Preferred nesting habitat of the slow-breeding Superb Lyrebird is rare and was disproportionately impacted by Australia’s “Black Summer” megafires (2019–2020) within a World Heritage Area

A rare nesting habitat for the Superb Lyrebird, characterized by dense canopy trees and rainforest elements, was disproportionately impacted by Australia's 2019–2020 megafires within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. This study found that lyrebird nests were most likely to be constructed in rainforest, which made up only 1% of the area but experienced >74% of fire impact, including 80% of high-suitability nesting areas. The research, conducted over five months prior to the megafires, used field observations to analyze habitat selection at both local and landscape scales, revealing that slope also increased nest occurrence probability. These findings suggest a greater-than-expected impact on the slow-breeding species and highlight the need for prioritizing rainforest restoration and protection in conservation efforts.

Hughes, E. J., Austin, V. I., Backhouse, F., Maisey, A. C., Lopez, K. A., Mikles, C. S., Odom, K. J., Welbergen, J. A., & Dalziell, A. H. (2023). Preferred nesting habitat of the slow-breeding Superb Lyrebird is rare and was disproportionately impacted by Australia’s “Black Summer” megafires (2019–2020) within a World Heritage Area. Ornithological Applications, 125(4). https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duad027