Dozens of woodland bird species are threatened, and we still don't know what works best to bring them back

There are other you might never have noticed, such as pardalotes, thornbills, treecreepers, gerygones and nightjars. Forty woodland bird species are listed as threatened and several others are declining.

And just this month another six woodland birds were added to the national threatened list.

Efforts to help these species recover are being made. Common include replanting trees and installing nest boxes. But it is important we know which efforts are making the biggest difference. We can then ensure we are doing enough to recover these birds and directing resources to actions that work best.

Our systematic review collated all the published research we could find that tested the effectiveness of 26 conservation actions for woodland bird communities. And yet we found little evidence about exactly how effective most of these actions are.

A male superb parrot. Credit: Shutterstock

Grassy woodlands like this are home to many threatened bird species. Credit: Jessica Walsh, Author provided

A replanting site compared with a paddock. Credit: Jessica Walsh, Author provided

A male scarlet robin, one of the many much-loved woodland bird species. Credit: Martine Maron, Author provided