5 October 2016
Daniel
Natusch, University of Sydney
Let the
revels begin. Every summer, crowds of animals gather around trees at the
northernmost tip of Australia to enjoy a feast hosted by starling colonies.
Metallic
starlings (Aplonis metallica)
migrate each year from New Guinea to the tropical rainforests of north-east
Australia, where they stay from November to April. The birds return to same
patch each season, with up to 1000 individuals nesting communally in the same
tree.
As a
result, the areas underneath the nesting sites become the most diverse animal
hotspots in the world. Mammals, reptiles, amphibians and other birds congregate
to feed on seeds scattered by the starlings, as well as fallen eggs and chicks.
Bird
droppings enrich the soil, boosting insect populations and root growth, which
provide additional food sources.
An
eight-year study of 27 starling colony trees on Cape York Peninsula found that
they attracted 42 different species during the nesting season. Many species
were 100 to 1000 times more abundant under nesting trees than trees elsewhere.
“The
hotspots are spectacular,” says Daniel Natusch at the University of Sydney, who led the
study. “It is uncommon to have a single resource that attracts such a diverse
assemblage of species.”
We know
that other bird colonies attract animals, for example, penguins lure in
predatory seals, whales and sharks, but Australia’s starling colonies pull in
the highest number and diversity of species by far.
No comments:
Post a Comment