What birds are you likely to see in a Canberra garden?

Red Wattlebird

If you live in Canberra, what birds are you likely to see near your home? I have been playing around with different measures of bird abundance to address that question, using data from the Canberra Garden Bird Survey.

The Canberra Garden Bird Survey (GBS) is a community based, volunteer survey that has been run by the Canberra Ornithologists Group (COG) since 1981. Despite its name, it isn't strictly a garden bird survey at all. It is probably better described as an urban bird survey, but even that isn't completely accurate since the survey does include rural residential sites. The survey records bird abundance in sites of about 3.1 ha (31,000 m²) that are around or near where people live or work. Site shape and location are of participants choosing, usually around their home or place of work. Because sites are much larger than typical suburban yards, they include a range of habitats beyond the typical garden, especially where the home is near some kind of edge. Records are weekly throughout the year. The GBS years starts in July and ends in June. For each species observed during each week, the largest number of individuals in the site at the same time is recorded. Sites have come and gone over the 32 years of the survey, usually around 70 - 80 sites per year. Since mid last year I have been the coordinator of the GBS.

For the purpose of addressing the question What birds am I likely to see near a Canberra home I chose a distribution measure, a weekly presence measure and a "best site" weekly presence measure. I used the most recent 3 years of GBS data (from July 2009 to June 2012), and I excluded data from the rural sites, so it is just data suburban from Canberra and Queanbeyan. Using 3 years of data rather than just one gets a few more of the rarities that show up (for example, winter of 2009 was a Yellow-tufted Honeyeater year). 

The table below lists all 181 species that have recorded in suburban sites in the three years from June 2009 to July 2012 (the most recent 3 years for which data is available). The three measures are:

• Distribution. The percentage of sites that had any record at all of the species in the 3 year period. There were about 90 sites in that period, so 1.1% means just one site recorded the bird.
• Weekly presence. The percentage of the whole 3 year period for which any site had any record of the bird. There were 156 weeks in total, so 0.6% means that the species was recorded in just one week of the 3 years.
• Best site-year weekly presence. This is the percentage of a year that the site with the highest  number of weekly records in one year recorded the bird. For example, 79% means that in at least one of the 3 years, at least one site recorded the bird for 41 weeks (79% of a year), and no site recorded it more often. Some birds a very common in some places but not in others. For example water birds are mostly only recorded in sites with water. Note that most sites do not record every week of the year, so a site which only has records for 45 weeks and records a species every one of those weeks will only count as 87%.

The table is ordered by Distribution and Weekly Presence.

The most common birds are recorded nearly everywhere, nearly all the time. Some birds, such as the Wedge-tailed Eagle which isn't an urban resident, but which soars over wide areas, are recorded in a lot places (37% of sites) and quite a lot of the time (59%), but nowhere are they often recorded (17% of the year for the best site-year). Other birds, like the Dusky Moorhen are record in only a few sites (4.2%), but are recorded nearly all the time in those sites.

There are other tables of bird abundance from the GBS in the COG Annual Bird Reports, published in Canberra Bird Notes.

