Bird researchers are relieved to find that the majority of the endangered purple-crowned fairywrens (Malurus coronatus), a small, social bird found in dense Australian vegetation, survived one of the region’s worst flooding in January and were still breeding.
Western Australia entered a state of emergency when ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie inundated the Kimberley region with unprecedented flooding, washing away a major bridge and isolating communities for weeks after the heavy rainfall.
In the months after, communities, researchers, and conservationists returned to the sanctuary to conduct damage assessments, repair road access, and restore electricity and water facilities.
A supplied image obtained on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, of floodwaters in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. A remote Western Australian town surrounded by a 100-year flood has become a refuge for hundreds of people evacuated from outlying communities. (Andrea Myers/AAP)
“Although the fairywrens have taken a bit of a hit from the flood, they are doing well considering,” said Monash University PhD student Ian Hoppe….