Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00287:reg:3:p144
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00287
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 3 (pt 144/276)
Character Range: 557939–561139

personal communication by email, 12 January, Parks Australia (Norfolk Island National Park).

Pachycephala pectoralis xanthroprocta—Norfolk Island golden whistler (tamey)

Conservation significance
Endemic to Norfolk Island.
EPBC Act Listing Status: Vulnerable.
Non-statutory Listing Status: Described as least concern in the Action Plan for Australian Birds 2020 (Garnett & Baker 2021).

Distribution and abundance
This subspecies was originally distributed throughout Norfolk Island (and probably Phillip Island) but experienced range contraction from the 1960s (Schodde et al. 1983) and became largely restricted to the Mt Pitt section of the national park and nearby forested areas by the late 1980s (Bell 1990).
There were about 1,000 breeding birds in 1987, with some evidence of a decrease in numbers outside the park between 1987 and 1996 (Robinson 1988, 1997).
Dutson (2013) estimated the population size at 1400–3650 mature individuals in 2009. The most recent estimate is 1372–1970 individuals in 2019 (Nance et al. 2021a). The population is thought to have been broadly stable since 2009; however, the confidence in that trend is low. There have been records from many sites outside the boundaries of the park over the last decade (Nance et al. 2021a).
The distribution is shown in Map 20.

Ecology
Breeds September to November, nest with one egg in December, young present in February. Nests in small trees or in hanging masses of vines.
Diet poorly known but consists of insects and some fruit. Often ventures onto the ground to forage in leaf litter.

Habitat
The Norfolk Island golden whistlers occur in all vegetation types within the national park, including rainforest, palm forest and pine forest, but are most abundant in palm forest (Robinson 1988, 1997; Major 1989). Outside the park, they sometimes occur in remnant forest on agricultural land. The subspecies generally inhabits the shrubby understorey (Robinson 1988).
Map 20 Distribution of Pachycephala pectoralis xanthroprocta
The shaded area indicates the approximate current range of the golden whistler (Director of National Parks 2010, NIRC 2020).

Threats
The main threats to the remaining population of Norfolk Island golden whistlers is predation from black rats and Argentine ants, with predation by cats a likely additional pressure. Whistlers may be more vulnerable to rat predation in disturbed environments (Nance et al. 2021a). The limited extent of native vegetation outside protected areas represents a barrier to the species recolonising its former range.

Impact on other species
None known.

Risk assessment
The risk assessment is shown in Table 51.
Table 51 Risk assessment for Pachycephala pectoralis xanthroprocta
Risk                                                                                                               Likelihood of exposure    Consequence  Threat rating
1. Loss and fragmentation of native vegetation through past land clearing                                          Almost certain (91–100%)  Moderate     High
2. Loss and fragmentation of native vegetation through current or future land clearing                             Unlikely (11–25%)         Moderate     Low
3.