World
Two-way science in the desert
Australia's 'Ghost Bird' Returns: How Indigenous Rangers Found the World's Largest Night Parrot Population
Indigenous Ngururrpa rangers and scientists have detected up to 50 night parrots in WA's Great Sandy Desert, the largest known population of a bird feared extinct until 2013. Using acoustic 'songmeters' across 31 sites chosen by blending ranger knowledge with satellite and geology data, they found a stronghold dwarfing Queensland's. Camera traps showed dingoes, not cats, dominate roosts as the species is uplisted to critically endangered amid mining pressure.