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Black-breasted Buttonquail (Turnix melanogaster)

The Black-breasted Buttonquail is a cryptic, ground-dwelling bird of low, closed dry rainforest, vine thicket, littoral forest and some mature Hoop Pine plantations in eastern Queensland and northern New South Wales. Clearing, fragmentation, fire, grazing, weeds and introduced predators can remove the deep, moist leaf litter and dense ground cover it needs, so suitable habitat and field signs require careful checking before and during works.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Vulnerable.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Critically endangered.

Breeding season

Breeding is usually concentrated from spring to early or mid-autumn, but the species can breed outside the usual period at some sites. Local movements may occur in response to rainfall and habitat condition, although seasonal movement patterns are not established across the range.

Month values run from January to December. A value of 0 means not typical, 1 means occurs, and 2 means peak or highest risk.

  • Breeding: Breeding is generally reported from September or October to February, March or April. Breeding has been associated with wetter periods.
  • Young: Nests contain three to four eggs. Incubation takes about 12 to 16 days, and chicks can feed independently at about two weeks, but family groups may remain associated after hatching.
  • Local movement: Some sites have shown temporary absence from January to March or later in wetter years, suggesting movement in response to local conditions. A regular annual movement pattern has not been established.
  • Foraging and roosting: The species is resident or locally mobile and uses leaf litter, low thickets and connected closed forest throughout the year.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing and ground disturbance are most likely to harm the species from September or October to April because nests, incubating birds and dependent young may be present. Retained litter and shelter should also be protected outside this period.

Identification

This is a shy, plump, almost tailless buttonquail with short yellow legs and distinctive pale or white eyes. It is more often detected by a bird walking or flushing from cover, or by circular feeding depressions in leaf litter, than by a clear view.

Adults are mottled brown, black, grey and white, with a dark breast marked by white half-moon or crescent-shaped markings. The bill is grey, the legs are dull to bright yellow, and the iris is cream white. Males have a whitish face and throat with dark speckling. Females are larger and have a black head, face and throat with fine white markings and heavier dark plumage on the breast.

Males are about 18 cm long, with a wingspan of about 32 to 35 cm and a weight of approximately 65 g. Females can reach about 19 cm and may weigh 100 to 150 g. Juveniles resemble males but are duller, with a paler or blue-grey iris when young.

Key field marks: White or cream eye, dark breast with white markings, short yellow legs, compact body and almost no visible tail.

Sex difference: Female with black head and throat; male with whitish face and throat.

Identification: Similar species

Male and juvenile Black-breasted Buttonquail can be confused with the Painted Button-quail. The Black-breasted Buttonquail has a dark breast and white or pale eyes, whereas the Painted Button-quail has red eyes and is generally more reddish brown, particularly on the neck.

Other button-quail in New South Wales are generally smaller and redder. True quail have a small hind toe, while button-quail have only three forward-pointing toes.

Identification: Field signs and calls

The species makes circular or oval feeding depressions, known as platelets, by pivot feeding through the leaf litter. A site may have 10 to 40 platelets, and sometimes more than 100, but platelets alone are not diagnostic because other button-quail can make similar scrapes.

The female has a low-pitched booming or drumming call, described as a sequence of 5 to 7 notes. Males produce staccato or clucking alarm and rallying calls. The nest is a shallow ground scrape under a low bush, coarse tussock or between buttress roots, lined and sometimes covered with grass and leaves.

  • Search slowly through deep leaf litter and low thickets for birds that run, freeze or flush rather than fly into trees.
  • Record the location, number and freshness of platelets, but seek a bird, call or other supporting evidence before confirming presence.
  • Inspect ground cover and the bases of low shrubs, tussocks and buttress roots for nests during the breeding period.

Distribution: States and bioregional range

The species is endemic to eastern Australia. The current core range is in Queensland, with historical and possibly extant occurrences in north-eastern New South Wales, but its very cryptic behaviour makes distribution and trend estimates uncertain.

In Queensland, records extend from near Byfield and the Great Sandy Region, including K'gari, south through south-eastern Queensland to the New South Wales border. Records extend west to Palmgrove National Park, Barakula State Forest and other inland sites. Relevant habitat occurs in coastal and near-coastal vine forest, littoral forest, bottle tree scrub, Brigalow and related closed forests, and in parts of the Brigalow Belt.

