Blue-faced Parrot-finch (Erythrura trichroa)

Conservation status

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Near threatened.

Migration and breeding season

The Blue-faced Parrot-finch is a partial altitudinal migrant in north-east Queensland. It moves to upland breeding areas during the wet season, from October, but the timing and duration vary between regions and years. As a Queensland Near Threatened species, use targeted surveys and conservative clearing controls where suitable habitat is present.

Breeding mode: Egg-laying bird. The female incubates and broods, while the male feeds the nestlings.

Average clutch size: About 4 eggs.

Maximum clutch size: Up to 8 eggs.

Incubation: About 15 days.

Fledging: About 21 days after hatching.

Post-fledging dependence: Parents continue feeding fledged young for 10 to 20 days.

Nest site and breeding frequency: Nest site and breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Wet-season timing, movement routes and breeding activity may vary between north-east Queensland uplands, lowlands and individual years, so suitable habitat should be checked before clearing in any month.

• Movement to north-east upland breeding areas: Movement to the north-east uplands occurs during the wet season from October, although arrival and departure dates are not fixed.
• Breeding in north-east uplands: Breeding is associated with the wet season after birds move into the north-east uplands.
• Eggs, nestlings and dependent young: Eggs and dependent young may be present during the wet-season breeding period, but the exact monthly sequence is poorly documented.
• Highest clearing risk: Treat October to December as the clearest documented risk period, and apply pre-clearing checks, progressive clearing and fauna spotter catcher controls throughout the wet-season breeding period.

Identification: Appearance and size

The Blue-faced Parrot-finch is a small, bright green finch with a distinctive blue face and red tail and rump. It is timid and can be easy to overlook in dense grass, forest edges and rainforest cover.

Adults have green to blue-green plumage, a deep blue forehead and face, and a red to rusty red-brown tail. Females are generally duller and slightly smaller, with a more rounded head.

Juveniles lack the blue face and are duller below. The species is usually about 13 cm long.

Australian subspecies: Erythrura trichroa macgillivrayi

Typical length: About 13 cm

• Look for a small finch with a strong blue facial mask, green body and red tail.
• The blue face is less obvious or absent in juveniles.

Identification: Calls and similar species

The call is a very thin, high-pitched note. Listen carefully in dense grass, bamboo and forest-edge vegetation, where the birds may remain concealed.

Specific similar species are not established in the available field information. Confirm records with photographs, good views or a clear recording where possible, particularly for juveniles.

• Use the combination of blue face, bright green plumage and red tail to support identification.
• Do not rely on call alone when visibility is poor.

Identification: Field signs

Direct sightings and call records are likely to be more useful than indirect signs. Specific droppings, nest, whitewash, stain and odour features are not established for this species.

Small feeding groups, movement through grass and brief flights into rainforest or dense cover may indicate nearby use of the site.

• Check grassy clearings, forest edges, bamboo patches and nearby rainforest cover.
• Record the direction of flight and the vegetation used when birds leave the clearing.

Distribution: Australian range

In Australia, the Blue-faced Parrot-finch is associated mainly with north-eastern regions. Australian records relate to the subspecies Erythrura trichroa macgillivrayi, found in south-east Cape York Peninsula and north-east Queensland.

The species occurs in north-eastern Australia, including Cape York Peninsula and north-east Queensland. It is associated with the north-east uplands during part of its seasonal cycle.

The species is mapped in Queensland and Tasmania for project and conservation purposes. The available distribution information identifies the Australian subspecies in Cape York Peninsula and north-east Queensland, rather than Tasmania.

Queensland status: Near Threatened under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992

Tasmania status category: Rare, the near threatened equivalent state category

• Queensland: south-east Cape York Peninsula and north-east Queensland, including upland areas.
• Tasmania: mapped under the relevant state listing information, but no specific Tasmanian population or locality is described here.

