Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella)

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Breeding season

The species is generally resident, with local movements across a large home range. Breeding is reported from September to January, while small flocks and increased use of roadsides, coastal mallee and germinating grasses are more often reported from autumn to winter.

Month values are ordered January to December. A value of 1 indicates that the activity occurs or may occur, and 2 indicates the period of highest expected risk or activity.

• Breeding: Breeding is suspected from September to January. Nests are built in dense foliage or shrubs, often in tea-tree, Acacia, Hakea, Bursaria, Banksia or Cutting Grass.
• Young: Young remain in the nest for approximately 23 days. Two broods may be reared in succession, so dependent young may occur beyond the start of the breeding period.
• Local movement and flocking: Birds are often seen in small flocks of fewer than 12 during autumn and winter. They are presumed sedentary but move between parts of a home range that may cover several square kilometres.
• Highest clearing risk: The highest risk is during September to January because active nests, eggs and dependent young may be present in dense low vegetation. Roost nests can occur at other times and should also be considered before clearing.

Identification

The Beautiful Firetail is a small, plump finch with a bright red bill, rump and upper tail coverts. It is usually detected in dense shrubland, heath or wet vegetation, often close to the ground.

Adults are finely barred black across the body, with grey-brown upperparts, largely white barred underparts and a black mask across the lores.

The orbital ring is bluish, the bill is bright red, and the legs and feet are pinkish-brown. The tail is small and square-tipped, with bright red colour at its base.

Males usually have a larger black patch on the centre of the underbody. Females have more uniform barring across the abdomen.

Body length: Approximately 11 cm.

Typical weight: Approximately 14 g.

Wingspan: Approximately 14 cm.

Identification: Age and similar species

Juveniles are duller and browner than adults, with less prominent barring and a dark or blackish bill.

The species is the smallest of the Stagonopleura firetails and can be separated from many other small finches by its fine all-over barring, red bill and bright red rump.

The Western Beautiful Firetail is very similar to the nominate subspecies. The supplied sources state that named subspecies do not have consistent differences, so subspecies identification should not rely on plumage alone.

Identification: Field signs

Breeding nests are bottle-shaped structures with a long entrance tunnel leading to a rounded egg chamber. They are made from long grass stems, vines, twigs and leaves, and may be lined with feathers, fur, plant down, fine grass or wool.

Nests are usually low in dense foliage or shrubs. Roost nests are unlined, have a small entrance tunnel and are used for about two months before being abandoned.

The supplied sources do not provide a diagnostic call description, track or scat description, or a reliable method for identifying the species from tracks or scats. A suspected observation should therefore be supported by clear photographs, habitat information and, where appropriate, an experienced ornithologist.

Distribution: National range

Beautiful Firetails occur in south-eastern Australia. The Western Beautiful Firetail is restricted to South Australia, with its strongest remaining population on Kangaroo Island and very small mainland populations on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

The species occurs mainly on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range, from New South Wales through eastern Victoria, south-west Victoria and south-east South Australia to Tasmania and offshore islands.

In South Australia, the Western Beautiful Firetail occurs on Kangaroo Island and the Fleurieu Peninsula, and formerly occurred more widely in the Mount Lofty Ranges. The species has also been reported from the region between the Fleurieu Peninsula and the Coorong outside the breeding season, but the supplied sources describe a possible breeding distribution gap in that area.

The relevant South Australian bioregional settings include the Mount Lofty Ranges, Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, coastal heath and wetland areas. The supplied sources do not provide a complete state by state bioregional inventory for the nominate and other subspecies.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

Kangaroo Island supports the highest density of the Western Beautiful Firetail, particularly in the western half of the island.

The mainland population is largely restricted to Deep Creek Conservation Park and an adjacent property, with very small numbers near Cox Scrub Conservation Park. The subspecies has not been recorded at Newland Head Conservation Park since 2012, and recent surveys found no evidence around Mount Bold or Myponga.

Within the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, historical records were more widespread, but recent records have been concentrated around Deep Creek, Newland Head and Cox Scrub Conservation Parks, with isolated records from Onkaparinga River and Myponga Conservation Parks.

Distribution: Population and trend

The Western Beautiful Firetail population declined substantially after the 2019 to 2020 Kangaroo Island bushfires. The mainland population is now very small and fragmented.

The EPBC listing assessment estimates that the subspecies declined by 57 percent over the preceding 10 years, largely because of the Kangaroo Island fires.