In New South Wales, records are concentrated in the far north-east, including the Border Ranges, Big Scrub, Tweed Range, Mount Warning and Nightcap Range areas. Historical records farther south and west, including around Dorrigo and Walcha, are uncertain or may include Painted Button-quail records.

  • Check mapped and potential habitat in the Brigalow Belt, coastal south-east Queensland, the Great Sandy Region and the Border Ranges to Big Scrub region of northern New South Wales.
  • Do not treat an absence from a short site inspection as evidence that the species is absent from suitable habitat.

Distribution: Strongholds and populations

Known Queensland areas include K'gari, Cooloola, Inskip Peninsula, mature Hoop Pine plantation and remnant vine scrub sites. Many occupied patches are separated by open forest, cleared agricultural land or water, but recent assessments consider the species capable of moving between isolated patches and likely to form one dispersed Australian subpopulation.

The species may now be locally extinct in New South Wales, although suitable and relatively inaccessible habitat remains and recent surveys have not used all available methods, including camera traps and song meters.

Estimated mature population: Approximately 4,800 birds in 2021, with an estimated range of 3,000 to 6,500; confidence is low because baseline monitoring is poor.

Population structure: Current assessments consider the birds likely to comprise one dispersed subpopulation rather than many isolated subpopulations.

Population trend: A continuing decline is inferred in mature individuals, area of occupancy and habitat extent and quality.

Conservation status: Vulnerable under the EPBC Act and Queensland legislation; Critically Endangered under current New South Wales legislation.

Habitat: Vegetation communities

Black-breasted Buttonquail habitat is defined by a closed or near-closed canopy, low or sparse shrub structure and a deep, continuous leaf-litter layer. Habitat can occur as natural forest, regrowth, coastal scrub or mature plantation, but the litter layer and connection to suitable forest are important.

The species occurs in low, closed dry rainforest, notophyll and microphyll vine forest, semi-evergreen thicket, littoral vine forest, Brigalow vine scrub, Brigalow-Belah closed forest and bottle tree scrub. It also uses some wet closed forest, wet eucalypt forest, Acacia regrowth on suitable sandy soils, and mature Hoop Pine plantations with a suitable understorey.

Canopy plants recorded in occupied vine scrub include Flindersia species, Owenia venosa, Hoop Pine and Bunya Pine. Coastal littoral forest may include Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Acacia over vine forest species.

  • Prioritise inspection of closed forest patches with a deep, undisturbed litter bed, especially where they adjoin open forest or have a dense shrub edge.
  • Include mature Hoop Pine plantations and lantana thickets in habitat assessments where they are connected to, or embedded within, vine forest or dry rainforest.

Habitat: Structural and climatic features

Preferred habitat generally has canopy cover greater than 70 percent, a sparse to open shrub layer and deep, consistent leaf litter. The species is associated mainly with areas receiving about 770 to 1,400 mm of annual rainfall, often with a distinct dry season.

Suitable forests are commonly on rich, deep alluvial soils or sandy coastal soils. Small patches can be unsuitable, particularly where drying, fire, grazing, weed invasion or loss of litter has altered the forest floor.

Canopy cover: Typically greater than 70 percent in preferred closed forest.

Reported patch size: The species has been associated with patches from less than 25 ha to more than 100 ha; on the Ravensbourne Plateau it appeared to avoid patches smaller than 7 ha.

Rainfall range: About 770 to 1,400 mm annually, with many survey guidelines using 770 to 1,200 mm.

  • Map canopy gaps, edges, cleared corridors, recent burns, stock access and weed infestations because these can reduce litter moisture and habitat continuity.
  • Treat intact habitat patches and connected regrowth as potentially suitable even where the canopy species differ from those in nearby rainforest.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding method

Foraging occurs on the forest floor, mainly in deep leaf litter beneath closed forest, vine thicket, shrub cover and suitable plantation understorey. The species searches by pivot feeding rather than by digging large holes or feeding in trees.

The diet is primarily terrestrial invertebrates, especially beetles, ants, earwigs and pseudoscorpions. Seeds and fruit are also taken.

A bird stands on one leg and scratches and scrapes the litter in a circular motion, exposing the litter surface and uppermost soil. This produces a platelet, usually an oval or circular depression.

Typical platelet density: About 10 to 40 platelets per site, sometimes more than 100.

Foraging period: Primarily diurnal.

