The black throated finch Poephila cincta was once
distributed from northern New South Wales to Cape York Peninsula.
These finches live in grassy woodlands dominated by eucalypts,
melaleucas or acacias near water. They mostly eat seeds of grasses,
and now survive principally on grazing lands where they build grass
nests on branches and in hollows of trees.
There are two sub-species: the northern (black-rumped)
sub-species which occurs from Mareeba on the northern Atherton
Tablelands and extends over Cape York, and the southern
(white-rumped) form which ranged from the Atherton Tablelands to
the south. The northern sub-species appears to be widespread and
secure, but the southern sub-species has disappeared from most of
its range.
The southern subspecies of the black-throated finch is currently
listed as endangered under the Commonwealth Environment
Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). It is
listed as ‘Endangered’ under the schedules of the NSW
Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act) and
‘Vulnerable’ under the Queensland Nature Conservation
Act 1992 (NC Act). In Queensland it now occurs only as one
reasonably large population around the Ross River Dam near
Townsville, and as scattered small populations in the
Townsville/Charters Towers region and south to Clermont.
A national recovery plan for the black-throated finch southern
subspecies has been prepared which identifies a number of
threatening processes and management actions to address them. The
Queensland Recovery Team consists of a team of volunteers and
representatives of relevant government agencies who work together
to address issues related to the conservation of the finch. The
Team collates information on the distribution and occurrence of the
finch, and carries out annual counts at suitable waterholes near
Townsville on a weekend in October each year. Sightings of the bird
can be reported to Marnie McCullough, the sightings Coordinator, at
marnie.mccullough@dpi.qld.gov.au
.
Because of their conservation status, it is illegal to collect
black throated finches from the wild. Help the black throated finch
by reporting any activities you see that are likely to harm them or
their habitat to the Department of the Environment and Water
Resources - Compliance and Enforcement Branch or freecall 1800
110 395 for more information.
Project Update
NQ Dry Tropics is now the Trustee of the Black Throated Finch
Trust. The Trust was established by Stockland to provide for
protection of black-throated finches and their habitat in the
Townsville-Thuringowa area. The Trust will support high priority
on-ground works in collaboration with Stockland, state and federal
government agencies, community groups and the Black Throated Finch
Recovery Team. The Management Committee derives its membership from
Stockland, the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Water
Resources, the Recovery Team, the Queensland Environmental
Protection Agency and Thuringowa City Council.
