The City of Melbourne is calling on bird watching enthusiasts to contribute to a new citizen science project to track the native Superb Fairy-wren.
The project will collect vital data on the health, habitat and movement of the birds around the Parkville area.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said Parkville is blessed with some of Melbourne's best parks and gardens, which are home to an abundance of local wildlife.
"What better way to beat the lockdown blues than by getting outside and using part of your two-hour exercise period to help us study the curious little fairy-wren," the Lord Mayor said.
"We're calling on local bird watchers, both budding and experienced, to help us gather information which will directly contribute to the ongoing health and wellbeing of our local birdlife."
During permitted daily exercise, and in line with health restrictions, locals around Royal Park, Princes Park and Melbourne Cemetery are being encouraged to take note of:
- Fairy-wren sightings and locations,
- Movement patterns and behaviour.
Superb Fairy-wrens are small birds with a round body and long upright tail. Adult breeding males have bright blue and black plumage, while non-breeding adult males and females have greyish brown plumage.
Environment portfolio lead Councillor Rohan Leppert encouraged those living near Parkville to keep their eyes open for fairy-wrens.
"The Superb Fairy-wren is a small but colourful character which is easily identifiable, and a great species to study to gauge habitat quality. By better understanding the wren population around Parkville we will be able to better target our environmental projects in the area," Cr Leppert said.
"If you live in the areas surrounding Royal Park and Princes Park, I would encourage you to hop online and take part in this project."
The data collected will be used to locate the fairy-wrens so wildlife experts can safely capture and fit the birds with coloured leg bands. This will allow experts to identify individual birds and track their movements.
The project is the latest City of Melbourne's biodiversity study, in partnership with BirdLife Australia, RMIT University and the University of Melbourne.
Interested participants can record their observations via the Birdata App between September and November 2021.
