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Chestnut-rumped Heathwren (Hylacola pyrrhopygia)

The Chestnut-rumped Heathwren is a small, mostly sedentary passerine of dense heath and shrubby woodland in south-eastern Australia. The Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies is restricted to fragmented habitat in South Australia and can be affected by clearing, understorey loss, fire and predation on development sites.

Conservation status

South Australia, National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972: Endangered.

Breeding season

The species is generally sedentary, with breeding from June to December. Timing varies across the broad national range, so local records and current field observations should guide project controls.

The supplied documents do not provide a separate month by month schedule for Queensland, New South Wales or Victoria. Apply local breeding records where available.

  • Breeding, nesting and laying: Breeding season is reported as June to December. Breeding activity in the Mount Lofty Ranges has been recorded in September. Pairs may rear two broods.
  • Young in nest or dependent: Incubation is about 14 to 16 days, the fledgling period is estimated at less than 18 days, and fledglings remain with parents for about 6 to 8 weeks. Young may therefore remain dependent into January when breeding occurs late in the season.
  • Local movement and dispersal: The species is generally sedentary, with no known long-distance seasonal movement. Young move out of the natal territory after about 6 to 8 weeks. All 11 recovered banded birds were found less than 10 km from their banding site.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing and intensive disturbance are most likely to harm the species from June to December, when nests, eggs and dependent young may be present. Peak risk is expected during September to December, when breeding activity and dependent young overlap.

Identification

This is a small, shy heathland bird that usually stays low in dense vegetation. It may be detected by movement, contact calls or song before it is seen.

Adults are brownish-grey above and off-white below, with grey-brown streaking on the chin, throat and breast. The species has a prominent off-white eyebrow, a rich chestnut rump and a long tail that is commonly held cocked.

Females are slightly duller than males. Juveniles have an unstreaked buff underbody and a buff eyebrow.

Body length: 13 to 14 cm

Wingspan: 16 to 19 cm

Body mass: About 15 to 20 g, or around 17 g

Identification: Distinguishing features

The main similar species is the Shy Heathwren, Hylacola cauta. The Chestnut-rumped Heathwren has a duller, off-white eyebrow and underbody, less prominent breast streaking and a less intensely rufous rump. The Shy Heathwren has a brighter white eyebrow and underbody, more conspicuous breast streaking, a more intensely rufous rump and a white mark on the wing.

The chestnut rump is most obvious when the bird raises or cocks its tail. The species is often difficult to see because it moves quickly through shrubs and drops into cover when flushed.

Identification: Field signs and survey detection

The species forages briskly through shrubs and over the ground. A flushed bird usually makes a swift, undulating flight before dropping back into cover.

The call includes territorial and warning calls. Males may sing persistently during the breeding season. A well-camouflaged dome-shaped nest made from grass and bark may be placed in a low shrub, at the base of a tree or beneath a fallen branch, on or near the ground.

There are no documented species-specific tracks, scats, hollows, burrows or eyeshine signs in the supplied documents.

  • Search on foot through potential habitat, stopping regularly to listen for song and contact calls.
  • For targeted surveys of areas up to 50 ha, use about 9 hours over 3 days for targeted searches or transects with call playback.
  • Survey in spring, during the early morning, on days with little or no wind.
  • Use experienced observers because the bird is shy, secretive and usually quiet outside the breeding season.

Distribution: National range

The species is endemic to coastal and sub-coastal areas of south-eastern mainland Australia. The Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies is confined to South Australia.

The nominate subspecies occurs from south-east Queensland through New South Wales and Victoria to south-east South Australia. The Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies, Hylacola pyrrhopygia parkeri, occurs in the Mount Lofty Ranges and Fleurieu Peninsula of South Australia. The pedleri subspecies occurs in the southern Flinders Ranges.

The supplied documents do not allocate records to IBRA bioregions. At project scale, use the state range and mapped local records rather than assuming that all apparently suitable habitat is occupied.