Estimated mature individuals after the fires: Approximately 7,892 on Kangaroo Island and elsewhere, with low reliability.

Estimated mainland mature individuals: 44, with a reported range of 36 to 324 and low reliability.

Mainland population: Fewer than 100 individuals, according to the conservation advice.

Estimated extent of occurrence: 7,312 km² for the Western Beautiful Firetail subspecies.

Estimated area of occupancy: 340 km² for the Western Beautiful Firetail subspecies.

Post-fire survey result: Birds were recorded in 24 percent of transect surveys in unburnt patches and 5 percent of surveys in burnt areas on western Kangaroo Island from May 2020 to April 2021.

Habitat: Vegetation communities

Beautiful Firetails need dense native vegetation with seed-producing shrubs, low cover and access to water. The Western Beautiful Firetail is associated with heath, heathy woodland, mallee, sheoak woodland, riparian vegetation, wetland margins and coastal scrub.

On Kangaroo Island, habitat includes stringybark, mallee and bull-oak scrub on lateritic or ironstone plateaux; Drooping Sheoak woodland; eucalypt woodland and forest with a shrubby or heathy understorey; coastal mallee and heath; river flats; and forested river margins.

On the mainland, important habitat includes dense shrubland at Deep Creek, lateritic soils with a high density of Small Bull Oak, and watercourses with dense tea-tree and Woolly Tea-tree cover.

South Australian regional sources also identify coastal vegetation, heathy woodland and wetland vegetation as broad habitat groups used by the species.

Habitat: Structure and site condition

Habitat critical to the survival of the Western Beautiful Firetail is characterised by dense shrub cover about 1 to 3 m high, including Cross-leaf Honey-myrtle and Slaty Sheoak on shallow soils.

The species also uses areas with a relatively high density of Small Bull Oak on lateritic soils and watercourses with dense shrubs, including Cross-leaf Honey-myrtle and Woolly Tea-tree.

Larger remnants are important in the Mount Lofty Ranges and Fleurieu Peninsula because the remaining habitat is highly fragmented. A South Australian regional source reports that the species has become confined to larger remnants of more than 100 ha in parts of the region.

The supplied sources do not provide a reliable elevation limit. They indicate a preference for temperate southern Australian habitats rather than a particular altitude.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding method

Beautiful Firetails are mainly seed eaters that forage in low vegetation and on the ground. They often move through a large home range, so habitat assessment should include connected shrubland, wet margins and nearby seed-producing vegetation rather than only the point of observation.

The diet consists mainly of seeds from shrubs and small trees. Other plant material and insects form smaller parts of the diet, with insects likely to be more important when birds are breeding.

Birds take seed directly from plants and gather fallen seed from low vegetation or the ground. They may also take grass leaves, herbs, berries and other ripe or partly ripe fruit.

They need access to drinking water and may supplement water intake with green vegetation when water is less available.

Foraging habitat: Food plants and feeding sites

Recorded or identified food plants include Small Bull Oak, Slaty Sheoak, Drooping Sheoak, Prickly Tea-tree, Silky Tea-tree, Woolly Tea-tree, Dryland Tea-tree, Slender Honey-myrtle, Swamp Honey-myrtle and Cross-leaf Honey-myrtle.

Other food sources include Thick Twist Rush, Cutting Grass, Sword Sedge, Winter Grass and native berries.

Foraging habitat includes sheoak and mallee scrub, heathy woodland, river flats, forested river margins, coastal heath and pasture fringing dense native bushland.

Foraging habitat: Home range and groups

The species is generally sedentary but makes local movements and may occasionally disperse farther than its core habitat.

The home range can extend over several square kilometres. Birds may use one part for a few days before moving to another part, gradually covering the wider home range.

Foraging groups usually contain 3 to 12 birds. Birds are more often in pairs during the breeding season and in small flocks during autumn and winter.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding occurs in dense foliage, usually low in shrubs, where the nest is concealed and close to seed-producing foraging habitat. The breeding biology of the Western Beautiful Firetail is not fully studied, so field observations should be recorded carefully.

Breeding season: September to January.

Clutch size: Usually 3 to 8 eggs; other sources report 4 to 6 or 5 to 8 eggs.

Incubation: Approximately 13 to 15 days in captivity according to the EPBC conservation advice; a South Australian regional source reports 20 to 22 days.