  • Retain deep, moist litter and avoid stripping, compacting or burning the forest floor within and beside suitable habitat.
  • Record clusters of fresh platelets, especially where they occur beneath shrubs, in vine forest edges or in lantana thickets connected to closed forest.
  • Use platelets as an indication for targeted searches, not as a confirmed record without a bird, call or other supporting evidence.

Foraging habitat: Foraging area

Recorded home ranges in remnant vine scrub were about 2.2 to 6.1 ha, with overlap between sexes. Female territories have also been reported at about 1.5 ha. Birds may move between suitable patches when local habitat or food conditions change.

  • Assess the full connected patch and nearby litter-rich edges rather than limiting the search to the proposed disturbance footprint.
  • Include likely movement routes through connected forest, regrowth and coastal scrub in the impact assessment.

Breeding habitat

Breeding occurs on the ground in sheltered sites within litter-rich forest or thicket. Females are polyandrous, and the male usually incubates the eggs and cares for the chicks.

The nest is a shallow scrape under a low bush, coarse tussock or between buttress roots. It is lined with grass and leaves and may be hooded or domed. Breeding is associated with wetter periods, probably because wet conditions improve invertebrate availability.

The female attracts males with a booming or drumming call. After laying, the male generally incubates and cares for the young, although females may also tend chicks. Chicks are precocial, can run soon after hatching and can feed independently at about two weeks.

Breeding season: Generally September or October to February, March or April; breeding can occur at other times at some localities.

Clutch size: Three to four eggs.

Incubation: About 12 to 16 days.

Age at maturity: Less than six months has been reported.

Lifespan: Maximum longevity estimated at about 8.9 years.

Young independence: Chicks can feed themselves at about two weeks.

Breeding habitat: Breeding-site features

Breeding sites need continuous ground cover, deep litter and shelter from low shrubs, tussocks, vines or buttress roots. Disturbance that removes litter, exposes the nest scrape, compacts soil or opens the canopy can reduce breeding suitability.

  • Inspect sheltered ground sites before clearing, particularly beneath low shrubs, coarse tussocks and buttress-rooted trees.
  • Avoid disturbing litter-rich breeding habitat during the September to April breeding period where practicable.
  • If clearing is unavoidable, use an approved fauna management procedure and have a suitably experienced fauna spotter catcher inspect the area immediately before works.

Sheltering habitat: Roosting and refuge

The species shelters and roosts on the ground. It does not perch in trees because button-quail lack a hind toe, so removal of low cover and litter can remove both daytime refuge and nocturnal roosting habitat.

Roosting has been recorded in leaf litter, on fallen logs, in lantana thickets, under shrubs and in open areas with nearby cover. The species also uses dry rainforest, vine thicket, littoral forest and mature Hoop Pine plantation understorey for shelter.

Roost height: Ground level; the species does not roost on branches or in trees.

Known shelter features: Leaf litter, fallen logs, lantana thickets, low shrubs and open ground beside cover.

  • Retain deep leaf litter, fallen logs, low shrubs, tussocks and connected thickets within and beside the work area.
  • Search beneath dense ground cover and beside fallen logs rather than looking for tree hollows or elevated roosts.
  • Treat connected lantana thickets as potential shelter, while also assessing whether weed control would alter cover and fire risk.

Sheltering habitat: Fragment and edge use

The species has been recorded in small habitat patches and on islands, but occupied patches can be separated by open forest or cleared land. Fragment edges can dry the litter and increase weed, fire and predator impacts.

  • Check adjoining remnants, forest corridors and narrow connections before isolating or clearing a patch.
  • Keep machinery, vehicle movements, stock access and temporary compounds away from intact litter beds and low shelter where practicable.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main project risks are loss or degradation of closed forest and litter habitat, fragmentation, fire and increased access for predators. Impacts can occur even where only a small part of a habitat patch is cleared.

About 90 percent of the species' dry rainforest habitat is estimated to have been cleared since European settlement. Clearing for agriculture, housing, infrastructure, forestry and plantations has reduced habitat, removed mature birds and separated remaining patches.

Fragmentation increases edge drying, weed invasion, fire exposure and predator access. The species may need to cross cleared ground between occupied patches, increasing exposure to predators.

Historical habitat loss: Approximately 90 percent of dry rainforest habitat across the range has been cleared.

