman KBA.
This KBA comprises state land on the Bunya Mountains as well as 12 separate state forests and national parks centred on Yarraman and Blackbutt.
During 5-7 October 2024, the Darling Downs group conducted its first systematic surveys of birds in these Yarraman forests, to contribute contemporary records to Birdata and obtain information for its annual Guardian report on the KBA. On this warm to hot, mostly windy long weekend, from a base in Blackbutt four members visited five of the forests. Surveys were conducted from shire and forestry roads/tracks, applying standardised methods as recommended for Birdata.
Twenty-four surveys were completed, including 2ha-20minute searches (14, including a replicate) and 500m radius searches (2), as well as incidental records. Standardised surveys were made at a mix of existing ‘shared sites’ (5) as well as new sites (10), located in Benarkin (3), Pidna (2), Yarraman (4), Googa (4) and Mt Binga (2) forests.
Although not as high in altitude as the Bunya Mountains, sites surveyed in the Yarraman forests are around 400m to 500m above sea level and are situated in headwater catchments of the Brisbane and Burnett Rivers. Habitats include tall eucalypt open-forest and woodland dominated by ironbarks, tallowwood, common blackbutt and grey gum over a moderately dense sapling and shrub layer; as well as vine forest (a type of closed ‘rainforest’) with emergent hoop pines and/or eucalypts, and plantations of hoop pine. Of the 15 unique sites surveyed, 11 were in mature or transitional vine forest.
Some team members made brief forays into samples of vine forest, to look for ground-dwelling birds or evidence of their presence. Whereas most of the eucalypt forest was too dense at ground level for walking through, much of the vine forest was remarkably clear at ground level, under its closed canopy.
As shown in the table below, 90 bird species were recorded over the weekend in the Yarraman-Blackbutt area; 70 of these were recorded in standardised or incidental surveys in the forests and 20 others around Blackbutt town.
| Plumed Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna eytoni |
| Pacific Black Duck | Anas superciliosa |
| Australian Wood Duck | Chenonetta jubata |
| Australian Brush-turkey | Alectura lathami |
| Spotted Dove | Spilopelia chinensis |
| Brown Cuckoo-Dove | Macropygia phasianella |
| Wonga Pigeon | Leucosarcia melanoleuca |
| Peaceful Dove | Geopelia placida |
| Bar-shouldered Dove | Geopelia humeralis |
| Pheasant Coucal | Centropus phasianinus |
| Channel-billed Cuckoo | Scythrops novaehollandiae |
| Shining Bronze-Cuckoo | Chalcites lucidus |
| Fan-tailed Cuckoo | Cacomantis flabelliformis |
| Black-breasted Button-quail | Turnix melanogaster |
| Wedge-tailed Eagle | Aquila audax |
| Grey Goshawk | Accipiter novaehollandiae |
| Southern Boobook | Ninox boobook |
| Rainbow Bee-eater | Merops ornatus |
| Oriental Dollarbird | Eurystomus orientalis |
| Sacred Kingfisher | Todiramphus sanctus |
| Laughing Kookaburra | Dacelo novaeguineae |
| Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo | Zanda funerea |
| Galah | Eolophus roseicapilla |
| Little Corella | Cacatua sanguinea |
| Sulphur-crested Cockatoo | Cacatua galerita |
| Australian King-Parrot | Alisterus scapularis |
| Red-rumped Parrot | Psephotus haematonotus |
| Pale-headed Rosella | Platycercus adscitus |
| Rainbow Lorikeet | Trichoglossus moluccanus |
| Scaly-breasted Lorikeet | Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus |
| Noisy Pitta | Pitta versicolor |
| Green Catbird | Ailuroedus crassirostris |
| Regent Bowerbird | Sericulus chrysocephalus |
| White-throated Treecreeper | Cormobates leucophaea |
| Variegated Fairy-wren | Malurus lamberti |
| Superb Fairy-wren | Malurus cyaneus |
| Scarlet Honeyeater | Myzomela sanguinolenta |
| Striped Honeyeater | Plectorhyncha lanceolata |
| Noisy Friarbird | Philemon corniculatus |
| Little Friarbird | Philemon citreogularis |
| Brown Honeyeater | Lichmera indistincta |
| Blue-faced Honeyeater | Entomyzon cyanotis |
| White-naped Honeyeater | Melithreptus lunatus |
| Eastern Spinebill | Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris |
