Since 2008, hundreds of zoo-bred Regent Honeyeaters have been released into the wild — a strategy that's working, with many of the birds not only surviving, but breeding.
Widespread habitat destruction has wreaked havoc on the Regent Honeyeater. These beautiful birds were once found in abundant numbers across south-eastern Australia, but now they’re perilously close to extinction.
The Regent Honeyeater has drastically declined in number and range. Climate change, catastrophic bushfires and poor breeding success have made their existence even more precarious.
To bolster their numbers and give them the best possible chance at survival, BirdLife Australia has been part of a team breeding Regent Honeyeaters in captivity and releasing them into the wild.
We’re working with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment and their Saving Our Species program, Taronga Zoo Conservation Society Australia and the Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) to help breed Regent Honeyeaters in captivity and release them into the wild.
Zoo-bred Regent Honeyeaters have been released into the wild for years now, and we’ve resighted some of them years later. Happily, some have also been recorded breeding successfully in the wild.
Despite the promising signs, more needs to be done. It’s been predicted that, without a dramatic turnaround and implementation of key recovery actions, these birds may become extinct within 20 years.
There are only a few hundred wild Regent Honeyeaters. This low population is a factor which impacts their survival — some male Regents are so isolated that they haven’t learnt how to sing so that other Regent Honeyeaters can recognise their songs; instead, they mimic the calls of other birds.
The result: they’re unlikely to attract a female Regent, diminishing their chances of breeding successfully, thus applying even more downward pressure on the population.
That’s why we’re giving zoo-bred Regent Honeyeaters ‘singing lessons’: to help them breed in the wild, increase their population and survive for generations to come.
Did you see a Regent Honeyeater? If so, please let us know!
The NSW Regent Honeyeater Release is delivered by the Department of Planning & Environment, BirdLife Australia and Taronga Conservation Society Australia and forms part of the national Regent Honeyeater Recovery Plan implementation.
Funding is being provided by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (Commonwealth), Central Tablelands Local Land Services, the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust and Saving our Species Program, Central Tablelands Local Land Services through the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation – an Australian Government initiative, Friends of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, and several generous donors and philanthropists.
The release is being undertaken on land owned and managed by the Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council, and BirdLife Australia recognises and is grateful for the immense contribution of Indigenous people to the knowledge and conservation of Australia’s birds, including the Regent Honeyeater.
The Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater is a medium-sized honeyeater with striking black and yellow plumage.