  • Avoid clearing closed forest, vine thicket, littoral forest, bottle tree scrub and mature Hoop Pine understorey where the litter layer is intact.
  • Map the complete habitat patch, not only the area directly under construction.
  • Do not assume a small remnant is unoccupied because it is isolated or because no bird was seen during a brief inspection.

Threats: Fire, drought and ground disturbance

High intensity or frequent fire can remove litter, kill or displace birds, reduce invertebrate prey and damage roosting and foraging cover. Drought dries the litter, reduces canopy cover and prey availability, and increases fire risk.

Vehicle movements, earthworks, livestock and feral pigs can compact soil, disturb litter and damage the low vegetation used for shelter and nesting.

Recent fire impact: At least 49,275 ha of potential habitat was burnt in the 2019 to 2020 fires.

  • Prevent unnecessary ignition, hot works and fire spread into retained habitat.
  • Keep firebreaks, access tracks and fuel reduction works outside intact litter beds where possible.
  • Control stock and feral pig access to retained habitat and prevent machinery from tracking through undisturbed forest floor.

Threats: Weeds and predators

Cat's claw creeper can form dense carpets over the litter and smother shrubs and trees. Sites formerly occupied by Black-breasted Buttonquail have been abandoned after severe infestation. Lantana provides shelter in some sites but can alter forest structure and increase fire fuel when dense.

Feral cats, foxes and possibly dogs prey on this small ground-dwelling bird. Cats and foxes may be more active in recently burnt areas, increasing risk after fire or clearing.

  • Manage cat's claw creeper and other weeds without removing all shelter before alternative cover is available.
  • Include feral cat and fox control in site management where the species is present or where clearing creates a movement corridor.
  • Keep food waste and construction materials secured to avoid attracting predators to retained habitat.

Threats: Roads and hydrology

The supplied documents do not identify a species-specific road mortality rate or a separate hydrology threat. Roads and drainage works can still affect this species indirectly by clearing habitat, splitting litter beds, drying forest edges, increasing vehicle access and facilitating predator movement.

Changes to canopy cover, surface water movement or soil moisture can reduce the deep, moist litter layer and the invertebrate prey used for feeding.

  • Keep new roads, drains, laydown areas and temporary access routes out of intact closed forest and connected litter habitat where practicable.
  • Use sediment, erosion and drainage controls that prevent scour, ponding, litter removal or drying of retained habitat.
  • Check both sides of proposed linear infrastructure for connected habitat and platelets before finalising the alignment.

Survey methodology: 1. Area searches

Survey for the black-breasted button-quail must focus on suitable ground habitat and signs in dry rainforest, vine thicket and related closed forest. The species is shy, cryptic and primarily detected when it walks or flushes, calls, or leaves feeding platelets in deep leaf litter.

Search suitable habitat on foot, particularly low closed forest with a canopy above 70 percent, sparse shrubs and a deep, continuous leaf-litter layer.

Search vine forest, semi-evergreen thicket, bottle tree scrub, littoral vine forest, Brigalow vine scrub, mature hoop pine plantations with suitable understorey, and connected Acacia or Austromyrtus scrub on suitable sandy soils.

Walk slowly and quietly through the leaf litter, looking for birds that run, freeze or flush, and listening for calls and scratching during foraging.

For areas smaller than 50 ha, use at least 15 hours of land-based area searches over 3 days.

Avoid relying on platelets alone because painted button-quail can make similar circular feeding scrapes.

Record the search area, dates, start and finish times, weather, recent rain, fire history, observer effort and all detections or non-detections.

Recommended effort: 15 hours over 3 days for land-based area searches in areas smaller than 50 ha

Primary detections: Sightings, flushing or walking birds, vocalisations, scratching and feeding signs

Species activity period: Diurnal foraging and ground roosting

Survey methodology: 2. Targeted searches for feeding signs

Inspect deep leaf litter for platelets, which are circular or oval depressions made when the bird pivots and scratches for invertebrates and seeds.

Treat platelets as supporting evidence only unless a bird is also sighted or another reliable detection is obtained.

Map clusters of platelets and describe litter depth, moisture, canopy cover, understorey, nearby vine forest and any connection to retained habitat.

Do not classify a site as occupied from platelets alone, particularly where painted button-quail are present.