Distribution: Movement across the landscape

The species undertakes seasonal and nomadic movements and is a partial altitudinal migrant. In the north-east uplands, movement to breeding areas occurs during the wet season from October.

Birds may move between lowland moist forest, upland forest edges, grasslands and other suitable feeding areas. Treat apparently empty habitat as potentially seasonal habitat, especially where food and cover are connected.

• Consider both lowland and upland habitat when planning access tracks, laydown areas and clearing.
• Record the season, elevation, weather and vegetation condition for each observation.

Distribution: Overseas range

Outside Australia, the Blue-faced Parrot-finch occurs in parts of the western Pacific and New Guinea region. Across its broader range it uses tropical and subtropical habitats, including montane and lowland moist forest.

• Australian site assessments should focus on the local north-eastern subspecies and its habitat.
• Do not transfer overseas altitude or habitat observations directly to an Australian site without local confirmation.

Habitat: Vegetation and landform

On works sites, look for a mosaic of moist forest, forest edge, grassy clearings and dense grass or bamboo. Habitat value may extend beyond mapped core vegetation because the birds can use disturbed edges and several adjoining vegetation types.

The species uses subtropical and tropical moist forest, including montane and lowland forest. It is often associated with forest edges, grassy clearings, dense grassland with woody plants and bamboo.

In Queensland project assessments, eucalypt open forest to woodland has been identified as potential core habitat. Forested habitat outside that mapping may also have value.

• Inspect forest margins, regrowth edges and small clearings within or beside moist forest.
• Give particular attention to bamboo-rich areas and dense grass with nearby woody cover.
• Include gullies, foothills and upland forest margins in site checks where they occur.

Habitat: Habitat condition

The species can occur in disturbed habitat, but dense cover and connected feeding areas remain useful for assessment. A site with grass seed resources beside rainforest or forest cover may be more valuable than its broad vegetation class suggests.

Lowland and upland areas may be used at different times of year. Retain links between feeding clearings, forest edges and roosting cover where practicable.

• Map habitat as a mosaic rather than treating isolated grass patches and forest remnants as separate features.
• Record bamboo, dense grasses, woody edge vegetation, rainforest and nearby water or drainage features.
• Mark narrow habitat connections that could be severed by roads or construction compounds.

Habitat: Site assessment focus

The species is poorly known at many individual sites. Use habitat observations together with repeated visual and call searches, rather than ruling out occupancy from a single quiet visit.

A record in one habitat type should prompt checks of adjoining vegetation and likely movement routes.

• Search both the edge and interior of suitable habitat.
• Document recent fire, grazing, weed cover, clearing and seasonal grass-seed availability.
• Retain photographs and mapped notes showing the structure and condition of potential habitat.

Foraging habitat: Food plants and resources

Blue-faced Parrot-finches mainly feed on grass and bamboo seeds. They may forage from the ground, low vegetation and higher forest layers, so feeding habitat can span a clearing and its surrounding edge.

The diet includes grass seeds, bamboo seeds, small insects and figs. In Australia, birds have been recorded feeding on seeds of introduced grasses, including Signal Grass and Guinea Grass, as well as lantana and other recorded plant foods.

Food availability can influence group size. More birds may gather where seed resources are abundant.

• Search dense grass, bamboo stands, grassy forest clearings and weedy forest edges.
• Record flowering or fruiting figs and areas with abundant grass seed.
• Note whether recent slashing, fire, grazing or weed control has removed food resources.

Foraging habitat: Foraging behaviour

The species primarily forages by perching, with feeding also occurring by climbing and at ground level. It may use all levels of the forest, from the ground to the canopy.

Birds can move quickly between feeding patches and nearby cover. Watch the edges of clearings rather than concentrating only on open ground.

• Scan low perches, grass heads, bamboo and the lower forest edge.
• Pause at each patch to listen for the thin, high-pitched call.
• Track flight lines between feeding habitat and dense cover.