Nestling or fledging period: Approximately 23 days in the nest or until fledging.

Broods: Two broods may be reared in succession when conditions are suitable.

Age at maturity: Approximately 9 to 12 months, based on species level information.

Lifespan: Usually 5 to 7 years in the wild, with captive birds reported to live up to 10 years.

Generation length: Approximately 2.2 years.

Breeding habitat: Nest sites

Nests are usually built in the fork of dense foliage or shrubs, often in tea-tree, Acacia, Hakea, Bursaria, Banksia, Prickly Bush, Christmas Bush, Desert Banksia, Silver Banksia or Cutting Grass.

Occasionally, nests are built in taller trees such as eucalypts. The preferred structure is dense vegetation that provides both nest concealment and nearby access to food.

Both adults incubate the eggs, with changeovers reported every 90 to 120 minutes.

Sheltering habitat: Roost nests

Outside the breeding season, Beautiful Firetails use dense vegetation for shelter and build temporary roost nests. Retaining shrub cover, low vegetation and unburnt patches is important where works occur near occupied habitat.

Roost nests are unlined structures with a small entrance tunnel. They are used during periods of inclement weather.

A roost nest is occupied for approximately two months before the birds abandon it and build another nearby.

Roost nests may resemble breeding nests in dense shrubs, so suspected nests should be inspected and managed by a suitably experienced person before vegetation is removed.

Typical roost use: Approximately two months before a new roost is built nearby.

Sheltering habitat: Cover and refuge habitat

Important shelter includes dense shrub cover 1 to 3 m high, tea-tree and honey-myrtle stands, sheoak woodland, dense heath, mallee and shrubby forest understorey.

Unburnt vegetation within or beside recently burnt areas can provide refuge after fire. These patches should not be cleared, mechanically removed or burnt until surrounding habitat has recovered sufficiently.

The supplied sources do not give dimensions for nest entrances, nest height, tree hollows, burrows or other shelter features. The species is not described as using hollows or burrows.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main risks on development sites are removal of dense native vegetation, fragmentation of habitat, disturbance or destruction of nests and roosts, and changes to fire, grazing and drainage conditions. Risks are greatest where works affect known or potential habitat in the Mount Lofty Ranges, Fleurieu Peninsula or Kangaroo Island.

Clearing removes feeding, nesting and shelter habitat and can reduce the area of occupancy. Historical clearing has left mainland habitat highly fragmented and degraded.

Roadside vegetation, riparian shrubland, heath, sheoak woodland and dense understorey should not be treated as low value simply because they are narrow or linear. They may provide food, cover or movement habitat within a large home range.

Before clearing, check for dense shrub cover 1 to 3 m high, seed-producing sheoaks and tea-trees, watercourses, wetland margins, old nests and connected native vegetation.

• Avoid clearing known or potential habitat critical to the survival of the Western Beautiful Firetail.
• Retain native vegetation links between larger remnants wherever practicable.
• Treat all likely habitat, including areas that are temporarily unsuitable because of recent fire, as potentially important for future recovery.

Threats: Fire and fire management

Large, high intensity wildfires can remove extensive habitat. The 2019 to 2020 Kangaroo Island fires affected approximately half the island and were associated with a 57 percent population decline for the Western Beautiful Firetail.

The species uses fire-dependent vegetation but prefers older vegetation compared with some other finches. The conservation advice identifies a preferred fire interval of about 15 to 35 years, while vegetation unburnt for more than 40 years and repeated high-severity fire at intervals of 15 years or less can both be unsuitable.

Post-fire refuge patches are important. Asset protection works, prescribed burning and mechanical vegetation removal can increase impacts if they remove unburnt habitat or break up recovering vegetation.

• Protect unburnt patches within or next to recently burnt areas from clearing and planned burns.
• Obtain species-specific fire advice before using mechanical clearing or prescribed fire in known or potential habitat.
• Plan works to retain a range of vegetation ages rather than removing all older or recently regenerating shrubland.

Threats: Predators, grazing and invasive species

Cats and foxes may prey on birds that forage on or near the ground. Cat predation can increase after fire because cats use open burnt areas and habitat edges.

Domestic stock can compact soil, trample shrubs and reduce understorey cover. Rabbits and overabundant kangaroos can reduce regeneration and the availability of feeding, nesting and shelter sites.