Typical sign: Platelets in leaf litter, usually 10 to 40 per site, but sometimes more than 100

Main food: Terrestrial invertebrates, especially beetles, ants, earwigs and pseudoscorpions, with some seeds and fruit

Survey methodology: 3. Call and remote detection

Use passive acoustic recorders or song meters where access is difficult, the habitat is extensive, or the species is unlikely to be detected during short visual searches.

The female has a low-pitched oom call, while males produce staccato or clucking alarm and rallying calls; record the time, location and direction of any call.

Use camera traps as a supplementary method in suitable habitat, placing them at likely movement routes, feeding areas and habitat edges without clearing the litter layer.

Treat call playback as supplementary only because its effectiveness for this species is uncertain.

Survey methodology: 4. Timing and conditions

Plan searches when the leaf litter is intact and not desiccated, and record recent drought, rainfall and fire because these conditions affect habitat use and detectability.

Include the breeding period, generally September to February or March, when planning searches, but recognise that breeding can occur throughout the year at some localities.

Do not assume that a non-detection means absence because the species is cryptic, may remain still or run rather than fly, and may be absent temporarily from a site during wetter periods or changing habitat conditions.

Where suitable habitat is extensive, divide the site into mapped search units and repeat searches across separate days rather than relying on one visit.

General breeding period: September to February or March

Reported breeding window: October to April, associated with wetter periods at some sites

Reported home ranges: About 2.2 to 6.1 ha in remnant vine scrub

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Complete at least 15 hours of land-based area searches over 3 days for suitable areas smaller than 50 ha, unless a regulator approves another survey design.
  • Use experienced observers who can distinguish black-breasted button-quail from painted button-quail and identify feeding signs correctly.
  • Document the limits of the survey, including inaccessible habitat, weather, fire, drought, recent clearing, observer experience and any factors that reduced detectability.
  • Report a confirmed record with accurate coordinates, date, time, detection method, photographs or sound recordings where available, habitat description and confidence in identification.
  • Submit records to the relevant state wildlife database, such as BioNet in New South Wales or WildNet in Queensland, and follow project approval conditions for other jurisdictions.
  • Report suspected records promptly to the project ecologist and relevant wildlife authority before works continue in the area.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Before clearing or construction, identify and retain the habitat features that support foraging, shelter and movement. The main risk is removal or drying of closed forest and deep leaf litter, followed by fragmentation, fire, weeds, grazing and predation.

Preferred canopy: Closed canopy, generally above 70 percent

Preferred rainfall range: About 770 to 1,400 mm annually, with many records from areas receiving 770 to 1,200 mm

Historical habitat loss: About 90 percent of habitat is estimated to have been cleared since European colonisation

  • Redesign the footprint to retain dry rainforest, vine thicket, bottle tree scrub, littoral vine forest, Brigalow vine scrub and other low closed forest with a deep litter layer.
  • Retain connected habitat patches and avoid creating isolated remnants surrounded by cleared ground, because fragmentation increases drying, edge effects, fire exposure and predation risk.
  • Retain mature hoop pine plantation areas only where they have suitable closed canopy, understorey and leaf litter, and retain their links to vine forest or other suitable habitat.
  • Avoid clearing or compacting the leaf-litter layer, fallen logs and low shrub cover within retained habitat.
  • Do not use a generic buffer distance unless it is specified by the project approval or a regulator, because the supplied documents do not prescribe a species-specific buffer.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and planning

  • Check whether the action is likely to have a significant impact on a species listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act and obtain an EPBC referral or approval where required.
  • Check state threatened species legislation, clearing controls, wildlife licensing requirements and any local approval conditions before disturbing habitat.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies mapped habitat, survey results, exclusion areas, clearing limits, fauna handling arrangements, stop-work triggers and reporting contacts.
  • Schedule clearing to avoid the breeding period where practicable, particularly September to February or March, and obtain regulator advice if habitat containing active nests, eggs or dependent young may be affected.
  • Stage works so that retained habitat remains connected and animals can move towards suitable retained cover rather than being forced across cleared ground.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

  • Complete the pre-clearance survey using the species-specific search effort and methods before finalising the clearing boundary.
  • Mark retained vine forest, deep litter, dense ground cover, logs and movement links on plans and on the ground.
  • Install exclusion fencing around retained habitat where it will prevent machinery entry, soil compaction, litter removal, stock access or accidental widening of the clearing footprint.
  • Keep access tracks, laydown areas, spoil and materials outside retained habitat and its agreed protection area.
  • Control cats, foxes, feral pigs, cattle access and high-risk weeds around retained habitat before works where this is authorised and practicable.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls

During works, protect the ground layer as carefully as the trees. The fauna spotter catcher should control the sequence of clearing, maintain communication with operators and stop work when a bird or an unapproved habitat impact is detected.

