Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2015L01389:body:0:p61
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2015L01389
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 174759–177590

3,000 breeding pairs of lesser frigate birds, with a smaller number of great frigate birds. North Keeling Island has the second largest population of lesser frigatebirds in Australia and probably in the Indian Ocean.
The Cocos buff-banded rail (Gallirallus philippensis andrewsi) is significant as the only endemic bird in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. It is often sighted on North Keeling Island and occurs in all habitats. It frequently forages along the lagoon shore, eating crustacea, which are abundant in the seagrass deposited along the tide line. The closure of the entrance to the lagoon has significantly impacted on seagrass in the lagoon and potentially the foraging sites for the rail. Since the closure of the lagoon, rail populations appear to have remained stable, indicating that the species is capable of adapting to the changes in the lagoon and alternative suitable food resources are available.
The status of the rail in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands is of concern, as it no longer naturally occurs on the southern atoll. This is in contrast to the situation in 1906–07, when it was reported to be 'very abundant on all the islands' (Wood-Jones 1909). In the past the rail was widely hunted, and by 1941 a decline was apparent, with reduced numbers on West Island and Home Island (Gibson-Hill 1949). Buff-banded rails were not sighted on the southern atoll during the life of the previous plan.
The National Recovery Plan for the Buff-banded Rail (Cocos (Keeling) Islands) Gallirallus philippensis andrewsi (Commonwealth of Australia 2006) recognises the vulnerability of having only one population of this listed species, with potential for it to be impacted by catastrophic storm events, habitat modification and predation by cats and rats. The plan recommends the establishment of a second population of the buff-banded rail on the southern atoll and reduction of threats to the species across the island group.
Efforts towards the establishment of a second population on the southern atoll commenced in 2008, with 10 adult rails captured and tagged with radio transmitters. Information gathered from monitoring these adults was then used to determine preliminary estimates of the home range of the buff-banded rails.

Blood samples were also taken from 31 captured birds and DNA samples were successfully extracted to determine how individuals from various parts of the island are related. The results from this study indicate that the buff-banded rail population in the park is relatively low on genetic diversity due to a history of population fluctuation (foundation and bottleneck events) (Lux 2008). Individual rails not originating from the North Keeling population appear to have migrated to the island on one or more occasions in the past, with Australia as the likely source. The results of the study