Feral pigs can damage swampy habitat through grazing, trampling and digging, and can damage streams. Weeds can alter habitat structure, food availability, fire behaviour and drainage, while Phytophthora cinnamomi may cause dieback of native vegetation.

• Prevent stock access to retained shrubland and watercourse vegetation during and after works.
• Control weeds and avoid spreading soil or plant material from areas affected by Phytophthora cinnamomi.
• Avoid leaving cleared margins, food waste or other conditions that may increase predator activity around retained habitat.

Threats: Seasonal disturbance risk

Clearing and construction during September to January can destroy active nests, eggs or dependent young. Roost nests may also be present outside the breeding season, particularly during poor weather.

The species is generally resident, so local works can affect birds using a large home range even when no birds are observed in the immediate work footprint on a single visit.

• Schedule vegetation removal outside the main breeding period where practicable.
• Use a qualified fauna spotter catcher to inspect dense shrubs and likely nesting vegetation before clearing.
• Stop work and establish an appropriate exclusion area if an active nest, dependent young or occupied roost is found.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat and records assessment

The supplied documents do not provide a formal survey guideline or prescribed detection probabilities for Beautiful Firetail. The listed entity is the Western Beautiful Firetail, Stagonopleura bella samueli, so first confirm the project is within its known or potential range and that the habitat is suitable.

Before fieldwork, check recent records and inspect all native vegetation that could support the species, including dense heath, heathy woodland, coastal mallee, stringybark, mallee and bull-oak scrub, sheoak woodland, river margins, swamps and marshes.

Give particular attention to dense shrub cover 1 to 3 m high, especially where Melaleuca decussata, Allocasuarina muelleriana, Allocasuarina striata, tea-trees or other seed-producing shrubs are present.

Map retained and proposed clearing areas, watercourses, wet areas, dense shrub patches, likely nesting vegetation and connections between habitat patches.

Known listed entity: Western Beautiful Firetail, Stagonopleura bella samueli

Known range: Kangaroo Island, Fleurieu Peninsula and the Mount Lofty Ranges

Key habitat structure: Dense shrub cover 1 to 3 m high

• Use the South Australian and Australian Government occurrence databases and local records before finalising survey locations.
• Treat apparently unoccupied habitat as potential habitat where fire age, seasonal conditions or recent disturbance could explain the absence of birds.

Survey methodology: 2. Diurnal transect and observation surveys

Conduct repeated searches along transects through all suitable habitat, including habitat edges, watercourses, wet areas, roadsides, coastal mallee and areas adjoining proposed clearing.

Search on foot during periods when birds are likely to forage, and record all birds, calls, feeding signs, nests, flock size, habitat structure and distance from the proposed works.

Look and listen for pairs, family groups and small flocks, particularly near seed-bearing Allocasuarina, Melaleuca, Leptospermum, Gahnia and grass species.

Typical group size: Pairs or small family groups in spring and summer, and flocks of fewer than 12 birds in autumn and winter

Home range: Up to several square kilometres

Documented monitoring example: 104 transects on western Kangaroo Island, surveyed up to 6 times at approximately 6 to 8 week intervals

• Use repeat visits rather than relying on one negative survey, because the birds have large home ranges and may use different parts of the range on different days.
• Record the date, start and finish time, weather, wind, recent fire history, observer effort, transect length, habitat searched and detection method for every visit.
• Survey effort should be set out in the project method statement because the supplied documents do not prescribe a number of transects, hours, visits or area for development surveys.

Survey methodology: 3. Call playback and targeted habitat searches

Use call playback only where it is permitted by the relevant land manager and wildlife authority, and include quiet listening periods after playback.

The Australian Government assessment reports extensive surveys using repeat visits and call playback for the mainland population, but does not provide a standard playback sequence, duration or detection rate.

Search dense shrubs and low foliage for bottle-shaped nests with a long entrance tunnel, particularly in tea-tree, Acacia, Hakea, Bursaria, Banksia, Pultenaea, Ceratopetalum and Gahnia.

