Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species has an extremely large range, and a population estimated at 35,000-74,000 mature individuals. While declines have been recorded for the southeastern portion of the Australian range and are reported from New Guinea, there is no evidence of declines in the main Australian population, which comprises a great majority of the global population. Trends here are reported as fluctuating, and over three generations appear to be roughly stable. For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Population justification
The total number of individuals has been estimated at between 50,000-100,000 (Veltheim and Sundar 2019). As part of a nationwide waterbird survey a total of 51,969 Brolga were counted, 99.7% of which were in northern Australia (Kingsford et al. 2012). Hence the lower bound of 50,000 is an absolute minimum, and is likely a considerable underestimate as it excludes birds in Papua New Guinea and certainly underestimates the total present in southeastern Australia (Veltheim and Sundar 2019). A total of 907 individuals were counted in southwest Victoria and South Australia in 2012, with up to a hundred more in northern Victoria and additional birds present in New South Wales (Veltheim and Sundar 2019). The upper bound of 100,000 individuals is derived from Meine and Archibald (1996). The New Guinea population is given as 1-10,000 (Wetlands International 2024). Hence the overall number of individuals is revised to 52,000-110,000 individuals.
None of these approximate figures differentiate adults from immatures, hence a rough population estimate, based on the assumption that two-thirds are mature, is 34,840-73,700 mature individuals, rounded to 35,000-74,000 mature individuals.
Trend justification
The overall population trend is considered most likely stable, with the large northern Australian population (comprising up to 99% of the global population) reported as fluctuating (Wetlands International 2024), but with no evidence of range contraction or declines, but the lack of systematic counts precludes a robust trend estimate (Veltheim and Sundar 2019). Declines are suspected to have occurred in New Guinea (T. Nevard in litt. 2024), and birds in Victoria, south eastern Australia are reported to have declined at a rapid rate over the past three generations (Veltheim and Sundar 2019, I. Veltheim in litt. 2024).
Occurs in West Papua (Indonesia) and Papua New Guinea, and from northern to southeastern Australia. It is considered monotypic, although those in southeastern Australia were previously treated as a separate subspecies. Breeding occurs throughout the range, but in the non-breeding season individuals travel around 500 kilometers between the Gulf Plains and the Atherton Tablelands (T. Nevard in litt. 2024).
The construction of large wind power installations along the western edge of the Atherton Tablelands may result in disturbance and potentially collision mortality for the species, but as yet there is no information on any impacts on the species (T. Nevard in litt. 2024). It is both turbines and (potentially more significantly) distribution lines that pose risks to the species (E. Scambler in litt. 2024).
Text account compilers
Martin, R.
Contributors
Nevard, T., Garnett, S., Scambler, E. & Veltheim, I.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Brolga Grus rubicunda. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/brolga-grus-rubicunda on 22/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/11/2024.