Downloads

Ozcranes Downloads presents a range of documents for download on research, conservation and information relevant to Brolgas and Sarus Cranes in Australia. We are indebted to the generous permission of authors and/or publishers to make this possible. Please note, copyright remains with the original authors. Many other articles can be read directly on Ozcranes thanks to authors' permission, check the Site Map for details.

New: Research project download

Kaytlyn (Skye) Davis has launched a new study to analyse Brolga DNA from shed feathers, download the project brochure for more information. Skye is calling for volunteers to collect feathers in northern and southern Australia, contact details are in the download:

New research downloads, 2020

Three recent papers cover Brolgas and Sarus Cranes on the Atherton Tablelands, far north Queensland and one reports new observations on Brolga diet (central Queensland).

Elinor Scambler, Tim Nevard, Graham Harrington, Ceinwen Edwards, Virginia Simmonds and Don Frainklin. 2020. Numbers, distribution and behaviour of Australian Sarus Cranes Antigone antigone gillae and Brolgas A. rubicunda at wintering roosts on the Atherton Tablelands, far north Queensland, Australia. Australian Field Ornithology 37: 87-99.

Elinor C. Scambler, John DA Grant and N. Glenn Holmes. 2020. First observations of Australian Sarus Crane Antigone antigone gillae pairs attending three young and the incidence of three-egg clutches in the Brolga A. rubicunda. Australian Field Ornithology 37: 105-111.

Elinor C. Scambler. 2020. Jim Bravery's cranes: Brolgas and Sarus Cranes on the Atherton Tablelands, 1920-1975. North Queensland Naturalist 50: 12-24.

Dunne HI, Scambler EC. 2020. First observation of a Brolga Antigone rubicunda preying on eggs and of water-kicking behaviour by Australasian Grebes Tachybaptus novaehollandiae as a nest-defence. Australan Field Ornithology 37: 119-123.

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Research by Dr George Archibald

Ozcranes is grateful to Dr George Archibald, renowned crane researcher and co-founder of the International Crane Foundation, for permission to post two historic papers on Australian cranes.

In 1972 on the Atherton Tablelands, Dr Archibald observed two apparent hybrids between Sarus and Brolga amongst Sarus Crane flocks. He christened the hybrid form ‘Sarolga’ and reported the discovery at a 1980 international symposium. The genetic and other interactions between Brolgas and Sarus in north Queensland were the subject of a PhD study by Tim Nevard», completed in 2019, Ozcranes page on the Sarolga is here».

On his 1972 trip to Australia Dr Archibald studied dry season ecology of Brolgas and Sarus, visiting Kununurra (WA), Townsville Town Common and the Atherton Tablelands. In the 1984 wet season, he returned to study Sarus Crane and Brolga nesting at Delta Downs, Gulf of Carpentaria. This was the first study of Sarus Crane breeding in Australia. The paper was written with co-author Dr Scott Swengel and presented at the 1985 International Crane Workshop. (Note, at this time the Australian Sarus Crane was classified as Eastern Sarus Crane)

Brolga thesis

Kristie King studied Brolga roost and feeding habitats and movements in SW Victoria, in the flocking (non-breeding) season. Kristie has kindly allowed Ozcranes to post her full Honours thesis for download, and you can visit her project page in Ozcranes Research».

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Conservation downloads

Wetlands and fencing

Birds Australia (now BirdLife Australia) kindly allowed Ozcranes to post a special wetland issue (Dec 2007) of the former membership magazine, ‘Wingspan’ with articles on Brolgas and Sarus Cranes. Safe fencing is a conservation issue for cranes, covered in depth in Ozcranes Conservation Crane-friendly Fencing» pages. We are grateful to the authors, through the Wildlife Friendly Fencing Project, for allowing Ozcranes to post two research reports on birds and barb wire fencing.

Action Plans and landowner advice

The Action Plan 2000 for Australian Sarus Cranes can be read directly in Ozcranes Conservation or downloaded below. The Victorian Government Action Statement for threatened Brolgas was updated in 2003, but is still relevant today. Ozcranes thanks the Department of Sustainability & Environment (now DELWP) for allowing us to include the Statement for download. In 2001 Matthew Herring conducted a key Honours thesis on Brolga breeding habitat in the Riverina district, SE Australia (the thesis abstract is in Ozcranes Research»). He studied Brolga nesting and worked closely with many farmers. The research generated two publications: a technical report (2005) and an advice booklet for farmers (2007), downloads below.

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Contacts

ContributorContact
Dr George Archibald ICF
Elinor C. Scambler Elinor Scambler Email
Matthew Herring Murray Wildlife
Kristie King Kristie King Email
Wildlife Friendly Fencing WFF Website
Victoria Dept of Environment (DELWP) DELWP Victoria
BirdLife Australia BirdLife Australia

All downloads are copyright to the relevant authors, for further permissions please contact them.

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