Suspected breeding season: September to January

Nest search height: Usually low in dense foliage or shrubs

Food and foraging signs: Seed collection from shrubs and small trees, and foraging on or near the ground

• Do not disturb an active nest or repeatedly call birds from a nest site.
• Record the exact location of every observation, nest or concentrated feeding area with photographs and spatial data suitable for construction planning.
• Do not treat absence from burnt or recently cleared habitat as proof that the site is unsuitable, because birds may return as vegetation recovers.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

Formal survey guideline supplied: None in the provided documents

Breeding period to consider: September to January

Useful monitoring interval reported in the assessment: Repeat visits approximately every 6 to 8 weeks

• Confirm the taxon, range, habitat suitability, recent fire history and proposed disturbance footprint before selecting survey effort.
• Use repeat diurnal searches across suitable habitat and include call playback only where authorised and justified by the risk assessment.
• Complete surveys in suitable weather and record weather, timing, effort, observers, methods, habitat and all detections, including non-detections.
• Submit confirmed records and survey results to the relevant state wildlife database and the Australian Government species information system where required.
• Report the number of birds, breeding evidence, occupied habitat, habitat condition, fire age, disturbance footprint and proposed avoidance measures in the project ecological assessment.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Plan the work around the species' small, isolated populations and its dependence on dense shrub habitat, seed resources and access to water. The Western Beautiful Firetail is nationally listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act as the Western subspecies, Stagonopleura bella samueli.

Avoid clearing known or potential habitat, especially dense 1 to 3 m shrub cover, mature sheoak and tea-tree stands, river margins, swamp edges, coastal mallee and habitat containing food plants.

Retain connected patches between feeding, nesting and roosting areas, because the species is largely sedentary but can use a home range of several square kilometres.

Retain unburnt refuges and suitable older vegetation beside recently burnt areas, and do not isolate small habitat remnants with access tracks, asset protection works or roadside clearing.

Habitat structure to retain: Dense shrub cover 1 to 3 m high

Important mainland area: Deep Creek Conservation Park and adjoining habitat

Documented food plants: Allocasuarina striata, A. muelleriana, A. verticillata, Leptospermum, Melaleuca, Gahnia and Poa annua

• Do not clear habitat critical to survival where it can be avoided.
• Keep the net amount of suitable habitat at least unchanged and seek to increase habitat around existing mainland populations, particularly near Deep Creek Conservation Park.
• Avoid removing Allocasuarina striata, A. muelleriana, A. verticillata, Melaleuca, Leptospermum, Gahnia and other documented food or nesting plants.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Confirm whether the affected animal is the EPBC listed Western Beautiful Firetail, Stagonopleura bella samueli, rather than another Beautiful Firetail population or taxonomic treatment.

Refer proposed clearing or habitat modification under the EPBC Act where the action may have a significant impact on the listed subspecies, and obtain all relevant state approvals, permits and land manager consents.

Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat to retain, survey results, exclusion areas, fauna spotter catcher responsibilities, stop-work triggers, incident contacts and reporting requirements.

National status: EPBC Act Endangered for Stagonopleura bella samueli

Breeding period: September to January

Fire age preference reported in the assessment: Generally 15 to 35 years post-fire, with high-severity fire at intervals of 15 years or less identified as unsuitable

• Schedule vegetation clearing outside the suspected breeding period of September to January where practicable.
• Stage works so that retained habitat remains connected and birds can move away from the disturbance.
• Include fire management approval and ecological advice in any plan for prescribed burning, mechanical vegetation removal, buffers or asset protection zones.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete a pre-clearance survey immediately before works and update the fauna management plan if birds, nests, concentrated feeding areas or previously unmapped habitat are found.

Mark no-go areas, retained shrub patches, watercourses, wet areas, nest sites, food plants and habitat connections on the ground and in the construction plans.

Install exclusion fencing where it will protect retained habitat from machinery, vehicle access, spoil, trenching, dust and accidental fire.

Brief all machinery operators and supervisors on the species' appearance, low foraging behaviour, nest form, handling limits and stop-work procedure.

• Inspect the work area for active nests, roost nests and birds before each clearing stage.
• Keep machinery, materials, lighting and access tracks outside marked habitat unless the approved method specifically permits entry.
• Provide the fauna spotter catcher with current maps, contact details for the project ecologist, wildlife carer and veterinarian, and suitable transport equipment.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and spotter catcher procedure

The fauna spotter catcher must control the sequence of clearing and maintain a clear line of communication with the machine operator. Stop work whenever an animal, nest or unexpected habitat feature creates a risk that is not covered by the approved method.

Inspect exclusion fencing, retained habitat, access routes and the work area before machinery starts each day.

Conduct a daily fauna inspection immediately before clearing and repeat the inspection after pauses, changes in work location or unexpected disturbance.

Direct the machine operator through staged, low-speed clearing towards retained habitat so birds have an opportunity to move away from the disturbance.