Foraging habitat: Works-site considerations

Clearing can remove both food plants and the cover used to reach them. Temporary disturbance may also reduce feeding use through dust, noise, lighting, altered drainage or weed control.

For a Near Threatened species, treat confirmed feeding areas and connected habitat as a planning constraint. Avoid unnecessary clearing and keep habitat patches connected.

• Map feeding patches before finalising clearing limits.
• Avoid clearing seed-rich grass and bamboo patches where they can be retained safely.
• Include food habitat in pre-clearance briefings for spotter catchers and plant operators.

Breeding habitat: Breeding information

The Blue-faced Parrot-finch breeds in north-east uplands after wet-season movement, with movement to these areas occurring from October. Nest placement and breeding-site features are not well established, so all suitable dense vegetation should be treated cautiously during the breeding period.

Females usually lay about four eggs, with up to eight recorded. Incubation averages 15 days, and young leave the nest at about 21 days. Parents may continue feeding fledged young for 10 to 20 days.

The male feeds nestlings and the female does most of the incubation and brooding.

Average clutch: About four eggs

Maximum clutch: Eight eggs

Incubation: About 15 days

Fledging: About 21 days

• Breeding timing is best treated as seasonal and regionally variable, with wet-season breeding in the north-east uplands.
• A fledged juvenile may still depend on adults after leaving the nest.

Breeding habitat: Features to inspect

The nest type and exact nest placement are not sufficiently established for routine field identification. Do not assume that the species nests only in hollows, trees or a particular structure.

Inspect dense grass, bamboo, woody edge vegetation and low forest cover for adults carrying food, repeated flights, alarm calls or dependent young.

• Search suitable habitat before clearing, especially from October through the wet season in north-east uplands.
• Watch for repeated adult movements to one concealed location.
• Stop and seek ecological direction if a nest, dependent young or persistent breeding activity is found.

Breeding habitat: Pre-clearance approach

A single inspection may miss a concealed nest or recently fledged young. Use experienced fauna spotter catchers, make a careful visual and acoustic check, and include adjoining retained habitat in the inspection.

Where breeding activity is suspected, keep machinery away from the location until the site ecologist determines the appropriate response under the project approval and Queensland wildlife requirements.

• Brief crews to report birds repeatedly entering dense vegetation.
• Avoid pushing animals into isolated habitat by staging clearing progressively.
• Record the location, vegetation, behaviour and photographs of any breeding evidence.

Sheltering habitat: Cover and roosting places

The species is inconspicuous and timid. It retreats into grasslands for cover and is reported to roost in rainforest, so shelter habitat may be close to feeding clearings and forest edges.

Look for dense grass, rainforest, bamboo and thick forest-edge vegetation that can conceal birds during the day or provide roosting cover. Roosting in rainforest is reported, while specific roost structures are not established.

Shelter habitat may be used even where birds are not feeding. Retain connected cover beside open feeding areas.

• Inspect dense grass and low woody vegetation beside proposed clearing.
• Check rainforest margins, gullies and sheltered patches for quiet roosting habitat.
• Map cover that links feeding clearings with larger forest remnants.

Sheltering habitat: Signs of use

Blue-faced Parrot-finches may remain still and difficult to detect before moving suddenly into cover. Repeated flushing from the same patch, calls from dense vegetation and small groups entering rainforest can indicate use.

There are no reliable species-specific descriptions of droppings, whitewash, odour or stains for routine site checks.

• Approach quietly and allow time for birds to emerge.
• Record the direction of escape and the cover used.
• Search adjoining vegetation after a bird disappears from view.

Sheltering habitat: Protection during works

Retain shelter patches wherever possible and avoid creating isolated strips of cover. Clearing boundaries should be marked before work starts and checked by the fauna spotter catcher.

Lighting, noise, dust, traffic and altered drainage can reduce the value of retained cover. Keep construction impacts within approved limits and maintain habitat corridors where practicable.

