A sedentary population of Brown Songlarks Cincloramphus cruralis in the marine plain grasslands of the Central Queensland coast

Regular bird surveys at one site in the marine plain grasslands in the Rockhampton district of the Central Queensland coast, between 2005 and 2011, have recorded the presence of Brown Songlarks Cincloramphus cruralis throughout the year, indicating a sedentary population in this region. This sedentary pattern is at variance with the seasonally dispersive pattern typical for eastern Australia in which Brown Songlarks undergo a regular anticlockwise cycle from south-eastern Australia in summer, up the eastern coast and then spreading across central temperate and subtropical Australia in the winter, before returning to the south-eastern corner. The discovery of a nest with eggs in December 2010 confirmed local breeding by this subpopulation. The relative isolation, local breeding and sedentary nature of this subpopulation raises the possibility that it may be genetically separated from southern and inland Songlarks.