Melbourne, Australia —(Map)
Scientists in Australia have used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help them locate a rare bird called the Plains-wanderer. This new information will help scientists protect the birds, which are endangered.
The Plains-wanderer is a small bird that lives in Australia’s grasslands. Not just any grasslands. Plains-wanderers are picky. There can’t be too much grass or too little. For this reason, scientists sometimes call them the “Goldilocks” of animals.
The birds were once common in eastern Australia. But that’s changed, as grasslands have been turned into farms and cities. Zoos Victoria, the group behind the recent effort to locate Plains-wanderers, says the birds’ numbers have fallen by over 85% in recent decades. Scientists believe there are now only 250 to 1,000 of the birds left in the wild.
Male Plains-wanderer standing in grassland.
The Plains-wanderer (male shown above) is a small bird that lives in Australia’s grasslands. But they’re picky. There can’t be too much grass or too little. Zoos Victoria says the birds’ numbers have fallen by over 85% in recent decades. Scientists have used AI to help locate these rare birds.
(Source: Zoos Victoria.)
The odd little birds are only about six inches (15 centimeters) tall. They’re not good at flying, so they spend most of their time on the ground. When they feel threatened, they crouch down to hide. Normally, they choose to run away rather than fly.
Zoos Victoria says, “There is no bird like it in the world.” In fact, scientists have put the species into a “family” all by itself, since there are no other similar birds.
One thing that makes Plains-wanderers unusual is that the females are larger, and are in charge of protecting the territory. The male birds are smaller and take care of the eggs.
Female Plains-wanderer sitting in grassland.
Scientists have put the Plains-wanderer into a “family” all by itself, since there are no other similar birds. The female (above) is larger and defends the territory. Females are also more colorful and make a call with an unusual “Ooom” sound.
(Source: Zoos Victoria.)
Plains-wanderers are generally brown and white, with yellow legs and beaks. The females are more colorful, with a band of black and white below their necks, and a red spot on their chests.
To protect these rare birds, scientists first had to learn where they were. So Zoos Victoria worked with Queensland University of Technology on a plan to locate the birds. Since Plains-wanderers are hard to spot, the team chose to “listen” for the birds instead.
Female Plains-wanderers make an unusual “Ooom” call, and this was the key to locating them.
The researchers set up 35 special recording devices called “song meters” in nine different grassy areas where Plains-wanderers could possibly have been. Song meters record all the sounds made in an area over a long period of time.
Song meter in a wire mesh cage attached to a pole in the middle of an area of grassland. Blue sky can be seen in the background.
The researchers set up 35 special recording devices called “song meters” (above) in nine different grassy areas. They then used AI to analyze tens of thousands of hours of recordings. The AI system found Plains-wanderer calls coming from two of the sites
(Source: Zoos Victoria.)
The song meters collected tens of thousands of hours of recordings – far more than humans could analyze. So the researchers fed the recordings to an AI system trained to identify the calls of Plains-wanderers.
The AI system discovered Plains-wanderer calls coming from two of the sites. The scientists double-checked and found that the AI system was correct. Chris Hartnett, who works with Zoos Victoria, said it was like “finding gold”.
It’s the first time in over 30 years that the Plains-wanderer has been found west of Melbourne. Mr. Hartnett says the discovery is “huge”.
The new information will help scientists protect the birds. The team plans to work with the land owners to help protect the birds, and the grasslands they depend on.
And the researchers are still “listening” – using song meters and AI to try to locate more of these Goldilocks birds.
Did You Know…?
Zoos Australia isn’t just protecting Plains-wanderers in the wild. They are also raising more of the endangered birds in captivity and releasing them into the wild.
😕
This map has not been loaded because of your cookie choices. To view the content, you can accept 'Non-necessary' cookies.