Birds in Tasmanian pine plantations

The number of bird species in Pinus radiata plantations aged between 8 and 31 years and in native forests in Tasmania during a year is recorded. The oldest plantations had a slightly greater number of species than the younger ones because after thinning of the pines there was some regeneration of ground cover which provided another habitat. Most species, however, fed chiefly on the trunks and foliage of the pines. The number of species was greater in the native forests and was consistent in the five plots surveyed. Only one species was found nesting in the pine plots.