Mr Nicholas Leseberg
Casual Senior Research Assistant
School of the Environment
Affiliate of Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science
Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science
Research and Recovery of Endangered Species (RARES)
Researcher biography
Nick has been passionate about nature, particularly birds for his entire life. He completed his PhD on the Night Parrot at UQ, which lead to a particular interest in understanding how to detect rare species and assess their status at the landscape scale. Nick is a member of the RARES group, and is involved several projects, including research into the Buff-breasted Button-quail, Carpentarian Grasswren, Red Goshawk and Northern Masked Owl.
Journal Articles
Lindsay, Malcolm, Paltridge, Rachel, Leseberg, Nicholas, Jackett, Nigel, Murphy, Stephen, Boyle, Adrian, Watson, Alexander, Greatwich, Bruce, Hamaguchi, Neil and Shipway, Stella (2024). Aboriginal rangers co-lead night parrot conservation: background, survey effort and success in Western Australia 2017-2023. Wildlife Research, 51 (10) WR24094, 1-10. doi: 10.1071/WR24094
MacColl, Christopher, Ward, Michael P., Seaton, Richard, Leseberg, Nicholas P., Murphy, Stephen A. and Watson, James E. M. (2024). Breeding diet of the Australian Red Goshawk and its implications for understanding the species’ trophic niche and decline. Journal of Raptor Research, 58 (4), 411-425. doi: 10.3356/jrr2416
Webster, Patrick T. D., Leseberg, N. P., Murphy, S. A. and Watson, J. E. M. (2024). Four years of targeted surveys across northern Queensland failed to detect any evidence of Buff-breasted Button-quail Turnix olivii. Emu - Austral Ornithology, 124 (3-4), 211-220. doi: 10.1080/01584197.2024.2343680
Webster, Patrick T. D., Leseberg, N. P., Murphy, S. A. and Watson, J. E. M. (2024). Movements and habitat use of painted button-quail, Turnix varius, in tropical savanna of northern Queensland. Australian Journal of Zoology, 72 (1) ZO23039, 1-10. doi: 10.1071/zo23039
MacColl, Christopher, Watson, James E. M., Leseberg, Nicholas P., Seaton, Richard, Das, Tridip, Das, Shubhagata and Raidal, Shane R. (2024). Beak and feather disease virus detected in the endangered Red Goshawk (Erythrotriorchis radiatus). Scientific Reports, 14 (1) 10263, 1-9. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-60874-1
Backstrom, Louis J., Callaghan, Corey T., Leseberg, Nicholas P., Sanderson, Chris, Fuller, Richard A. and Watson, James E. M. (2024). Assessing adequacy of citizen science datasets for biodiversity monitoring. Ecology and Evolution, 14 (2) e10857, 1-12. doi: 10.1002/ece3.10857
Sunfly, Clifford, Schubert, Andrew, Reid, Angela M., Leseberg, Nicholas, Parker, Luke and Paltridge, Rachel (2024). Potential threats and habitat of the night parrot on the Ngururrpa Indigenous Protected Area. Wildlife Research, 51 (10) WR24083, 1-14. doi: 10.1071/WR24083
Backstrom, Louis J., Leseberg, Nicholas P., Callaghan, Corey T., Sanderson, Chris, Fuller, Richard. A. and Watson, James E. M. (2024). Using citizen science to identify Australia’s least known birds and inform conservation action. Emu - Austral Ornithology, 124 (2), 199-205. doi: 10.1080/01584197.2023.2283443
Leseberg, Nicholas P., Kutt, Alex, Evans, Megan C., Nou, Tida, Spillias, Scott, Stone, Zoe, Walsh, Jessica C., Murphy, Stephen A., Bamford, Mike, Burbidge, Allan H., Crossing, Kate, Davis, Robert A., Garnett, Stephen T., Kavanagh, Rodney P., Murphy, Robert, Read, John, Reid, Julian, van Leeuwen, Stephen, Watson, Alexander W. T., Watson, James E. M. and Maron, Martine (2023). Establishing effective conservation management strategies for a poorly known endangered species: a case study using Australia’s Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis). Biodiversity and Conservation, 32 (8-9), 2869-2891. doi: 10.1007/s10531-023-02633-8
