Although it appears that we know a fair bit about our native birds we really know only a little of what we need to know if we are to ensure that our grand-children and their grand-children are to have as many species of birds in their environment as we do today.
Governments and universities fund a small amount of research into birds and their needs but much more needs to be done.
Organizations like Birds Queensland assist in a small way by raising money each year and allocating it as grants for scientific research projects. These are usually projects initiated by universities or government departments. Copies of Sunbird are available to non-members.
Much of the research is published in our journal, The Sunbird. It is published to promote the scientific study and conservation of birds with particular reference to the birds of Queensland.
Papers are invited from non-members as well as members, and Instructions to Sunbird authors and indices to volumes are available.
BQ now gives a special award to a grant recipient whose research outcomes demonstrate that it best supports the conservation of birds/their habitats.
Birds Queensland is undertaking a Citizen Science survey project to collect information on the numbers of Australian Brushturkey observed in south-east Queensland, and to discover how wide spread the birds are. The results of this survey will be compared with the results of the two earlier surveys to determine if the population has increased/decreased and whether the distribution has expanded/contracted.