• Use progressive clearing so mobile birds can move towards retained habitat.
• Avoid unnecessary night lighting near rainforest and dense edge habitat.
• Keep workers and vehicles out of retained shelter areas.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main site risks are loss and fragmentation of moist forest, grassy feeding habitat and connected cover. Because the species is Near Threatened in Queensland, confirmed records and suitable habitat should receive a conservative response during planning and clearing.

Vegetation clearing can remove feeding patches, forest edges, roosting cover and potential breeding habitat. Roads, construction compounds and narrow clearing corridors can also interrupt movement between habitat patches.

Plan to avoid suitable habitat first, then minimise the area and duration of unavoidable disturbance. Keep clearing limits clear to plant operators and contractors.

• Retain rainforest, dense grass, bamboo and forest-edge mosaics where practicable.
• Avoid splitting connected habitat with roads, laydown areas or permanent infrastructure.
• Use progressive clearing and rehabilitation to reduce the period of habitat loss.

Threats: Disturbance and construction impacts

Noise, artificial light, dust, sediment, altered surface water and vehicle movement can reduce habitat use or increase direct risk. Vehicle strike is a particular concern where birds cross roads between feeding and shelter habitat.

Use site controls that reduce these impacts, with extra care near confirmed records and retained habitat.

• Use directional, shielded lighting and avoid unnecessary illumination of habitat.
• Control dust, sediment and contamination near forest edges and drainage lines.
• Manage vehicle speeds and routes through forested areas.
• Keep construction activity within marked limits.

Threats: Fire, weeds and pest animals

Fire regime changes, invasive plants and biosecurity incursions can alter grass, bamboo, forest-edge and rainforest habitat. Domestic cats and dogs can also threaten small birds around work areas and accommodation facilities.

Manage these risks through the project biosecurity and fire plans, with monitoring after disturbance and rehabilitation.

• Clean vehicles and machinery before entering clean habitat.
• Prevent weed seed and pathogen movement between sites.
• Keep domestic animals out of work areas and retained habitat.
• Use fire planning that protects rainforest margins and suitable dense cover.

Threats: Listing response on site

In Queensland, the species is Near Threatened under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. Near Threatened animals are protected wildlife, and tampering with a breeding place requires a species management program.

Treat a confirmed record, breeding activity or high-quality habitat as a matter for the project ecologist and relevant approval pathway before clearing proceeds. The same precaution is appropriate for mapped Tasmanian records, where the species is assigned the Rare category.

Queensland listing: Near Threatened

Protection implication: Protected wildlife; tampering with a breeding place requires a species management program

• Stop work at a suspected nest or dependent young and establish the approved response.
• Document records, habitat, behaviour and the area affected by proposed works.
• Escalate any breeding-place issue before disturbance.
• Scale survey effort to habitat quality, season, detectability and the extent of proposed clearing.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

The Blue-faced Parrot-finch is a shy, small finch that can be missed during routine fauna surveys. Search grassy forest clearings, forest edges, dense grass with woody plants, bamboo, rainforest edges and nearby roosting rainforest, with extra attention to moist upland habitat.

Map all potential habitat before fieldwork. Include eucalypt open forest and woodland, moist forest, rainforest edges, grassy clearings, dense grass, bamboo and connected forest corridors.

Check records databases, recent ecological reports, aerial imagery, fire history, clearing plans and seasonal water sources. Treat apparently suitable forested habitat as potentially usable because the mapped core habitat may not cover every habitat used by the species.

Identify habitat that may be used during altitudinal movement. The species is a partial altitudinal migrant and may move into north-east uplands during the wet season, from October, to breed.

Survey methodology: 2. Field detection

Survey during the early morning when birds are most active. Include quiet periods for listening, as the call is very thin and high-pitched.

