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Eastern Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbata)

The Eastern Bearded Dragon is a large, diurnal and semi-arboreal agamid of eastern and south-eastern Australia. On development sites it may occur in woodland, savanna, coastal heath, scrub, farmland and forest, using exposed branches and logs for basking and dry soil for shelter and egg laying.

Conservation status

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

Eastern Bearded Dragons breed mainly from late winter to early summer, with females carrying eggs and producing multiple clutches from August to December. Clearing during this period can affect mating animals, gravid females, nests, eggs and emerging hatchlings. Cooler-period sheltering also creates a risk where animals are concealed in soil, logs, rocks or vegetation.

Reproductive mode: Egg laying.

Clutch size: Usually 8 to 24 eggs. Other reported values include 14 to 26, 15 to 35, up to 30, and a broader recorded range of 6 to 50 eggs.

Incubation: About 45 to 90 days, with reported periods of 45 to 70 days, 50 to 80 days and 60 to 90 days. Duration varies with temperature.

Size at hatching: About 40 mm snout to vent length and 1.9 g body mass.

Age at maturity: About 18 to 24 months.

Nest or egg sites: Females dig tunnels or shallow burrows in soft, dry, sandy or loamy soil, then fill the tunnel after laying.

Breeding frequency: Usually two clutches in a season, with two or three clutches recorded. Other sources report one to three clutches per year.

Confirm timing locally before clearing, because rainfall, soil moisture and temperature can affect breeding, nest suitability, incubation duration and seasonal activity across the species' Australian range.

  • Mating: Mating occurs mainly from August to December, covering late winter, spring and early summer. Males display by head bobbing, beard display or darkening, and body posturing.
  • Gravid females: Females were recorded as vitellogenic and gravid from August to December. The same breeding period supports a high likelihood of gravid females near clearing sites during these months.
  • Egg laying: Egg laying occurs during the August to December breeding period. Females excavate tunnels or shallow burrows in soft soil, sandy soil or loam, and may produce two or three clutches.
  • Incubation: Eggs remain in the soil for about 45 to 90 days, so nests may contain eggs from August through February or March, depending on laying date and temperature. No monthly incubation peak is recorded.
  • Hatchlings: Hatchlings are expected mainly from October to March when August to December clutches are combined with the reported 45 to 90 day incubation period. This month range is derived from the documented breeding and incubation periods, as no separate hatching calendar is provided.
  • Active period: Adults are diurnal and most visible during warm, sunny weather, with the best reported spotting period from September to March. The species is recorded as active for 8 to 12 months of the year, so activity may extend beyond this period in warmer parts of its range.
  • Winter inactivity: No species-specific brumation period is recorded. As general practice for this temperate Australian reptile, inspect logs, rocks, burrows, loose soil and dense vegetation carefully during the cooler June to August period, particularly in southern or elevated areas where activity may be reduced.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest from August to December when mating, gravid females and egg laying overlap, and remains elevated from October to March while eggs may be incubating or hatchlings are emerging. Treat cooler-period shelter sites as an additional risk from June to August, especially in southern or elevated areas.

Identification

The Eastern Bearded Dragon is a large, dark-coloured lizard with a triangular head, spiny scales and a prominent throat beard. It is most often detected when basking on a branch, trunk, log or other exposed structure.

Adults are usually grey-black, dark brown, reddish-brown or yellowish-brown. The throat has dark, spiny scales that can be raised into a beard. When threatened, the animal inflates its throat and opens its mouth, exposing a bright yellow mouth lining.

The body is relatively slender and flattened, with a large triangular head. Spiny scales occur around the head and along the sides of the body. Juveniles are paler and usually have stronger patterns that fade with age.

Identification: Size and sex

Males are generally larger than females. Sex may be assessed from size, weight and the presence of hemipenes, but vent probing or hemipene popping can injure the animal and should not be attempted by unqualified personnel.

Husbandry guidance gives an approximate snout to vent length of 25 cm and reports full lengths of 40 to 48 cm for males and 38 to 42 cm for females. Other references report larger maximum total lengths of about 60 cm for males and 50 cm for females.

Maximum reported male length: About 60 cm total length

Maximum reported female length: About 50 cm total length

Reported weight: Up to 2 to 3 kg in the husbandry manual

Identification: Similar species and field signs

The Eastern Bearded Dragon can be confused with the Central Bearded Dragon, Pogona vitticeps. The Eastern species is generally darker, less robust and has a row of spines along the side of the body that continues over the forearm. Its mouth lining is generally bright yellow, rather than the pinkish or reddish lining reported for the Central Bearded Dragon.

Useful field observations include a large dark lizard basking on an exposed branch or log, a raised beard display, and females tunnelling into dry soil to lay eggs. Diagnostic information for tracks, scats, calls, sloughs or eyeshine is not well documented.