MacColl, Christopher, Leseberg, Nicholas P., Seaton, Richard, Murphy, Stephen A. and Watson, James E.M. (2023). Rapid and recent range collapse of Australia’s Red Goshawk Erythrotriorchis radiatus. Emu - Austral Ornithology, 124 (2), 93-104. doi: 10.1080/01584197.2023.2172735
Webster, Patrick, Research and Recovery of Endangered Species Group, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia, Leseberg, Nicholas, Murphy, Stephen, Watson, James, Research and Recovery of Endangered Species Group, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia, Research and Recovery of Endangered Species Group, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia and Research and Recovery of Endangered Species Group, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia (2023). Descriptions of the vocalisations of the Painted Button-quail Turnix varius in North Queensland. Australian Field Ornithology, 40, 111-119. doi: 10.20938/afo40111119
Murphy, Stephen A., McGregor, Hugh, Leseberg, Nicholas P., Watson, James and Kutt, Alex S. (2023). Feral cat GPS tracking and simulation models to improve the conservation management of night parrots. Wildlife Research, 50 (5), 325-334. doi: 10.1071/WR21123
Webster, Patrick T.D., Leseberg, Nicholas P., Murphy, Stephen A., Joseph, Leo and Watson, James E. M. (2022). A review of specimens of Buff-breasted Button-quail Turnix olivii suggests serious concern for its conservation outlook. Emu - Austral Ornithology, 122 (2), 121-130. doi: 10.1080/01584197.2022.2090962
Leseberg, Nicholas P., Venables, William N., Murphy, Stephen A., Jackett, Nigel A. and Watson, James E. M. (2022). Accounting for both automated recording unit detection space and signal recognition performance in acoustic surveys: A protocol applied to the cryptic and critically endangered Night Parrot ( Pezoporus occidentalis ). Austral Ecology, 47 (2), 440-455. doi: 10.1111/aec.13128
Webster, Patrick, Leseberg, Nicholas, Murphy, Stephen and Watson, James (2022). New records of Painted Button-quail Turnix varius in North Queensland suggest a distribution through southern and central Cape York Peninsula. Australian Field Ornithology, 39, 199-205. doi: 10.20938/afo39199205
Webster, Patrick T.D., Murphy, Stephen A., Leseberg, Nicholas P. and Watson, James E.M. (2022). Retaining the ‘art’: Painted Button-quail Turnix varius do make platelets in north-eastern Queensland. Australian Field Ornithology, 39, 206-210. doi: 10.20938/afo39206210
Patrick, Patrick, Jackett, Nigel, Mason, Ian, Rush, Emily, Leseberg, Nicholas and Watson, James (2022). Nests and eggs of the Chestnut-backed Button-quail Turnix castanotus: Two new nests and a review of previous descriptions. Australian Field Ornithology, 39, 12-18. doi: 10.20938/afo39012018
Leseberg, Nicholas P., McAllan, Ian A. W., Murphy, Stephen A., Burbidge, Allan H., Joseph, Leo, Parker, Shane A., Jackett, Nigel A., Fuller, Richard A. and Watson, James E. M. (2021). Using anecdotal reports to clarify the distribution and status of a near mythical species: Australia’s Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis). Emu - Austral Ornithology, 121 (3), 1-11. doi: 10.1080/01584197.2021.1927760
Webster, Patrick T.D., Jackett, Nigel A., Swann, George, Leseberg, Nicholas P., Murphy, Stephen and Watson, James E. (2021). Descriptions of the vocalisations of the Chestnut-backed Button-quail Turnix castanotus. Australian Field Ornithology, 38, 137-144. doi: 10.20938/afo38137144