  • Queensland: south-east Queensland is included in the species range.
  • New South Wales: the species occurs along south-eastern inland and coastal areas, including sites near Bendigo in the broader Victorian region described in the action statement and examples from north-western New South Wales in the field material.
  • Victoria: the species occurs in south-eastern mainland areas.
  • South Australia: the species occurs in the Mount Lofty Ranges, Fleurieu Peninsula and southern Flinders Ranges, with the Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies restricted to the former area.

Distribution: Mount Lofty Ranges strongholds

Historical records for the Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies extend from the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula between Cape Jervis and Victor Harbor northwards to about Angaston. Records include Deep Creek, the central ranges, Kuitpo, Clarendon, Williamstown and a disjunct record near Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park.

The largest regional population identified in the supplied action statement was between Black Hill Conservation Park and Cleland Conservation Park. Other important sites included Mount Bold and Scott Creek, Newland Head Conservation Park and Cox Scrub Conservation Park.

Targeted surveys in 2007 to 2008 detected the subspecies at 25 of 83 sites considered to contain potentially suitable habitat. Deep Creek Conservation Park and the Mount Gawler area were described as isolated and small populations, and the species appeared no longer to occur in Scott Conservation Park at that time.

Distribution: Population and trend

Available population estimates apply to the Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies rather than the entire species. The population is fragmented, and the action statement identifies continuing decline in habitat extent and quality, number of locations or subpopulations, and number of individuals.

Earlier estimate: Fewer than 2,500 individuals in 2000, across seven subpopulations

2006 estimate: About 377 pairs across 21 habitat patches; the largest subpopulation supported about 500 individuals and the largest patch supported about 70 pairs

2007 estimate: About 1,000 mature individuals, with the largest subpopulation containing about 550 individuals

Estimated extent of occurrence: 791 to 2,336 km² for the Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies

Estimated area of occupancy: About 62 km² for the Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies

Habitat: Vegetation types

The defining habitat feature is a dense, low shrub and sedge layer that provides cover close to the ground. Habitat occurs in both dry and, less often, swampy or wet heath.

Recorded habitat includes heathy eucalypt woodland, forest, mallee shrubland, mallee woodland and mallee forest. In the Mount Lofty Ranges, the upper stratum is commonly dominated by Eucalyptus baxteri, Eucalyptus fasciculosa or Eucalyptus obliqua, sometimes with Eucalyptus cosmophylla or Eucalyptus goniocalyx.

In some southern coastal areas, Eucalyptus diversifolia, with or without Eucalyptus baxteri, may dominate. The species also occurs in dense heathland and sclerophyllous woodland with a heathy understorey.

Habitat: Structural requirements

Suitable sites usually have one or more dense understorey layers, with shrubs, sedges and low foliage providing cover. Rocky ground or rocky outcrops are associated with habitat in parts of the Hills Face Zone, while sandy flats are used in parts of the southern Mount Lofty Ranges.

The species occurs on ridges, hilltops, slopes and sometimes gullies. Soils may be sandy or rocky.

Typical upper stratum height: About 3 to 10 m

Typical upper stratum foliage cover: About 10% to 70%

Dense understorey cover: Often more than 70% foliage cover in at least one layer below 2 m

Dense mid to tall heath: Often 70% to 90% foliage cover at 1 to 2 m

  • Retain dense shrub cover, particularly vegetation below about 2 m.
  • Retain low foliage below 0.5 m where present, because the species forages and nests close to the ground.
  • Avoid treating apparently open areas as suitable habitat unless dense low vegetation is also present nearby.
  • Check regenerating habitat as well as mature heath, because birds have been recorded in vegetation 0.75 to 3.5 years after fire or clearance.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The supplied documents describe coastal and inland hilly country, but do not provide a species-specific elevation limit or climatic threshold. Habitat is described mainly by vegetation structure, soil and topography rather than by altitude.

Foraging habitat: Diet

The Chestnut-rumped Heathwren feeds close to dense cover, either alone or in pairs. It uses shrubs and the ground beneath low vegetation.