Walk slowly through habitat edges, grassy clearings, bamboo patches and forest margins. Scan low vegetation and the lower forest because the species commonly forages by perching at about 0.96 m, while also using higher forest levels.

Use bird call playback only where permitted and where it will not increase disturbance. Stop playback if birds show stress, repeated alarm, displacement or unusual concentration around a suspected breeding place.

Survey methodology: 3. Seasonal and weather coverage

Undertake surveys in more than one season where the project may affect suitable habitat. Include the wet season, particularly from October, and the dry season when access and visibility may differ.

Repeat searches after rain or when grass seed and bamboo seed are available. Record whether birds are using uplands, lowlands, forest edges, clearings or roosting rainforest.

Avoid relying on a single quiet or windy visit. Defer listening surveys during strong wind, heavy rain or other conditions that mask the high-pitched call.

Survey methodology: 4. Records and evidence

Record the date, start and finish time, weather, observers, survey route, survey effort, habitat, vegetation condition and any limitations.

For every detection, record location, number of birds, behaviour, height, direction of movement, call type if known, feeding plants and whether birds entered dense cover or rainforest to roost.

Photograph habitat and, where possible, obtain photographs or sound recordings. Record flocks carefully because groups can occasionally contain 30 or more birds.

Map likely feeding areas, movement corridors, roosting areas and any suspected nest or breeding place. Separate confirmed records from calls, flyovers and unconfirmed observations.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Approvals and legal checks

Plan to avoid habitat loss first, then manage any unavoidable disturbance through approvals, timing and close field supervision. The Blue-faced Parrot-finch is listed as Near Threatened in Queensland, and Queensland breeding places have specific protection requirements.

Confirm the legal status of the affected population and work area before clearing. In Queensland, treat the species as protected Near Threatened wildlife under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.

Check whether clearing or disturbance may tamper with a breeding place. Obtain and follow a Queensland species management program, or other required approval, before works that may affect a breeding place.

The species is not listed under the Commonwealth EPBC Act on the available listing information, but complete an EPBC Act self-assessment and referral check for every project.

For Tasmanian records, confirm the record and population with the relevant authority before works. The Tasmanian Rare listing should be managed under applicable Tasmanian permit and approval requirements. The Australian subspecies, Erythrura trichroa macgillivrayi, is associated with south-east Cape York Peninsula and north-east Queensland, so do not assume that every mapped record represents that subspecies.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Avoidance and work planning

Redesign access tracks, pads and laydown areas to retain forest edges, grassy clearings, bamboo, dense grass, rainforest and connected habitat.

Keep clearing widths as narrow as practicable. Retain the Environmental Area and other native vegetation as habitat and movement corridors.

Avoid clearing during periods when birds are moving into uplands or breeding, unless the timing and controls have been assessed and approved. From October, increase vigilance for birds using north-east uplands.

Do not set an arbitrary species buffer. Establish a site-specific exclusion area around any active nest, breeding place, concentrated flock or important roost, based on the approval, ecologist advice and the level of disturbance.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Pre-clearance survey and exclusion

Complete a pre-clearance fauna inspection shortly before works. Search foliage, dense grass, forest edges, bamboo patches, rainforest margins and likely feeding areas.

Use an experienced ecologist or fauna spotter catcher to check for birds, nests, dependent young, concentrated activity and movement into cover. Inspect the full clearing footprint and the immediate retained habitat that may be affected by noise, lighting or access.

Mark approved clearing limits, exclusion areas, retained habitat and no-go access routes on the ground and in work plans.

If an active breeding place, nest, dependent young, roost or concentrated flock is found, stop work at that location and obtain advice on the required approval and management response before proceeding.

Before habitat disturbance: 4. Induction and readiness

Induct all workers on identification, the thin high-pitched call, likely habitat, no-go areas, speed limits, lighting controls and the stop-work process.

Provide the spotter catcher and supervisor with approval documents, contact details for the project ecologist, wildlife carer and regulator, and suitable transport and containment equipment.