Keep the spotter catcher within safe viewing distance of the active work face, but never require the person to stand within the machinery exclusion zone.

• Stop the machine if the spotter catcher loses visual contact with the clearing face, detects a bird in the work area or identifies an unplanned habitat feature.
• Maintain communication by radio or agreed hand signals and ensure the operator acknowledges every stop instruction.
• Prevent workers from chasing, cornering, trapping or handling a bird unless the person is authorised and the handling is necessary for fauna welfare.

During habitat disturbance: If a Beautiful Firetail is found

Stop work in the immediate area and allow the bird to move into retained habitat without pursuit.

If capture is necessary because the bird is injured, trapped or at immediate risk, use only an appropriately authorised fauna handler and minimise handling time, noise and restraint.

Release a healthy bird into nearby retained habitat that has suitable dense cover, food plants and access to water, subject to the approved fauna management plan and relevant permit conditions.

Transfer an injured bird to a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer as soon as practicable, and record the outcome.

Normal social behaviour: Pairs, small family groups and flocks of fewer than 12 birds

Typical foraging position: On the ground or in low vegetation

Nest form: Bottle-shaped nest with a long tunnel leading to a round egg chamber

• Do not relocate a bird over a large distance or across unsuitable cleared land unless directed by the project ecologist and permitted by the relevant authority.
• Do not disturb an active nest, eggs or dependent young; establish an exclusion area and obtain advice from the project ecologist before work resumes.
• Record the location, condition, action taken, release location, time, handler and final outcome for every fauna incident.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features, triggers and records

Treat dense shrub patches, food plants, watercourses, swamp and marsh edges, nests, roost sites and connected vegetation as fauna habitat even where no bird is visible on the day.

Do not remove, burn, lop or modify habitat features outside the approved footprint, and prevent sediment, spoil, dust, weeds and fuels from entering retained habitat or watercourses.

If works uncover a nest, eggs, dependent young, injured bird or an occupied habitat patch, stop work and notify the project ecologist and environmental officer before recommencing.

• Use immediate stop-work triggers for any unapproved clearing, damage to exclusion fencing, bird injury, active nest, unexpected concentration of birds, escaped fire, chemical spill or machinery entry into retained habitat.
• Maintain daily records of cleared area, retained area, weather, observers, machinery, bird observations, nest checks, incidents, relocations and corrective actions.
• Provide incident records and spatial data to the approval holder and relevant regulator where required by the approval or permit.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Completion of clearing does not remove the need for fauna controls. Check the work area, maintain retained habitat and confirm that recovery actions address the species' food, nesting, water and fire-age requirements.

Complete a final inspection of the cleared area, retained vegetation, exclusion fencing, access tracks, watercourses and wet areas after each clearing stage.

Search for injured or trapped birds, damaged nests, isolated habitat patches, fallen food plants and machinery impacts before the area is handed to the construction team.

Remove temporary hazards such as open trenches, unsecured mesh, spoil piles and materials that could trap or injure birds.

• Keep fauna exclusion fencing in place until the project ecologist confirms that the risk from construction activity has ended.
• Repair any damage to retained shrub cover, habitat connections, fencing or watercourse protections promptly.
• Repeat checks after major storms, fires, vegetation removal or changes to the construction footprint.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained and rehabilitated habitat for bird presence, feeding activity, nesting, flock size, weed invasion, regeneration and impacts from grazing or predators.

Use repeat surveys that are comparable with the pre-clearance method, and record survey effort so changes in occupancy or detection are interpretable.

Report any decline, new isolation of habitat, fire damage, disease symptoms or predator activity to the project ecologist and approval holder.

Monitoring focus: Bird presence, nesting, food plants, dense shrub cover, water access, weeds, grazing, predators and fire age

Known mainland population concern: Fewer than 100 individuals were believed to remain on the mainland at the time of the assessment

• Compare results with the pre-clearance baseline and document whether retained habitat remains connected and structurally suitable.
• Submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database and update the Australian Government record system where required.
• Keep approval records, survey data, fauna incident forms, photographs, maps and rehabilitation results for the period specified by the approval.

After habitat disturbance: Controls and offsets

Maintain approved habitat protection, weed control, predator controls, fire precautions and access restrictions for the full construction and maintenance period.

Where residual impacts remain after avoidance and minimisation, apply any approved offset, restoration or conservation action required under the EPBC Act or state approval.