The diet is poorly known but includes invertebrates and a variety of seeds. The Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies is reported to take mainly insects, together with spiders and seeds.

Foraging habitat: Foraging method and places

Birds forage singly or in pairs in shrubs and on the ground beneath low, dense vegetation. They move briskly through understorey cover and may be difficult to detect unless observers pause and listen.

The supplied documents do not provide a measured home range or foraging distance. Limited band recovery data indicate that movements are generally short, with all 11 recovered birds found within 10 km of their banding site.

Foraging unit: Usually solitary or in pairs

Recorded band recovery distance: All 11 recovered birds were found less than 10 km from the banding site

  • Retain connected patches of dense understorey around proposed work areas.
  • Inspect the ground layer, low shrubs, sedges and litter beneath heath and woodland, not only the tree canopy.
  • Avoid clearing narrow strips of dense understorey that may provide feeding cover between larger habitat patches.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding occurs in dense low vegetation, with the nest placed on or close to the ground. The species may produce two broods in a year, although breeding success is poorly documented.

The female builds a camouflaged dome-shaped nest while the male remains nearby. Both parents feed the nestlings. Fledglings remain with their parents for about 6 to 8 weeks before moving out of the natal territory.

Breeding season: June to December; breeding activity in the Mount Lofty Ranges has been recorded in September

Clutch size: Two or three eggs

Laying interval: Females are reported to lay at daily intervals

Incubation: About 14 to 16 days

Fledging period: Unknown, but estimated at less than 18 days

Parental dependence: Fledglings remain with their parents for about 6 to 8 weeks

Broods: Pairs generally rear two broods per year, with the first brood usually more successful

Breeding habitat: Nest habitat

Nests may be placed in low shrubs, at the base of trees or beneath fallen branches. Dense low vegetation provides concealment and supports the nest and feeding activities of adults and dependent young.

Potential nest habitat should be treated as present wherever dense shrubs, sedges, fallen branches and low foliage occur, even when no nest is found during a brief inspection.

  • Search dense vegetation close to the ground before clearing.
  • Retain low shrubs, sedges, fallen branches and ground cover around any active nest or suspected breeding territory.
  • Schedule clearing outside June to December where practicable, and apply additional controls if breeding birds or nests are detected.

Sheltering habitat: Cover and refuge

The species relies on dense vegetation for concealment, escape cover and likely roosting. It does not require tree hollows, burrows or other large shelter structures described in the supplied documents.

Dense shrub layers, low foliage, sedges and heath provide the main shelter. Birds usually remain under cover and may drop into vegetation after a short, undulating flight.

The supplied documents do not give a measured roost height, refuge area or minimum patch size. They do identify connected unburnt habitat as a source for recolonisation after fire.

Useful shelter layer: Dense shrubs, sedges and foliage generally below 2 m

Recorded remnant context: About 90% of vegetation remnants in the Mount Lofty Ranges were reported as less than 31 ha, with nearly half less than 6 ha

  • Retain dense, continuous understorey wherever possible.
  • Keep unburnt refuge patches connected to occupied habitat during fire management and construction planning.
  • Do not remove fallen branches and low shrubs without checking for nests and sheltering birds.
  • Treat small remnants as potentially important because many Mount Lofty Ranges remnants are less than 31 ha, and nearly half are less than 6 ha.

Sheltering habitat: Post-fire refuge

Fire may temporarily remove cover and food resources, but the species has also been recorded using dense regenerating habitat from 0.75 to 3.5 years after fire. Recolonisation is more likely where nearby connected, occupied, unburnt habitat remains.

The species was absent from a burn area after a prescribed burn in Scott Creek Conservation Park but had recolonised two years later. Breeding was not recorded in one study until four years after fire at Morialta.

  • Retain unburnt patches during prescribed burning and bushfire suppression.
  • Use a patchy fire pattern rather than burning a whole occupied remnant in one event.
  • Map occupied and potential habitat before fire or fuel reduction works.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main project risks are loss and fragmentation of dense understorey, removal of small habitat remnants, inappropriate fire and disturbance to ground-level nests and dependent young.

