Current and Past Status of the Birds of Chiltern - a Box-Ironbark Forest in North-eastern Victoria

Abstract

The current and past status of birds is described from a box-ironbark forest and its immediate surrounds at Chiltem in north-eastern Victoria. The area is exceptionally rich in birds with 220 taxa being recorded from the district in historical times. Current observations and previously published observations indicate that at least seven species have become extinct since European settlement of the area. Eleven other species have declined and, if current trends continue, these species will soon become extinct in the study area. Only one native species has definitely increased in abundance since European settlement of the area; two others show recent increases which follow possible earlier declines.