Canberra Urban Birds by Distribution
Rank	Species	Distribution % of sites with any record	Weekly Presence % of period with any record	Best site Weekly presence % year
1	Crested Pigeon	100.0	100.0	100
2	Galah	100.0	100.0	100
3	Sulphur-crested Cockatoo	100.0	100.0	100
4	Red Wattlebird	100.0	100.0	100
5	Australian Magpie	100.0	100.0	100
6	Pied Currawong	100.0	100.0	100
7	Magpie-lark	98.9	100.0	100
8	Crimson Rosella	97.9	100.0	100
9	Eastern Rosella	96.8	100.0	100
10	Australian Raven	96.8	100.0	100
11	Silvereye	94.7	100.0	100
12	Common Blackbird	93.7	100.0	100
13	Common Myna	93.7	100.0	100
14	Superb Fairy-wren	92.6	100.0	100
15	Australian King-Parrot	90.5	100.0	100
16	Yellow-rumped Thornbill	88.4	100.0	100
17	Eastern Spinebill	88.4	100.0	100
18	Noisy Friarbird	87.4	80.8	63
19	Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike	85.3	100.0	79
20	House Sparrow	84.2	100.0	100
21	Common Starling	80.0	100.0	100
22	Willie Wagtail	78.9	100.0	100
23	Spotted Pardalote	77.9	100.0	100
24	Grey Fantail	76.8	98.7	79
25	Striated Pardalote	75.8	100.0	100
26	Yellow-faced Honeyeater	75.8	99.4	56
27	Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo	74.7	91.0	42
28	Laughing Kookaburra	73.7	100.0	88
29	Gang-gang Cockatoo	66.3	100.0	100
30	Little Corella	63.2	100.0	98
31	Weebill	63.2	100.0	100
32	Rock Dove	61.1	100.0	98
33	Eastern Koel	61.1	48.7	40
34	Brown Thornbill	60.0	100.0	90
35	Golden Whistler	60.0	75.0	52
36	Grey Butcherbird	58.9	99.4	85
37	Red-rumped Parrot	52.6	100.0	100
38	White-browed Scrubwren	52.6	100.0	100
39	Olive-backed Oriole	50.5	83.3	63
40	Noisy Miner	49.5	100.0	98
41	White-winged Chough	49.5	100.0	79
42	White-plumed Honeyeater	48.4	83.3	62
43	Southern Boobook	48.4	82.7	46
44	Spotted Dove	47.4	100.0	87
45	Welcome Swallow	47.4	95.5	77
46	White-eared Honeyeater	47.4	57.7	42
47	Satin Bowerbird	44.2	100.0	100
48	Collared Sparrowhawk	42.1	73.1	33
49	Masked Lapwing	38.9	100.0	85
50	Red-browed Finch	36.8	100.0	81
51	Wedge-tailed Eagle	36.8	59.0	17
52	White-naped Honeyeater	36.8	44.2	27
53	Australian Wood Duck	35.8	100.0	88
54	Australian Hobby	35.8	69.2	23
55	Superb Parrot	35.8	67.3	50
56	Rainbow Lorikeet	32.6	100.0	100
57	Striated Thornbill	31.6	56.4	33
58	Rufous Whistler	31.6	53.2	27
59	Dollarbird	30.5	36.5	31
60	Grey Currawong	28.4	91.7	81
61	Australian White Ibis	28.4	78.8	69
62	Nankeen Kestrel	28.4	63.5	35
63	Double-barred Finch	27.4	75.0	48
64	Sacred Kingfisher	23.2	28.8	15
65	Brown Goshawk	23.2	25.6	8
66	White-faced Heron	22.1	89.1	87
67	Pacific Black Duck	20.0	100.0	92
68	Mistletoebird	20.0	50.0	48
69	Dusky Woodswallow	20.0	30.8	25
70	White-throated Needletail	18.9	15.4	6
71	Common Bronzewing	17.9	32.7	15
72	Tawny Frogmouth	16.8	45.5	23
73	Fuscous Honeyeater	16.8	34.6	35
74	Little Raven	16.8	25.6	13
75	Scarlet Robin	16.8	19.9	12
76	Buff-rumped Thornbill	15.8	53.2	56
77	Pallid Cuckoo	15.8	12.2	8
78	Little Pied Cormorant	14.7	96.2	87
79	New Holland Honeyeater	14.7	88.5	79
80	Leaden Flycatcher	14.7	25.0	23
81	Fan-tailed Cuckoo	14.7	19.2	15
82	Australasian Darter	13.7	50.6	42
83	Grey Shrike-thrush	12.6	42.9	46
84	Yellow Thornbill	12.6	41.0	44
85	Rose Robin	12.6	17.3	10
86	Black Swan	11.6	87.2	73
87	European Goldfinch	11.6	74.4	52
88	Little Black Cormorant	11.6	66.0	65
89	Long-billed Corella	11.6	49.4	92
90	Peregrine Falcon	11.6	21.8	10
91	Black-shouldered Kite	10.5	34.6	50
92	Little Eagle	10.5	30.8	19
93	Rainbow Bee-eater	10.5	9.0	6
94	White-throated Treecreeper	9.5	65.4	54
95	Great Cormorant	9.5	50.0	46
96	Tree Martin	9.5	13.5	8
97	Brown Falcon	9.5	9.0	10
98	Rufous Fantail	9.5	9.0	6
99	Crescent Honeyeater	8.4	14.1	17
100	Australian Pelican	8.4	12.8	29
101	Straw-necked Ibis	8.4	10.3	6
102	Channel-billed Cuckoo	8.4	6.4	4