Vegetation clearance and fragmentation are identified as the primary causes of decline for the Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies. Residential development in the Adelaide Hills remains a documented threat, and the species is unlikely to disperse readily across urban or agricultural land.

Small isolated populations are more exposed to local extinction after wildfire or other major disturbance. Fragmentation may also increase inbreeding risk.

Remaining native vegetation in the Mount Lofty Ranges and Fleurieu region: About 12% of the original native vegetation was reported to remain

  • Avoid clearing dense heath and shrubby woodland, including small remnants and narrow connecting patches.
  • Map occupied and potentially suitable habitat before finalising access tracks, compounds, easements and construction footprints.
  • Keep machinery, spoil, storage and temporary access areas out of dense understorey.
  • Maintain vegetated connections between occupied patches where practicable.

Threats: Fire and fuel reduction

Fire can remove shelter, nesting materials and food resources, reduce dispersal opportunities and isolate populations. High frequency or extensive fires may be especially harmful in fragmented habitat.

The species may use early successional habitat, so fire is not uniformly adverse. The documented management approach is to retain unburnt refuge areas and create a patchwork of vegetation ages rather than burn entire habitat patches.

  • Consult the relevant threatened species authority before burning known habitat.
  • Retain unburnt patches during prescribed burning and suppression.
  • Avoid large contiguous burns across occupied or potentially occupied habitat.
  • Record fire intensity, season, extent and post-fire bird use so management can be adjusted.

Threats: Understorey degradation

Grazing, trampling, soil compaction, weed invasion and inappropriate fire regimes can reduce shrub cover and diversity. Gorse and broom alter understorey structure and may increase fire risk.

Phytophthora cinnamomi is known or suspected across much of the Mount Lofty Ranges range. It can kill susceptible plants and alter the structure and composition of heath and woodland understorey.

  • Prevent grazing and uncontrolled vehicle access through dense understorey.
  • Control weeds without broad-scale removal of native shrub cover.
  • Apply hygiene procedures to reduce the spread of Phytophthora cinnamomi where required by the site or land manager.
  • Inspect drainage, stock access and construction edges for indirect understorey degradation.

Threats: Predators and construction disturbance

Ground-level foraging and nesting may increase exposure to feral cats and foxes. The effect on survival and recruitment is not quantified, and dense vegetation may reduce predation risk.

Noise, vibration, vehicle movements and personnel entering dense habitat may flush birds and disturb nests. Roads and access tracks can also increase fragmentation and predator access, although the supplied documents do not quantify a road-distance threshold.

  • Keep work areas and vehicle movements outside occupied dense habitat where practicable.
  • Use fauna spotter catchers when clearing potential nesting cover during the breeding season.
  • Manage food waste and other attractants that may increase feral predator activity around work areas.
  • Do not assume that fox baiting alone will reduce overall predation risk, because cat numbers or other prey responses may change.

Threats: Hydrology and other pressures

The species usually occupies dry heath but is occasionally recorded in swampy or wet heath. The supplied documents do not identify a measured hydrological threshold or quantify the effect of drainage, altered flows or changed groundwater levels.

Changes to site drainage can nevertheless alter heath structure, sedges, shrub recruitment and fire behaviour. Hydrology should be considered where works affect gullies, flats, wet heath or swamp margins.

  • Avoid unnecessary drainage, ponding or diversion of runoff through heath and shrubby habitat.
  • Protect wet heath and swamp margins from sediment, machinery compaction and altered surface flows.
  • Assess indirect hydrological effects where roads, culverts, trenching or fill are proposed near occupied habitat.

Survey methodology: 1. Transect searches and call detection

The Chestnut-rumped Heathwren is a small, secretive, mostly sedentary bird of dense heath and heathy woodland. Survey design must account for its low detectability, limited movement and confusion with the Shy Heathwren.

Walk transects on foot through potential habitat and stop regularly to listen for songs and contact calls.

Survey during spring, early morning, and in little or no wind, when detection is most likely.

