The following symposia will be presented at AOC 2025.

Please refer to these when submitting an abstract. There will also be an option for an open forum (other) if your research does not fit into any of these topics.

 

Research and conservation of Australia’s threatened birds

Organiser: Nick Leseberg
University of Queensland/Bush Heritage

Threatened species are the paradigm through which Australia assesses its progress in biodiversity conservation, and as one of the best-studied groups, Australia’s threatened birds provide invaluable insights into this effort. Research on Australia’s threatened birds helps bridge critical knowledge gaps, from mapping the distribution of poorly known species to understanding their ecology and identifying the drivers of decline. Ultimately, this research should lead to evaluating the effectiveness of conservation and management actions, and informing strategies for species recovery. By studying and sharing knowledge on Australia’s threatened birds, we gain a deeper understanding of both their status and broader biodiversity trends, enabling more targeted and impactful conservation actions. This research is fundamental to safeguarding Australia’s unique avifauna and ensuring conservation efforts translate into lasting, meaningful biodiversity outcomes.

 

Applications of and advances in EcoAcoustics and bioacoustics

Organisers: Susan Fuller¹, Isabel Castro^2
1Queensland University of Technology; ²Massey University

Rapid advancements in the analysis of passive sound recordings are transforming bird monitoring, ecological reporting and conservation planning. We are at the cusp of collecting high-quality bird monitoring data at scale, enabling more comprehensive assessments of bird populations across diverse habitats. This expansion not only enhances ecological reporting but also allows for integration of bird-related metrics into more conservation strategies across private and public land. This symposium invites talks showcasing real-world applications of EcoAcoustics in bird monitoring, reporting and planning. We will also examine how vocal individuality influences social interactions and evolutionary processes, and how bioacoustics can inform long-term population monitoring and reintroduction success. Bringing together expertise across computational, field-based, and conservation-focused research, we will highlight the transformative potential of bioacoustic monitoring in ornithology.

 

Behavioural ecology

Organiser: Juliane Gaviraghi Mussoi
University of Auckland

Austral birds are facing unprecedented challenges, such as extreme temperatures, habitat loss and urbanisation. Their survival and reproductive success hinge on how they interact with this ever-changing environment. Our symposium will showcase the latest research in avian behavioural ecology, exploring how birds gather and use information from their surroundings to respond to ecological pressures. Our focus will be on understanding the mechanisms behind these behaviours and how natural selection has shaped phenotypes that are adapted to the environment. Our speakers will illustrate the effects of ecological pressures on birds’ behaviour; highlight the connections between behaviour, ecology, and physiology; and showcase the influence of adaptive strategies on the success of individuals and populations. This symposium aims to provide an overview of the behaviours that Australasian birds exhibit in response to environmental pressures, social interactions, and evolutionary processes.

 

Evolution of birds in Australasia

Organiser: Leo Joseph
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

The broad aim of this symposium is to provide a forum for interesting and engaging presentations on bird evolution in and around Australia, and given Perth as the location of AOC 2025, with frequent special reference to Western Australian birds. Many ornithologists not working in evolution are often keen to hear what those who do work in evolution have been up to in the lab and out in the field. The symposium seeks to respond to this with easy-to-understand up to the minute reviews of recent interesting work. Evolution from the population level right up through species, genera and families and orders would be covered. Data that would be involved are genomics and DNA sequences often in combination with field studies, and palaeontological data.

 

Recent advances in Australasian shorebird science

Organiser: Birgita Hansen
Federation University; Australasian Waders Study Group (AWSG)

Shorebirds face a wide variety of threats at local and flyway scales, and these pose significant challenges to the conservation and management of these species and their habitats. Habitat loss and destruction, invasive species, competition with human resource use and disturbance are persistent issues that are compounded by large-scale ‘wicked problems’, like land reclamation. In the face of these challenges, researchers, citizen scientists and practitioners have increased their efforts to address more complex knowledge gaps, drawing on large, rich datasets generated from decades of shorebird monitoring. This is complemented by the rapid advance of digital technologies in environmental science like shorebird movement tracking, DNA bar coding, remote-sensing of shorebird habitats, disease detection and quantification of species survival. This is leading to new and powerful insights about shorebird population dynamics, identification and protection of critical habitats, and evolutionary processes that underpin species’ responses to environmental change. This symposium will focus on the insights and recent advances in shorebird science that build on decades of knowledge on both migratory and non-migratory species.

 

Seabird conservation

Organiser: Barry Baker
Australasian Seabird Group

Seabirds are one of the most rapidly decreasing groups of birds worldwide. This Australasian Seabird Group sponsored symposium is intended to capture the interest of seabird biologists under a broad theme of seabird biology and conservation. Aggregation of the seabird papers into a symposium will provide synergies for interaction among participants and enhance potential for collaborative approaches.

