Context. Tree hollows are a key habitat resource for hollow-nesting species, including the northern Australian Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae). Certain fire and disturbance regimes limit tree hollow availability in the northern Australian savannas.

Aims. This study investigated the influence of fire regime and vegetation structure on the density of tree hollows at Gouldian finch breeding sites.

Methods. Fire scars were mapped across breeding sites by using LANDSAT images. Vegetation plots within sites were spatially stratified according to three fire-regime attributes, namely, fire frequency, late dry-season wildfire frequency and time since the last fire. Tree hollow and vegetation structural attributes were measured at each vegetation plot. We modelled the relationship among hollow density, fire and vegetation attributes by using general linear mixed models with site as the random factor.

Key results. We found that the highest tree-hollow density was found at plots with high eucalypt tree density and cover and with the lowest frequency of late dry-season wildfires (<1 wildfire over 5 years). Tree-hollow density declined after >2 years without fire. Hollow density was not directly related to total fire frequency.

Conclusions. This study adds to previous work on grass seed resources in highlighting the importance of fire in Gouldian finch ecology. This study particularly highlighted the importance of reducing the impacts of high-intensity late dry-season wildfires because of their negative impacts on tree-hollow density, which is a key resource for breeding Gouldian finches.

Implications. We recommend the use of a network of interconnected annual patchy early dry-season prescribed burns for protecting Gouldian breeding habitat from threat of high-intensity wildfires. We do NOT recommend fire exclusion from Gouldian finch breeding habitats. This is because fire risks to hollow-bearing trees, and grass seed resources, increase with the long-term accumulation of savanna litter fuels in the absence of fire.

语境。树木凹陷是包括澳大利亚北部古兰雀科（ Erythrura gouldiae）在内的巢状物种的重要栖息地资源。某些火灾和骚扰制度限制了澳大利亚北部热带稀树草原树木空心的可利用性。

目的。本研究调查了火情和植被结构对古尔丁雀科繁殖点树木空心密度的影响。

方法。使用LANDSAT图像在整个繁殖地点绘制了火疤。根据三个着火区域属性，即着火频率，干季末野火频率和自上次着火以来的时间，对场内的植被地块进行空间分层。在每个植被小区测量树木的空心和植被结构属性。我们通过使用以地点为随机因子的一般线性混合模型对中空密度，火和植被属性之间的关系进行建模。

关键结果。我们发现，在具有高桉树密度和覆盖率且干季晚期野火发生频率最低（5年内小于1次野火）的土地上发现了最高的树空密度。> 2年无火后树木空心密度下降。空心密度与总着火频率没有直接关系。

结论。这项研究增加了先前有关草种子资源的工作，以强调火在古尔芬朱雀生态学中的重要性。这项研究特别强调了减少高强度后期旱季野火的影响的重要性，因为它们对树空心密度具有负面影响，树空心密度是古勒雀科繁殖的重要资源。

含义。我们建议使用相互连接的年度斑驳的早期旱季规定的烧伤网络，以保护古尔丁（Gouldian）繁殖生境免受高强度野火的威胁。我们不建议在古尔芬雀科的繁殖栖息地排除火种。这是因为在没有火的情况下，随着稀树草原垃圾燃料的长期积累，着火的风险在于空心树和草种子资源的增加。