Use experienced observers because the species is shy, secretive and often silent outside the breeding season.

Search shrubs and the ground beneath dense vegetation because the species forages briskly through both locations and usually remains under cover.

Recommended effort: 9 hours over 3 days for targeted searches in areas up to 50 hectares

Best timing: Spring, early morning and little or no wind

Detection: Sightings, songs and contact calls

  • Use targeted searches for areas of potential habitat up to 50 hectares.
  • Complete 9 hours of targeted searching over 3 days for an area up to 50 hectares.
  • Record the survey area, transect route, date, start and finish times, weather, wind, observer experience, calls heard and birds seen.

Survey methodology: 2. Call playback surveys

Use call playback along transects, particularly at dawn, dusk and during the breeding season when calling is more likely.

Allow time to listen after playback and inspect nearby dense cover for a responding or moving bird.

Treat a failure to detect the species as inconclusive where habitat is suitable, because the bird can be silent and secretive.

Recommended effort: 9 hours over 3 days for transect surveys with call playback in areas up to 50 hectares

Most suitable playback periods: Dawn, dusk and the breeding season

Breeding season: June to December

  • Complete 9 hours of transect surveys with call playback over 3 days for an area up to 50 hectares.
  • Record the playback method, locations, timing, weather, wind, observer, response and any follow-up sighting.

Survey methodology: 3. Habitat assessment and supplementary searches

Map dense heathland and sclerophyllous woodland with a dense heathy understorey before deciding that the species is absent.

Inspect low dense vegetation, rocky ground and rocky outcrops, as well as potential nesting cover on or near the ground.

Assess habitat connectivity because the species is thought to have limited dispersal capacity and records of banded birds were all less than 10 kilometres from the banding site.

Typical body size: 13 to 14 cm long; 15 to 20 g; wingspan 16 to 19 cm

Nest location: On or near the ground, in low shrubs, at the base of trees or beneath fallen branches

Movement evidence: Eleven banded birds were recovered less than 10 km from their banding sites

  • Give particular attention to dry heath, stringybark woodland and heathy eucalypt woodland, including vegetation with dense shrub layers below 2 metres.
  • Search areas with shrubs such as Hakea, Leptospermum, Allocasuarina, Banksia, Xanthorrhoea and related heath species where these occur in suitable communities.
  • Document recent fire, clearance, grazing, weed invasion, Phytophthora dieback and breaks between habitat patches.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use the survey effort in the threatened bird survey guideline unless a documented, evidence-based alternative is agreed with the relevant regulator.
  • Do not treat an absence from a single quiet visit as proof that suitable habitat is unoccupied.
  • Include maps of surveyed and disturbed habitat, photographs, survey conditions, observer details, effort, results and limitations in the project report.
  • Submit confirmed records, including negative survey information where requested, to the relevant state wildlife database.
  • Obtain current advice on the taxon and applicable listing before works because the supplied documents describe the Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies as nationally Endangered, while the project listing supplied for the species states that the species is not listed under the EPBC Act.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Avoiding removal of dense heath and maintaining connected refuge areas is the preferred protection measure. The Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies is listed as Endangered in South Australia in the project information, and the supplied documents identify habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation as key risks.

  • Retain dense shrub and understorey layers, especially vegetation below 2 metres that provides foraging, shelter and nesting cover.
  • Avoid clearing dry heath, heathy eucalypt woodland, stringybark woodland and rocky heath habitat where practicable.
  • Retain connected occupied and potentially suitable habitat rather than isolating small patches within cleared or developed areas.
  • Keep rocky ground, rocky outcrops, low shrubs, fallen branches and ground cover in retained habitat.
  • Avoid activities that remove or degrade the shrub layer, including grazing, soil compaction, weed spread and unnecessary vehicle access.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project planning

Breeding season: June to December

South Australian status in project information: Endangered

National status in supplied survey and fire documents: Endangered for the Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies

  • Check the current EPBC Act and South Australian listings for the species and the Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies before finalising the impact assessment.
  • Obtain any required state permits, threatened species approvals, native vegetation approvals and wildlife handling authorities before clearing or capture work starts.
  • Seek regulatory advice on EPBC referral requirements if the affected taxon is currently nationally listed or if the action may affect a nationally listed population.
  • Schedule clearing outside the June to December breeding season where practicable, and avoid disturbing nests or dependent young at any time.
  • Stage works so that retained habitat and connected refuge areas remain available while adjacent works are completed.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan covering survey results, exclusion areas, spotter catcher authority, stop-work triggers, handling, relocation, injury response and reporting.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

  • Complete a pre-clearance inspection of all proposed disturbance areas and nearby retained habitat using the survey methods above.
  • Mark no-go areas, dense heath, rocky features, fallen branches, known records, nests and connected refuge habitat before machinery enters the site.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can protect retained understorey and prevent machinery or workers entering mapped habitat.
  • Brief the clearing crew on the species appearance, quiet behaviour, ground-foraging habits and likely escape direction into dense cover.
  • Confirm the spotter catcher's authority, equipment, wildlife contacts, veterinary arrangements and data forms before work begins.

During habitat disturbance: Daily site controls

The species usually remains under dense vegetation and may move quickly into cover when disturbed. Clearing should therefore proceed slowly, with a fauna spotter catcher directing machinery and protecting retained habitat.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, no-go markers, access routes and retained habitat at the start of each day.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher during vegetation removal and ground disturbance in or beside suitable habitat.
  • Clear in a direction that allows birds to move towards retained, connected dense vegetation rather than into active machinery or open cleared ground.
  • Use slow, staged clearing and pause machinery when the spotter catcher cannot see the work area or when a bird enters the clearing zone.
  • Prevent workers, vehicles and machinery from damaging retained shrubs, litter, rocky cover and fallen branches.

During habitat disturbance: Fauna handling and stop-work response

Preferred release setting: Nearby retained, dense and connected heath or heathy woodland habitat

Reason for retaining connectivity: The species is thought to have limited dispersal capacity and isolated patches have increased extinction risk after disturbance or fire

  • Stop work immediately if a Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, nest, eggs, dependent young or injured bird is found within the work area.
  • Allow an uninjured bird to move into nearby retained habitat where possible, and do not chase it through dense cover.
  • Only capture, handle or relocate the bird when authorised under the applicable wildlife permit and when necessary to prevent harm.
  • Use a suitably trained and authorised fauna spotter catcher for any capture, with handling kept to the minimum time needed for safety and release.
  • Release an uninjured bird into nearby suitable retained habitat that is connected to the occupied area, unless the regulator or wildlife authority directs otherwise.
  • Take an injured bird promptly to an appropriate veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer and record the transfer.
  • Do not resume work until the spotter catcher confirms that the animal, nest or dependent young is safe and the authorised environmental representative approves the restart.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat feature protection and records

Nest form: Well camouflaged dome-shaped nest of grass and bark

Typical clutch: Two or three eggs

Incubation estimate: About 14 to 16 days

  • Treat low shrubs, dense understorey, fallen branches, litter, rocky ground and rocky outcrops as habitat features even though this species does not depend on tree hollows.
  • Inspect low vegetation and ground cover for dome-shaped nests because nests may be placed on or near the ground, in low shrubs, at tree bases or beneath fallen branches.
  • Record each observation, nest, capture, relocation, injury, work pause, release location, habitat feature removed and control failure.
  • Report any unexpected threatened species record or mortality to the project environmental officer and the relevant authority within the timeframe in the fauna management plan.
  • Maintain daily records of weather, clearing area, machinery used, spotter catcher attendance, fauna interactions and areas checked.

After habitat disturbance: Completion checks

Post-clearance checks are needed because a secretive bird may remain hidden in retained vegetation or be displaced after machinery leaves. Monitoring should test whether retained habitat remains suitable and connected.