  • Brief all operators each day on the mapped exclusion areas, approved clearing limits, vehicle routes, fauna procedures and stop-work triggers.
  • Check exclusion fencing, retained habitat, access routes and the work area before machinery starts and after storms, fire or unauthorised access.
  • Use the fauna spotter catcher to inspect the active work zone immediately before clearing and to remain in a position where the operator can stop on instruction.
  • Clear in stages towards retained habitat only where the fauna management plan and regulator approval support that direction and where it does not push animals into unsafe areas.
  • Prevent machinery, vehicles, workers, stock, sediment, dust and spoil from entering retained leaf litter and closed forest.

During habitat disturbance: Spotter catcher and machinery

  • Maintain direct communication between the fauna spotter catcher, machine operator, supervisor and environmental officer throughout clearing.
  • Stop the machine before the spotter catcher enters the work zone, approaches vegetation or attempts to inspect a sign or animal.
  • Use hand clearing around dense understorey, logs and litter where machinery could crush a concealed ground-dwelling bird.
  • Do not chase, corner, deliberately flush or use machinery to drive a bird from habitat.
  • Keep a clear escape route to nearby retained cover and do not block it with vehicles, personnel or materials.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and fauna handling

  • Treat deep leaf litter, low closed forest, dense shrubs, fallen logs and connected vine forest as the main habitat features for this species.
  • Do not remove, burn, rake or stockpile leaf litter from retained habitat.
  • Recognise that hollow-bearing trees, nest boxes, rocks and wetlands are not identified as primary habitat features for this species, but manage them under the project fauna plan where they support other fauna or provide connected cover.
  • If a black-breasted button-quail is found, stop work in the immediate area and allow it to move into nearby retained habitat where safe.
  • Only an appropriately authorised person may capture, handle or relocate the bird, and handling must be limited to what is necessary for its welfare and the approval conditions.
  • Relocate a bird only under the fauna management plan, to nearby suitable retained habitat with closed cover and deep litter, and record the release location.
  • Place an injured bird in a quiet, ventilated container and transfer it promptly to a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer through the approved wildlife response contact.
  • Do not relocate eggs, chicks or a suspected nest without advice from the relevant wildlife authority and a suitably qualified wildlife carer.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work if a black-breasted button-quail is sighted, captured, injured, nesting or accompanied by dependent young within the impact area.
  • Stop work if a previously unmapped patch of suitable closed forest, deep litter or connected habitat is found inside the clearing footprint.
  • Stop work if exclusion fencing fails, clearing exceeds the approved boundary, or machinery enters retained habitat.
  • Notify the site supervisor, project environmental officer and relevant regulator or approval contact before restarting where required.
  • Record the location, date, time, bird age and sex if known, behaviour, photographs or audio, action taken, handler, release or treatment location, machinery involved and the time work resumed.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

After clearing, confirm that the approved footprint was followed and that retained habitat still provides connected, moist leaf litter and ground cover. Review records promptly so that controls can be changed before further stages begin.

  • Inspect the cleared boundary and retained habitat for accidental removal of litter, shrubs, logs, canopy cover, fencing or movement links.
  • Repeat targeted searches in retained habitat where a bird, platelet cluster or other evidence was recorded before clearing or during works.
  • Check that temporary access tracks, spoil areas and machinery turnarounds have not expanded into suitable habitat.
  • Remove waste and temporary infrastructure without disturbing retained litter or ground cover.
  • Repair exclusion fencing and erosion or drainage controls immediately if they fail.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Useful monitoring target: A positive trend in mature individuals, assessed against a documented baseline

Key habitat indicators: Closed canopy, deep continuous leaf litter, connected cover, low weed invasion and low disturbance

  • Monitor retained habitat for black-breasted button-quail using repeat area searches, passive acoustic recording, camera traps and supporting platelet searches where appropriate.
  • Use the same mapped search areas, observer effort and detection methods at each monitoring event so that changes in detection can be compared.
  • Monitor canopy cover, litter depth and continuity, weed cover, fire impacts, grazing or pig disturbance, predator activity and connectivity to other suitable habitat.
  • Prepare a post-clearance report that compares the approved and actual footprint, lists fauna interactions, records injuries or relocations, and identifies any non-compliance or corrective action.
  • Submit confirmed records and material changes in occurrence to the relevant state wildlife database and notify the EPBC or state regulator where approval conditions require it.

