The conservation status of Australian malurids and their value as models in understanding land-management issues

Abstract

The conservation status of many birds in Australia has been deteriorating in response to human activities. Changes to land-management practices are required to halt declines but, in many cases, the causal mechanisms of declines are poorly known and so it is difficult to provide appropriate management directives. Of the 23 Australian species of Maluridae, 12 have infrataxa that meet the criteria for inclusion within an IUCN Red List category. The family possesses characteristics that make it ideal for research relevant to improving conservation outcomes for the Maluridae and other threatened taxa: the family is widely distributed, has been exposed to the varying pressures that operate in dive..