| Lewin’s Honeyeater | Meliphaga lewinii |
| Yellow-faced Honeyeater | Caligavis chrysops |
| Noisy Miner | Manorina melanocephala |
| Spotted Pardalote | Pardalotus punctatus |
| Striated Pardalote | Pardalotus striatus |
| Brown Gerygone | Gerygone mouki |
| White-throated Gerygone | Gerygone olivacea |
| Yellow-throated Scrubwren | Sericornis citreogularis |
| White-browed Scrubwren | Sericornis frontalis |
| Large-billed Scrubwren | Sericornis magnirostra |
| Brown Thornbill | Acanthiza pusilla |
| Yellow Thornbill | Acanthiza nana |
| Grey-crowned Babbler | Pomatostomus temporalis |
| Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike | Coracina novaehollandiae |
| Varied Triller | Lalage leucomela |
| Rufous Whistler | Pachycephala rufiventris |
| Golden Whistler | Pachycephala pectoralis |
| Little Shrike-thrush | Colluricincla megarhyncha |
| Grey Shrike-thrush | Colluricincla harmonica |
| Crested Shrike-tit | Falcunculus frontatus |
| Eastern Whipbird | Psophodes olivaceus |
| Australasian Figbird | Sphecotheres vieilloti |
| Olive-backed Oriole | Oriolus sagittatus |
| Pied Currawong | Strepera graculina |
| Australian Magpie | Gymnorhina tibicen |
| Masked Woodswallow | Artamus personatus |
| White-browed Woodswallow | Artamus superciliosus |
| Spangled Drongo | Dicrurus bracteatus |
| Willie Wagtail | Rhipidura leucophrys |
| Rufous Fantail | Rhipidura rufifrons |
| Grey Fantail | Rhipidura albiscapa |
| Torresian Crow | Corvus orru |
| Australian Raven | Corvus coronoides |
| Leaden Flycatcher | Myiagra rubecula |
| Satin Flycatcher | Myiagra cyanoleuca |
| Magpie-lark | Grallina cyanoleuca |
| Black-faced Monarch | Monarcha melanopsis |
| Apostlebird | Struthidea cinerea |
| Paradise Riflebird | Lophorina paradisea |
| Eastern Yellow Robin | Eopsaltria australis |
| Mistletoebird | Dicaeum hirundinaceum |
| Red-browed Finch | Neochmia temporalis |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus |
| Welcome Swallow | Hirundo neoxena |
| Silvereye | Zosterops lateralis |
| Common Starling | Sturnus vulgaris |
| Masked/White-browed Woodswallow spp | |
The most frequently recorded species, each with at least 10 records, were Lewin’s Honeyeater, Brown Gerygone, Golden Whistler and White-throated Treecreeper. Species with the highest number counted in any one survey were Masked and/or White-browed Woodswallow (high-flying) and Silvereye.
A suite of relatively uncommon bird species that are mostly confined to closed habitats such as vine forest, was recorded: Paradise Riflebird, Noisy Pitta, Green Catbird, Yellow-throated Scrubwren, and Little Shrike-thrush. One riflebird was especially vocal, possibly at a display perch. Black-faced Monarch, Crested Shrike-tit and Regent Bowerbird were showy birds each seen at more than one site. Others of interest were a male Satin Flycatcher (a rare passage migrant in our region) and a white-phase Grey Goshawk—initially looking like a cockatoo as it flew directly low towards us. Noisy Miners were recorded only in the town area. Other species noted in reconnaissance surveys of these forests two weeks beforehand included Rose Robin and Bush Stone-curlew.
Occurrence of Black-breasted Button-quail, a listed threatened species, was one of the main justifications for designation of this KBA. During the October surveys, feeding scrapes (‘platelets’) of fresh, recent and/or old age were found during brief sample searches at Googa SF (3 sites), Yarraman SF (3) and Benarkin SF (1). Moist droppings found in feeding scrapes at Googa and Benarkin forests indicated presence of these birds on the day of survey, though unsurprisingly no button-quail were seen.
The October 2024 activity has reconfirmed that the Yarraman forests support threatened and range/habitat-restricted bird species and a good diversity of other vine and eucalypt forest species. It has generated bird records from some forest blocks rarely if ever surveyed previously and laid foundations for a future, replicate survey program.
Thanks are due to QPWS senior ranger, Mark Casey, for advice provided to the BSQDD group in planning the surveys.