Confirm who may handle wildlife. Only authorised and trained personnel may capture, handle or transport an animal.

Use a permit-to-clear system and verify clearing limits immediately before machinery enters each work area.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Sequential clearing

Clear progressively and give animals a practical opportunity to leave retained habitat. The spotter catcher must have authority to stop work whenever a bird, nest, breeding place or unexpected habitat feature is found.

Clear in small, connected stages toward retained vegetation, while keeping escape routes open. Do not surround animals with machinery or remove all cover at once.

Use a fauna spotter catcher during clearing. Inspect vegetation and ground cover before each stage, and pause machinery when birds move through the work area.

Avoid unnecessary night work, bright lighting and high noise near retained habitat. Use directional, shielded lighting and switch off lights when they are not needed.

Do not clear outside the approved footprint. Stop if clearing limits, habitat condition or animal use differs from the approved plan.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Wildlife encounters and breeding places

Stop work and establish an exclusion area if a Blue-faced Parrot-finch, active nest, dependent young, breeding place, concentrated flock or roost is found.

Keep workers, machinery and vehicles outside the exclusion area. Do not chase birds, remove vegetation around a nest or attempt to flush birds from cover.

Have the project ecologist assess the find and confirm whether a species management program, permit variation or other approval is required before work resumes.

Do not relocate a nest or breeding place unless it is specifically authorised and directed by the relevant authority and qualified wildlife personnel.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Handling and injured animals

Allow healthy birds to move away naturally wherever possible. Do not catch a bird merely because it is close to machinery if it has a safe escape route.

Only an authorised fauna handler may capture or handle a bird. Use a quiet, low-stress approach and place the bird in a secure, appropriately ventilated container if handling is necessary.

For an injured or distressed bird, stop nearby work, reduce noise and light, prevent further contact and contact the project ecologist and a licensed wildlife carer or veterinarian.

Do not release an injured bird or move a healthy bird to an unapproved location. Follow the direction of the wildlife carer, veterinarian and relevant authority.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Daily records and stop-work reporting

Record each detection, capture, injury, nest, breeding place, roost, flock and stop-work event. Include time, location, habitat, activity, photographs, people involved and the action taken.

Record the approval or permit reference for any management response. Note whether the bird left unaided, was captured, was transported, was released or required treatment.

Report unexpected records to the site supervisor and project ecologist on the day. Escalate reportable incidents to the relevant regulator within the required timeframe.

Review clearing controls immediately if repeated birds are found, birds are moving into the work area, or habitat use is greater than predicted.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Immediate post-clearance checks

Post-clearance checks should confirm that no wildlife has been trapped and that retained habitat remains connected and usable. Use the results to improve controls for later clearing stages and future projects.

Inspect the cleared area, retained edges, stockpiles, trenches, drains and temporary structures after each clearing stage and before the area is handed to construction crews.

Check for injured or trapped birds, nests, dependent young, fallen vegetation containing nests and birds sheltering in remaining cover.

Close or cover hazards that could trap fauna. Maintain clear escape routes from excavations and temporary barriers.

Record the inspection, findings, weather, people present and any corrective action.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Relocated and treated animals

Confirm the destination and condition of every captured or relocated bird with the authorised handler. Record the release location, date, time and person responsible.

Release healthy birds only where the release is approved, habitat is suitable and the release will not expose them to immediate construction hazards or separate them from dependent young.

Track injured birds through the wildlife carer or veterinarian pathway until treatment, transfer or release is confirmed.

Do not use relocation to replace avoidance. Investigate why capture was needed and change the next clearing stage if the cause was preventable.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained habitat, forest edges, grassy clearings, bamboo and rainforest roosting areas during later construction stages and during the wet season from October.

Repeat searches if birds were recorded before clearing, if a breeding place was found, or if works affect an upland movement corridor. Set the frequency and duration through the approval and project risk assessment.