Stoetzel, Henry J., Leseberg, Nicholas P., Murphy, Stephen A., Andrew, Margaret E., Plant, Kayler J., Harrington, Graham N. and Watson, James E.M. (2020). Modelling the habitat of the endangered Carpentarian Grasswren (Amytornis dorotheae): The importance of spatio-temporal habitat availability in a fire prone landscape. Global Ecology and Conservation, 24 e01341, e01341. doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01341
Iwaniuk, Andrew N., Keirnan, Aubrey R., Janetzki, Heather, Mardon, Karine, Murphy, Stephen, Leseberg, Nicholas P. and Weisbecker, Vera (2020). The endocast of the Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) reveals insights into its sensory ecology and the evolution of nocturnality in birds. Scientific Reports, 10 (1) 9258, 9258. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-65156-0
Leseberg, Nicholas P., Venables, William N., Murphy, Stephen A. and Watson, James E. M. (2020). Using intrinsic and contextual information associated with automated signal detections to improve call recognizer performance: A case study using the cryptic and critically endangered Night Parrot Pezoporus occidentalis. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 11 (11), 1520-1530. doi: 10.1111/2041-210x.13475
Leseberg, Nicholas P., Murphy, Stephen A., Jackett, Nigel A., Webster, Patrick T. D., MacColl, Christopher, Stoetzel, Henry J. and Watson, James E. M. (2020). Recognising the impact of sight record assessment on the scientific record and a species’ conservation status. Emu - Austral Ornithology, 120 (2), 181-183. doi: 10.1080/01584197.2020.1774395
Leseberg, Nicholas, Murphy, Stephen, Jackett, Nigel, Greatwich, Bruce, Brown, Jamie, Hamilton, Neil, Joseph, Leo and Watson, James (2019). Descriptions of known vocalisations of the Night Parrot Pezoporus occidentalis. Australian Field Ornithology, 36, 79-88. doi: 10.20938/afo36079088
Tulloch, Ayesha I. T., Auerbach, Nancy, Avery-Gomm, Stephanie, Dickman, Chris R., Fisher, Diana O., Grantham, Hedley, Holden, Matthew H., Lavery, Tyrone H., Leseberg, Nicholas P., O’Connor, James, Roberson, Leslie, Smyth, Anita K., Stone, Zoe, Tulloch, Vivitskaia, Turak, Eren, Watson, James E. M. and Wardle, Glenda M. (2019). Reply to ‘Consider species specialism when publishing datasets’ and ‘Decision trees for data publishing may exacerbate conservation conflict’. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 3 (3), 320-321. doi: 10.1038/s41559-019-0805-6
Tulloch, Ayesha I. T., Auerbach, Nancy, Avery-Gomm, Stephanie, Bayraktarov, Elisa, Butt, Nathalie, Dickman, Chris R., Ehmke, Glenn, Fisher, Diana O., Grantham, Hedley, Holden, Matthew H., Lavery, Tyrone H., Leseberg, Nicholas P., Nicholls, Miles, O'Connor, James, Roberson, Leslie, Smyth, Anita K., Stone, Zoe, Tulloch, Vivitskaia, Turak, Eren, Wardle, Glenda M. and Watson, James E. M. (2018). A decision tree for assessing the risks and benefits of publishing biodiversity data. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 2 (8), 1209-1217. doi: 10.1038/s41559-018-0608-1
Murphy, Stephen A., Austin, Jeremy J., Murphy, Rachel K., Silcock, Jennifer, Joseph, Leo, Garnett, Stephen T., Leseberg, Nicholas P., Watson, James E.M. and Burbidge, Allan H. (2017). Observations on breeding Night Parrots (Pezoporus occidentalis) in western Queensland. Emu-Austral Ornithology, 117 (2), 107-113. doi: 10.1080/01584197.2017.1292404
Thesis
Leseberg, Nicholas (2022). Conservation biogeography of the Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis). PhD Thesis, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/618d2da