Influence of fine-scale habitat requirements and riparian degradation on the distribution of the purple-crowned fairy-wren (Malurus coronatus coronatus) in northern Australia

Abstract

Species distributions are influenced by variation in environmental conditions across many scales. Knowledge of fine-scale habitat requirements is important for predicting species occurrence and identifying suitable habitat for target species. Here we investigate the perplexing distribution of a riparian habitat specialist, the western subspecies of the purple-crowned fairy-wren (Malurus coronatus coronatus), in relation to fine-scale habitat associations and patterns of riparian degradation. Surveys of vegetation attributes, river structure and disturbance indicators that are likely to be causal determinants of the species occurrence were undertaken at 635 sites across 14 catchments. General..