Report survey results, injuries, breeding places, incidents, permit conditions, habitat loss and rehabilitation progress to the project manager, ecologist and relevant authority.

Keep maps and records in the project environmental register so future work crews can see known habitat and exclusion areas.

After habitat disturbance: 4. Incident review

Review every stop-work event, injury, unauthorised clearing event and unexpected detection with the supervisor, spotter catcher and project ecologist.

Identify whether the cause was poor timing, inadequate habitat assessment, ineffective induction, lighting, vehicle movement, noise, machinery access or failure to maintain an exclusion area.

Update the clearing sequence, induction, mapping, approval controls and rehabilitation actions before the next work stage.

Close the incident only after corrective actions have been completed and recorded.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should restore the habitat features used for feeding, cover, movement and roosting. Give priority to native vegetation, connected forest edges, dense ground cover and low-disturbance conditions rather than installing structures that may not suit this species.

Reinstate native forest, woodland, rainforest edge and grassy clearing structure in disturbed areas that are not required for operation.

Restore dense native grass and woody cover, with a mix of ground, shrub and canopy layers. Retain or re-establish bamboo where it is a suitable native component of the local community and is approved for planting.

Reconnect retained vegetation patches and protect movement corridors between uplands, lowlands, feeding areas and roosting rainforest.

Use local provenance plants where practical and protect rehabilitated areas from machinery, grazing and repeated trampling.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Food plants, weeds and fire

Control invasive grasses and weeds that alter habitat, while retaining suitable native seed-producing plants. Do not introduce weeds such as lantana or exotic pasture grasses as a food source.

Manage fire under a site-specific fire plan. Protect regenerating forest edges, dense grass cover and rainforest margins from inappropriate fire intensity or frequency.

Inspect rehabilitation areas for weed, pest and pathogen spread. Clean machinery and apply the project biosecurity plan before entering retained or restored habitat.

Record plant establishment, ground cover, weed control and fire impacts during rehabilitation inspections.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Water, lighting and disturbance

Maintain natural drainage and avoid sediment, contamination and sudden changes to surface water across retained or rehabilitated habitat.

Keep artificial lighting away from forest edges, grassy clearings and rainforest roosting habitat where practicable. Use shielded, directional lighting, timers and motion sensors where lighting is necessary.

Reduce construction noise and vehicle movement near retained habitat. Design roads to limit barriers to movement and vehicle strike risk.

Retain quiet refuges with dense cover and avoid unnecessary access during wet-season use of upland habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Artificial structures and long-term monitoring

Do not install nest boxes, bat boxes, artificial nest sites or roost structures by default. The species' nest placement and use of artificial structures are not established, so such measures should be used only where a qualified ornithologist confirms that they suit the local population and an approval requires or supports them.

If an artificial structure is approved, define its design, location, installation method, inspection schedule, maintenance responsibility and removal criteria before installation. Do not place structures where they increase predation, disturbance or disease risk.

Monitor restored habitat for bird presence, feeding activity, movement, breeding behaviour, weed invasion, fire impacts and condition of forest edges. Include wet-season monitoring from October where the project affects upland habitat.

Set long-term success measures around retained habitat condition, connectivity and use by the species, not only the installation of structures. Review management if birds do not return or if rehabilitation creates new hazards.

Sources

• Spring birding in Australia - Birdata, BirdLife Australia: https://birdata.birdlife.org.au/spring-birding
• Flora and Fauna, Queensland Government: https://eisdocs.dsdip.qld.gov.au/KUR-World%20Integrated%20Eco-resort/EIS/chapters/chapter-8-flora-and-fauna.pdf
• Blue-faced parrotfinch - Wikipedia, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-faced_parrotfinch
• Blue-faced Parrotfinch - eBird, eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://ebird.org/species/blfpar3
• Occurrence records for the distribution map, Atlas of Living Australia: https://biocache.ala.org.au/