From brightly coloured birds to the much-loved sugar glider, Australia’s native animals are a sight to behold.

The island continent is home to nearly 600,000 plants, animals and insects, many of which are found nowhere else in the world.

Tragically, though, we’re losing more of these species to habitat destruction and climate change.

Worse still, conservationists are increasingly seeing one native species threaten the survival of another. One example is the critically endangered regent honeyeater, currently being threatened by native possums and gliders.

Our new study shows this trend could mean at-risk bird populations go extinct much earlier than they otherwise would.

Why native birds matter

Australia has more than 800 native bird species – more than almost anywhere else in the world. And they’re a vital part of our unique ecosystems, helping to spread pollen and seeds and ensuring some plants and animals don’t become too numerous.

But many bird species are now at risk from ongoing degradation of our natural environment through land clearing, urbanisation and the introduction of pest species.

Clearing land to make way for farms or houses has hit Australia’s woodlands particularly hard. Woodlands are full of trees and shrubs, like forests, but have have thinner canopies to let more sunlight in.

Since European colonisation, we’ve cleared roughly 80% of many temperate woodlands in Australia. As a........

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