Skinks and burrowing crayfish as prey items of the Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis in south-eastern Australia
Valerie La May, Martin O’Brien, Con Boekel, Kathy Costello, Geoff Park, Sonja Ross
pp. 57-60
Abstract
This note describes five observations during 2014 and 2015 of predation by Eastern Yellow Robins Eopsaltria australis, on a burrowing crayfish Engaeus sp. and small skinks. This species feeds predominantly on terrestrial invertebrates and insects but these recent observations suggest that it is an opportunistic feeder.
References
Barker, R.D. & Vestjens, W.J.M. (undated) [c.1991]. The Food of Australian Birds, Volume 2: Passerines. CSIRO, Melbourne.
Boles, W.E. (2007). Family Petroicidae (Australasian robins). In del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D.A. (Eds). Handbook of Birds of the World, Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Editions, Barcelona, Spain.
Christidis, L. & Boles, W.E. (2008). Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Cogger, H.G. & Zwiefel, R.G. (Eds) (2003). Encyclopedia of Reptiles & Amphibians. Rev. edn. Fog City Press, San Francisco, California, USA.
Erken, H. (2014). Eastern Yellow Robin eating a Rose Shade Skink. Flickr. Available online: https://www.flickr. com/photos/cheap-thrillz/12944387974/in/photostream/ (retrieved 12 March 2015).
Ford, H.A. (1985). The bird community in eucalypt woodland and eucalypt dieback in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. In: Keast, A., Recher, H.F., Ford, H. & Saunders, D. (Eds). Birds of Eucalypt Forests and Woodlands: Ecology, Conservation and Management, pp. 333–340. Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union & Surrey Beatty, Sydney.
Higgins, P.J. & Peter, J.M. (Eds) (2002). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds, Volume 6: Pardalotes to Shrike-thrushes. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
Lea, A.H. & Gray, J.T. (1935). The food of Australian birds, part 2. Emu 35, 63–98.
Littlejohns, R.T. (1932). Unusual food of the Eastern Yellow Robin. Emu 31, 308–309.
Loyn, R.H., Faragher, J.T., Coutts, D.C. & Palmer, G.C. (2009). Bird responses to targeted revegetation: 40 years of habitat enhancement at Clarkesdale Bird Sanctuary, central-western Victoria. Australian Field Ornithology 26, 53–75.
Marchant, S. (1985). Breeding of the Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis. In: Keast, A., Recher, H.F., Ford, H. & Saunders, D. (Eds). Birds of Eucalypt Forests and Woodlands: Ecology, Conservation and Management, pp. 231–240. Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union & Surrey Beatty, Sydney.
O’Brien, M.B. (2007). Freshwater and terrestrial crayfish (Decapoda, Parastacidae) of Victoria: Status, conservation, threatening processes and bibliography. Victorian Naturalist 124, 210–229.
Ruppert, E.E., Fox, R.S. & Barnes, R.D. (2004). Invertebrate Zoology. 7th edn. Thompson, Belmont, California, USA.
Slater, P., Slater, P. & Slater, R. (2003). The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds. New Holland Publishers, Sydney.
Tzaros, C. (2005). Wildlife of the Box-Ironbark Country. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Wilson, S.K. & Swan, G.A. (2013). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia. 4th edn. New Holland, Sydney.