Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00482:reg:1:p6
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00482
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 1 (pt 6/16)
Character Range: 24830–27623

of nectar and lerps it is considered critically important to protect and manage a broad range of habitats to provide a range of foraging resources (Kennedy and Overs 2001; Kennedy and Tzaros 2005).

1.5.2             Tasmanian breeding and foraging habitat
Breeding records for Swift Parrots are largely restricted to the south and east coast of Tasmania, including Bruny and Maria islands, with some sporadic breeding occurring in the north of the state (Figure 2). The distribution of nesting Swift Parrots each breeding season is determined largely by the distribution and intensity of Blue Gum (E. globulus) and Black Gum (E. ovata) flowering (Webb et al. 2014). The flowering patterns of these species varies dramatically in location and extent over annual cycles (Webb et al. 2017). The flowering patterns of other potential forage eucalypt species, including Brooker's Gum (E. brookeriana), may also be important determinants of Swift Parrot breeding distribution.
Swift Parrots nest in any eucalypt forests and woodlands which contain tree hollows, provided that flowering trees are nearby (Webb et al. 2017). Nesting occurs in the hollows of live and dead eucalypt trees. There is no evidence that suggests Swift Parrots prefer any particular tree species for nesting, instead, the traits of tree cavities are the main factor that predicts whether a tree is used as a nest (Stojanovic et al. 2012). Nest sites have been recorded in a range of dry and wet eucalypt forest types, and Swift Parrots exhibit little preference for vegetation communities, and instead respond to the configuration of resources in the landscape (Webb et al. 2014; 2017).
Nest trees are typically characterised by having a diameter at breast height of around 80 cm or greater, several visible hollows and showing signs of senescence (Webb et al. 2012; Stojanovic et al. 2012). Eucalypt trees in Tasmania usually take at least 100 years to form hollows, and at least 140 years to form deeper hollows (Koch et al. 2008). However, some nest trees can be smaller, or much larger, and tree size varies between forest types. The tree hollows preferred for nesting have small entrances (~5 cm), deep chambers (~40 cm) and ~12 cm wide floor spaces (Stojanovic et al. 2012). These traits are rare, and only 5 per cent of tree hollows in a given forest area may meet these criteria. Suitable hollows are important because they act as a passive form of nest defence against native Tasmanian nest predators, but these defences are ineffective against Sugar Gliders (Stojanovic et al. 2017).
The prevalence of hollows in eucalypt forests and woodlands and close proximity to a foraging resource is considered more important than forest type and/or tree species in determining where Swift Parrot nests occur. Where suitable