After habitat disturbance: Ongoing controls and offsets

  • Maintain fencing, access restrictions, weed controls, predator controls and fire management measures for the period specified in the approval or fauna management plan.
  • Review controls after fire, drought, flooding, major construction changes or new records of the species.
  • Apply approved offsets or biodiversity obligations where residual impacts cannot be avoided or minimised, and ensure the offset action protects or improves suitable habitat for this species where required.
  • Do not treat an offset as a substitute for retaining occupied or suitable habitat within the project area.

Rehabilitation actions: Rebuild suitable habitat

Rehabilitation should rebuild closed ground habitat rather than simply replace canopy trees. The target is connected, structurally suitable forest with a deep, moist leaf-litter layer and enough cover for foraging, roosting and movement.

Habitat structure target: Closed canopy above 70 percent with a deep, consistent leaf-litter layer

Known foraging substrate: Leaf litter containing terrestrial invertebrates and seeds

Roosting locations: Ground litter, fallen logs, lantana thickets and cover beneath shrubs

  • Use local provenance plants that match the retained dry rainforest, vine thicket, littoral forest, Brigalow vine scrub or bottle tree scrub community.
  • Where appropriate to the reference community, include canopy and understorey species recorded from occupied habitat, such as Flindersia collina, Flindersia xanthoxyla, Owenia venosa, Araucaria cunninghamii, Araucaria bidwillii, Acacia species, Austromyrtus dulcis, Cyclophyllum coprosmoides, Cupaniopsis anacardioides and Polyscias elegans.
  • Restore a closed canopy, sparse but protective shrub layer and continuous native leaf litter across the rehabilitated area.
  • Retain and reinstate naturally occurring fallen logs and other ground cover without creating barriers to movement or fire management access.
  • Do not plant lantana, cat's claw creeper or other invasive plants, even though the bird may use some lantana thickets for shelter.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage weeds, predators and grazing

  • Control cat's claw creeper, Madeira vine, guinea grass, bridal veil creeper and other weeds that smother the forest floor or alter the litter layer.
  • Manage lantana carefully because it can provide shelter but can also alter forest structure, increase fuel continuity and increase fire risk.
  • Exclude cattle and feral pigs from rehabilitation areas because trampling, rooting and grazing damage litter, soil and native vegetation.
  • Control feral cats and foxes in accordance with approved methods, with priority after fire or other disturbance when predation risk to ground-dwelling fauna can increase.
  • Use non-toxic or fauna-safe weed and pest control methods and inspect treated areas for impacts on invertebrate prey and ground cover.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, drought and water management

  • Develop a fire regime that protects the deep litter layer and avoids frequent or high-intensity fire in occupied or rehabilitated habitat.
  • Use fuel and fire planning that accounts for the risk of fire moving through dense weeds and dry rainforest edges.
  • Maintain natural drainage and avoid works that dry the litter layer, concentrate runoff or increase erosion through retained habitat.
  • During drought, check litter moisture, canopy condition, invertebrate habitat and signs of bird use before undertaking additional disturbance or burning.
  • Do not install wetland structures as a substitute for the dry rainforest and vine thicket habitat required by this species.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitor rehabilitation success

Population success measure: A measured and sustained positive trend in mature individuals against a documented baseline

Habitat success measures: Increasing extent, condition and connectivity of suitable habitat, with reduced identified threats

  • Establish baseline photographs and mapped plots before rehabilitation begins, including canopy cover, litter depth, native plant cover, weed cover, logs, fire damage and connectivity.
  • Inspect rehabilitation at intervals set by the approval and after major fire, drought or weed outbreaks.
  • Use repeat area searches, passive acoustic recorders, camera traps and supporting platelet searches to assess whether black-breasted button-quail return or use the area.
  • Measure survival and growth of plantings, canopy closure, continuity and moisture of leaf litter, weed reduction, predator activity and exclusion of stock and pigs.
  • Set success measures that require functioning habitat structure and improving species use, not only completion of planting numbers.
  • Submit confirmed detections and monitoring results to the relevant state wildlife database and retain the data with the project environmental records.

Sources