 

From plans to action: Overcoming barriers in species recovery

Organisers: Andrew Hunter & Davide Gaglio
BirdLife Australia

Conservation plans are crucial for species recovery but turning them into real-world action is often easier said than done. The broad aim of the symposium is to provide a forum for interesting and engaging presentations on the challenges and barriers to effective and efficient implementation of species conservation plans. Talks could include case studies (e.g. South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo) raise the profile of strategic species and to highlight amazing working of these teams. BirdLife Australia will also present on our recovery coordination program, including our health check methodology. We aim to spark discussion on practical solutions, foster collaboration, and inspire fresh thinking on how we can accelerate species recovery efforts.

 

Avian ecotoxicology & disease preparedness

Organisers: Rob Davies¹ & Tanya Loos^2
1Edith Cowan University; ²BirdLife Australia,

The symposium will showcase research and conservation initiatives focused on birds in disaster preparedness and recovery and draw together research of how environmental pollution is affecting bird health, behaviour and survival. Presentations will explore how emerging diseases such as H5 bird flu and Japanese encephalitis foster a collaborative OneHealth response with new partners such as Wildlife Health Australia. It will also highlight human use of chemical products as an invisible but major threat to birds and other wildlife. The symposium will explore how present challenges can foster greater collaboration and ultimately improved conservation outcomes.

 

Urban birds

Organiser: Holly Parsons
BirdLife Australia

The symposium will highlight research and conservation initiatives focused on birds in urban environments. Presentations will explore how urbanisation shapes bird communities, the challenges and opportunities cities present for bird conservation, and innovative strategies to support biodiversity in built environments. The symposium will include interdisciplinary approaches, citizen science contributions, and practical solutions for mitigating urban threats while fostering coexistence between birds and people.

 

Windfarms and birdlife

Organisers: Trish Fleming¹, Grainne Maguire², Yuna Kim² & Golo Maurer^2
1Murdoch University; ²BirdLife Australia

As both onshore and offshore wind energy expand rapidly in transition to renewable energy, questions about their impacts on Australasian birds remain pressing. While research has started to shed light on the effects of onshore wind farms, offshore developments present new challenges and uncertainties. This symposium will bring together scientists, conservationists, and industry practitioners to examine what we currently know about wind energy’s impact on Australasian birds and, crucially, what remains unknown. It will highlight emerging research on offshore wind farms and explore how lessons from onshore wind energy can inform best practices at sea, as well as encourage communication of research findings and help identify outstanding knowledge gaps.

 

Conservation-industry partnerships

Organiser: Kerryn Herman
BirdLife Australia

Industry partnerships with conservation organisations are often looked at with a degree of cynicism (e.g. accusations of green washing). However, these partnerships are sometimes the only way to get funds to undertake strategic work, particularly where other funding sources are not available. These partnerships can also work. Using BirdLife Australia’s work within the plantation industry to provide a case study, and inviting other similar partnerships, this symposium aims to highlight where industry partnerships have elicited positive change and highlight how similar partnership can help us with our conservation efforts.

 

Temperate woodland birds conservation and recovery

Organiser: Lainie Berry
BirdLife Australia

Over 50 temperate woodland birds of south-eastern Australia are recognised as declining and/or threatened. Major threats include habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, loss of understorey, climate change, altered fire regimes, introduced predators, exclusion by overabundant competitors, grazing pressure, competition for tree hollows, dieback and disease. This symposium will bring together current research on addressing threats to woodland birds and actions to protect and restore habitat and recover threatened woodland bird species.

 

Sensory ecology

Organiser: Melanie Massaro
Charles Sturt University

Our understanding of the functional importance of olfaction to birds has improved over the past 60 years largely due to experimental studies testing how birds use their sense of smell in different contexts. However, many gaps in our understanding of how birds use their sense of smell remain. In this symposium, we hope to discuss our past and current research on avian smell, as well as other areas of sensory ecology, and highlight some future directions to encourage further research on Australasian birds.

 

Long-term monitoring

Organiser: Grainne Macguire
BirdLife Australia

The symposium will demonstrate the power of long-term monitoring in driving tangible, successful conservation outcomes. Presentations will emphasize how this approach is crucial at various stages of species recovery, from identifying conservation issues and setting priorities to testing solutions, supporting adaptive management, and guiding policy and decision-making. The session will also explore the added value of involving citizen scientists, while addressing the challenges of analyzing data collected under real-world logistical constraints.

 

Birds on Country: Indigenous knowledge and conservation of birds

Organiser: Catherine Young
NRM South, Tasmania/lutruwita

First Nations people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, have long connections with birds. Many groups have birds in their songlines, as totems, and have been protecting or hunting birds as food for millennia. In contemporary conservation, rangers in Indigenous land and sea management work to protect Country and biodiversity, including birds. This symposium will showcase some of the work being done by First Nations people to restore, connect, and protect birds on Country.

This symposium has been sponsored by the Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University.