  • Inspect the cleared footprint and retained habitat immediately after each clearing stage for injured, trapped or displaced birds, nests and damaged exclusion controls.
  • Repair fencing, markers and access controls before demobilisation if retained habitat remains at risk.
  • Confirm that no additional shrubs, rocky features, fallen branches or connected habitat were removed beyond the approved footprint.
  • Provide the environmental representative and regulator with the fauna interaction, mortality, relocation and stop-work records required by the approval or fauna management plan.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitoring survey reference effort: 9 hours over 3 days for targeted searches or transects with call playback in areas up to 50 hectares

Key monitoring period: Spring and the June to December breeding season

  • Monitor retained and rehabilitated habitat during the breeding season and after major disturbance using repeat transects, listening stops and call playback under the survey guideline conditions.
  • Use the same routes, timing and effort where practicable so changes in detection are interpretable.
  • Inspect for dense shrub regeneration, continued connectivity, weed invasion, grazing, soil disturbance and Phytophthora symptoms.
  • Report survey effort and results separately from conclusions about absence because detectability is low outside the breeding season.
  • Submit confirmed records and any required monitoring data to the relevant state wildlife database.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

  • Recalculate the area and quality of habitat lost after construction and compare it with the approved impact assessment.
  • Apply any approved offset, restoration or conservation measure required by state or Commonwealth approval.
  • Do not use an offset as a substitute for retaining occupied habitat, dense understorey and connected refuge areas on the project site.
  • Escalate unexpected population decline, repeated mortality or loss of connectivity to the regulator and revise the management plan.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should recreate dense, structurally varied heath and heathy woodland rather than only establishing canopy trees. It should also restore connected cover and manage the threats identified for the Mount Lofty Ranges subspecies.

Habitat structure identified for the species: Dense shrub layers, often with one or more dense layers below 2 metres

Typical habitat formations: Heathy eucalypt woodland, forest, mallee shrubland, mallee woodland and mallee forest

  • Re-establish a dense shrub and understorey layer with locally appropriate native heath species recorded from the site, including suitable Hakea, Leptospermum, Allocasuarina, Banksia, Xanthorrhoea, Hibbertia, Astroloma, Platylobium and sedge species where they are part of the local community.
  • Use local provenance seed or other approved local genetic material where available and suitable.
  • Restore low dense vegetation, ground cover, litter, rocky ground and rocky outcrops in areas where these features were removed.
  • Retain or reinstate suitable fallen branches and other ground cover while ensuring that introduced weeds and contaminated material are not spread.
  • Link revegetated areas to existing occupied or potentially suitable habitat instead of creating isolated plantings.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage weeds, disease, predators and fire

  • Control gorse, broom and other weeds that alter shrub structure, reduce plant diversity or increase fire risk.
  • Manage Phytophthora hygiene and spread because Phytophthora cinnamomi can kill plants that form the species' habitat.
  • Keep domestic animals and construction traffic out of rehabilitated habitat and assess cat and fox risks before implementing predator control.
  • Develop a fire plan that retains unburnt refuge areas, avoids burning all connected habitat in one event and maintains a patchwork of different post-fire ages.
  • Use fire management advice specific to the site and consult the relevant threatened species officers before prescribed burning in occupied habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Measure rehabilitation success

Post-fire habitat information: The species has been recorded in habitat 0.75 to 3.5 years after fire, and recolonisation has been observed after fire where suitable regenerating habitat and nearby connected unburnt habitat remained

Survey success measure: Repeat detections in suitable dense habitat, supported by measured vegetation recovery and maintained connectivity

  • Set out permanent photo points and vegetation plots before rehabilitation starts.
  • Measure survival and cover of planted heath species, shrub height, understorey density, weed cover, disease symptoms, ground cover and connectivity to retained habitat.
  • Use repeat bird surveys in spring and during the June to December breeding season, with 9 hours over 3 days as the threatened bird guideline reference effort for areas up to 50 hectares.
  • Assess success by habitat establishment and repeat detections, while recognising that failure to detect this secretive species does not by itself demonstrate absence.
  • Continue weed, disease, predator and fire management until the environmental officer and relevant authority accept that the agreed success measures have been met.

Sources