103	Shining Bronze-Cuckoo	8.4	6.4	4
104	White-browed Woodswallow	8.4	3.8	2
105	Silver Gull	7.4	44.2	37
106	Hybrid Crimson Eastern Rosella	7.4	25.0	21
107	White-throated Gerygone	7.4	9.0	10
108	Eastern Barn Owl	6.3	4.5	4
109	Australian Reed-Warbler	5.3	55.8	50
110	Yellow-tufted Honeyeater	5.3	9.0	17
111	Brown-headed Honeyeater	5.3	4.5	4
112	Satin Flycatcher	5.3	2.6	2
113	Dusky Moorhen	4.2	98.1	83
114	Purple Swamphen	4.2	96.8	79
115	Eurasian Coot	4.2	87.8	85
116	Golden-headed Cisticola	4.2	24.4	52
117	Cockatiel	4.2	4.5	6
118	White-necked Heron	4.2	3.8	4
119	Western Gerygone	4.2	3.2	4
120	White-headed Pigeon	4.2	2.6	2
121	Swift Parrot	4.2	2.6	2
122	Hardhead	3.2	44.2	58
123	Eastern Great Egret	3.2	33.3	54
124	Grey Teal	3.2	31.4	42
125	Nankeen Night-Heron	3.2	30.1	44
126	White-winged Triller	3.2	12.2	17
127	Cattle Egret	3.2	7.1	8
128	Flame Robin	3.2	5.1	6
129	Fairy Martin	3.2	5.1	8
130	Restless Flycatcher	3.2	3.2	4
131	Grey Goshawk	3.2	2.6	2
132	Australian Owlet-nightjar	3.2	1.9	2
133	Australasian Grebe	2.1	37.2	40
134	Brown Quail	2.1	21.8	48
135	Little Grassbird	2.1	19.2	29
136	Latham's Snipe	2.1	16.7	29
137	Northern Mallard	2.1	6.4	15
138	Rufous Songlark	2.1	5.1	6
139	Buff-banded Rail	2.1	3.8	6
140	Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo	2.1	3.2	4
141	Stubble Quail	2.1	1.9	4
142	Pied Cormorant	2.1	1.9	4
143	Intermediate Egret	2.1	1.9	4
144	White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike	2.1	1.9	2
145	Royal Spoonbill	2.1	1.3	2
146	White-bellied Sea-Eagle	2.1	1.3	2
147	Princess Parrot	2.1	1.3	2
148	Southern Whiteface	2.1	1.3	2
149	Varied Sittella	2.1	1.3	2
150	Masked Woodswallow	2.1	1.3	2
151	Fork-tailed Swift	2.1	0.6	2
152	Australasian Pipit	1.1	34.0	44
153	Eurasian Skylark	1.1	13.5	35
154	Black Falcon	1.1	2.6	6
155	Black-fronted Dotterel	1.1	2.6	8
156	Australasian Figbird	1.1	2.6	8
157	Glossy Black-Cockatoo	1.1	1.9	6
158	Yellow Rosella	1.1	1.9	6
159	Zebra Finch	1.1	1.3	4
160	Musk Duck	1.1	0.6	2
161	Australian Shelduck	1.1	0.6	2
162	Pink-eared Duck	1.1	0.6	2
163	Australasian Shoveler	1.1	0.6	2
164	Chestnut Teal	1.1	0.6	2
165	Hoary-headed Grebe	1.1	0.6	2
166	Barbary dove	1.1	0.6	2
167	Peaceful Dove	1.1	0.6	2
168	Eastern Osprey	1.1	0.6	2
169	Whistling Kite	1.1	0.6	2
170	Spotted Harrier	1.1	0.6	2
171	Budgerigar	1.1	0.6	2
172	Peachface lovebird	1.1	0.6	2
173	Brush Cuckoo	1.1	0.6	2
174	Speckled Warbler	1.1	0.6	2
175	Regent Honeyeater	1.1	0.6	2
176	Scarlet Honeyeater	1.1	0.6	2
177	Little Friarbird	1.1	0.6	2
178	Jacky Winter	1.1	0.6	2
179	Red-capped Robin	1.1	0.6	2
180	Diamond Firetail	1.1	0.6	2
181	Ring-necked Parakeet	1.1	0.6	2

The most common birds:

Pied Currawong. Often in large noisy flocks in winter. 

The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.
 Canberra's most abundant urban bird.
 Seen everywhere, all the time, in numbers.

Nearly all neighborhoods have a resident Magpie family

Galahs. Also seen everywhere, all the time, in numbers.

Crested Pigeon. Hardly ever seen 30 years ago. Numbers exploded in the 1990s. 

PS:
It was an exercise in frustration trying to get a readable table in a Blogger post. There is no editor support for tables in the standard Blogger editor, you have to do it in HTML. Getting anything to generate a decent table is also difficult. MS Word can give you an table, but its layout is grossly over specified. The website tableizer can turn CSV into a nice simple table, but it does not let you format it all - to do things like specify borders and to right align numeric columns. I ended using the tableizer output and adding formatting using jEdit with some regular expression based search and replace. jEdit is a free text editor that has good regular expression support.