Comparison of Avian Communities between Wet and Semiarid Habitats of Eastern Australia

The composition of bird species in three distinct habitats of subtropical eastern Australia was examined in terms of the degree of species association, niche occupation and clutch size. In spite of low species diversity in the wet formations, the birds of this habitat tended to show characteristics of tropical forest birds. These included stronger association of species, relative abundance of treenesting frugivores and small clutch size. In contrast, the semiarid formations supported a greater diversity of bird species with somewhat loose species association, a large representation of graminivores, and a larger mean clutch size with greater variation. At least in the subtropical region of eastern Australia, the bird species diversity does not appear to be related to the stability of environment.