From ABC News (7/4/24)…
Critically endangered eastern bristlebirds bred in captivity released into Border Ranges National Park
Deep in the bush in north-eastern New South Wales, rangers are preparing a group of tiny, endangered birds to be released into the wild.
The eight captive-bred eastern bristlebirds have been carefully carried into the Border Ranges National Park near Murwillumbah, where they have been set up in tents filled with grasses and logs to allow them to slowly acclimatise to their new environment.
They are the third group of birds to be released in that region since January 2023, as part of an eastern bristlebird captive-breeding program, established to help save the species
NSW Department of Planning and Environment senior threatened species officer Kelly Roche says fewer than 2,500 eastern bristlebirds are left in the wild.
The birds are found in four geographically isolated populations, with the biggest populations in Jervis Bay and the NSW Southern Highlands.
Ms Roche said the northern population — found in pockets across the Border Ranges region of NSW — was listed as critically endangered, estimated at fewer than 50 individuals.
“We have done a lot of work to restore habitat for the northern population,” Ms Roche said.