Design offsets and restoration to increase suitable habitat and connectivity near existing populations rather than replacing habitat only with unsuitable vegetation.

• Do not count a cleared area as restored until the required shrub structure, food resources, water access and fire-age condition have developed and monitoring demonstrates use or suitable recovery.
• Review the fauna management plan when monitoring shows that controls are not protecting habitat or when construction methods change.

Rehabilitation actions: Rebuild food and nesting habitat

Rehabilitation should recreate the vegetation structure and food resources used by the Western Beautiful Firetail, not simply provide general revegetation. Set targets for dense shrub cover, seed supply, nesting sites, water access, connectivity and appropriate fire age.

Plant local provenance native species that provide seed, dense cover or nesting structure, including Allocasuarina striata, A. muelleriana, A. verticillata, Melaleuca decussata, M. lanceolata, M. gibbosa, M. squamea, Leptospermum lanigerum, L. continentale, L. myrsinoides, Gahnia grandis and other documented food or nesting plants.

Restore dense shrub cover with a target structure of 1 to 3 m where that matches the surrounding habitat.

Revegetate cleared edges and gaps between retained patches so birds can move between feeding, nesting and roosting areas.

Protect planted areas from domestic stock, rabbits, overabundant kangaroos, feral pigs, weeds and machinery until plants are established.

Target shrub structure: Dense cover 1 to 3 m high

Recorded food resources: Sheoaks, tea-trees, honey-myrtles, Gahnia, Lepidosperma, Poa annua and native berries

Recorded nesting plants: Pultenaea juniperina, Ceratopetalum gummiferum, tea-tree, Hakea, Banksia ornata, Banksia marginata and Gahnia grandis

• Use site-appropriate local species and retain natural regeneration wherever possible.
• Avoid planting invasive species or species that substantially change the local fire regime or habitat structure.
• Include river margins, swamp edges and other wet areas where they are part of the original habitat and can be restored without changing natural drainage.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore shelter and wet areas

Retain or reinstate natural fallen timber, dense ground vegetation and other cover used by birds while foraging near the ground.

Restore watercourses, river margins, swamps and marsh edges with native shrub and sedge cover where these features were disturbed by the project.

Use nest boxes only where the project ecologist determines that natural nesting cover cannot be restored in a reasonable timeframe, and place and monitor them under an approved species-specific design.

• Do not remove natural nests or place artificial nests without advice from the project ecologist and the relevant authority.
• Control weeds that alter shrub structure, food supply, hydrology or fire behaviour, including high-risk weeds identified for Kangaroo Island.
• Prevent new feral pig, cat, fox, rabbit and disease impacts through the approved pest and hygiene programme.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire management and success measures

Prepare a fire management plan that maintains a range of suitable fire ages and protects unburnt refuges beside recently burnt habitat.

Avoid repeated high-severity fire at intervals of 15 years or less and avoid allowing suitable habitat to remain unburnt for more than 40 years where ecological advice identifies a need for fire.

Use adaptive management, with fire decisions based on vegetation recovery, seed production, bird records and advice from the relevant land manager and project ecologist.

Fire interval preference reported: 15 to 35 years post-fire

Condition identified as unsuitable: High-severity fire recurring at intervals of 15 years or less, or vegetation more than 40 years unburnt

Reported return after fire: The assessment suggests birds may return to burnt areas within 2 years

• Monitor rehabilitation at agreed intervals for survival and cover of planted species, shrub height and density, seed-producing plants, weed cover, grazing or pest damage, water availability and bird detections.
• Use bird presence, feeding records, nesting evidence and continued habitat connectivity as success measures, alongside vegetation establishment measures.
• Continue monitoring until the approval holder and project ecologist agree that habitat is functioning and the required rehabilitation condition has been met.
• Record fire events, fire severity, post-fire recovery and any return of birds, noting that the assessment reports possible return to burnt areas within 2 years but a preference for habitat 15 to 35 years post-fire.

Sources

• Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australian Government DCCEEW: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/80202-conservation-advice-05102022.pdf
• Stagonopleura bella Beautiful Firetail, South Australian Government: https://cdn.environment.sa.gov.au/landscape/docs/hf/pa-fact-beautifulfiretail.pdf
• Beautiful Firetail Finches (Stagonopleura bella) | Earth Life, earthlife.net: https://earthlife.net/beautiful-firetails/