  • Treat any large, dark bearded dragon found in eastern Australian woodland, heath, scrub or farmland as a potential Eastern Bearded Dragon until identified.
  • Do not rely on colour alone. Check body size, the lateral row of spines, the forearm spines and the colour of the mouth lining.
  • Record basking structures, escape direction and any fresh soil excavation or tunnel when an animal is found during clearing.

Distribution: National range

The species is native to eastern and south-eastern Australia. Its range is broad, rather than being defined by a mapped set of bioregions or discrete population boundaries.

The Eastern Bearded Dragon occurs in eastern Australia, including Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. It is most common in eastern Australia south of Cape York Peninsula, although specimens have also been recorded from Cape York, central Australia and the west coast.

Specific IBRA bioregions, confirmed strongholds and named subpopulations have not been identified.

  • Queensland, including eastern and south-eastern areas and records extending to Cape York Peninsula.
  • New South Wales, including the eastern coast and inland records.
  • Victoria and South Australia.

Distribution: Population information

The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern, with a stable population trend. Local declines associated with habitat loss and fragmentation have also been reported. These statements do not provide a national population estimate.

National population size: Not well documented

IUCN status: Least Concern

Reported IUCN trend: Stable

Named strongholds or subpopulations: Not well documented

Habitat: Habitat types

Eastern Bearded Dragons use a mixture of wooded, shrubby and open habitats across eastern and south-eastern Australia. They are semi-arboreal and need both exposed basking structures and cooler retreat areas.

Recorded habitat types include open woodland, savanna, coastal heath, forest, scrub and farmland. The species is also described from wooded parts of Australia and from bushland settings.

A defined elevation range or numerical climate limit has not been established.

Reported habitats: Open woodland, savanna, coastal heath, forest, scrub, farmland and bushland

Elevation limit: Not well documented

Habitat: Structural features

Exposed branches, trunks and logs are used as basking and lookout sites. Dominant males may occupy the highest perches and defend a territory. When conditions become too hot, dragons retreat to lower and cooler places.

For site inspections, retain and inspect fallen timber, standing trees, dense shrubs, shaded ground and patches of dry soil. These features may provide basking, hunting, refuge or nesting opportunities.

  • Inspect exposed branches, trunks, logs and fence structures before machinery enters the work area.
  • Check shaded areas and lower vegetation near basking structures, particularly during hot weather.
  • Retain connected patches of woodland, scrub and heath where practicable to reduce isolation of habitat.

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding sites

The Eastern Bearded Dragon is an opportunistic omnivore. It forages on the ground and around vegetation, while also using elevated perches to observe its surroundings.

Documented animal prey includes insects, mealworms, crickets, beetles, grasshoppers, worms, molluscs, mice, smaller reptiles and young lizards. Plant food includes leaves, flowers, berries, fruit and other vegetation.

In development areas, food resources may occur in woodland litter, shrubs, flowering plants, grassed areas, fallen timber and garden or farm margins. No measured foraging range or home range has been published.

Adult diet in the husbandry guidance.: Approximately 70 percent vegetation and 30 percent animal prey

Juvenile diet: Approximately 60 percent animal prey and 40 percent vegetation

Foraging range: Not well documented

  • Search around logs, branches, shrubs, leaf litter and open ground adjoining woodland or heath.
  • Inspect warm, exposed structures and the shaded ground immediately below them.
  • Avoid assuming that a dragon found on a road or cleared pad is using only that disturbed area. It may be moving between basking, feeding and refuge sites.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Females lay eggs in excavated nests in dry soil. Breeding habitat therefore includes friable ground near suitable basking and feeding areas, as well as cover that allows adults and young to avoid heat and predators.

Females tunnel into dry earth or dig a nest in sand and bury their eggs. Females may reproduce several times per year. No monthly breeding window has been published.

High temperatures may affect sex expression in some individuals. This is relevant when assessing hot, exposed breeding areas, although field thresholds for this effect have not been established.

Breeding season: No months are specified. Breeding may occur several times per year.

Clutch size: Clutch sizes range from 8 to 24 eggs, 15 to 35 eggs, and up to 24 eggs.

Incubation: About 50 to 80 days

Age at maturity: About 18 months

Lifespan in the wild: Average about 9 years, with a reported maximum of about 12 years

Lifespan in captivity: Average about 10 years, with a reported maximum of about 14 years

Breeding habitat: Breeding-site features

Captive husbandry guidance recommends substrate about 10 to 15 cm deep to allow digging. This is a husbandry figure, not a confirmed field nest depth.

Dry, diggable soil or sand is the only specific natural nesting feature described. During clearing, fresh excavations, tunnels and disturbed soil should be checked by a suitably qualified fauna ecologist before disturbance continues.

  • Inspect dry soil, sandy patches and loose ground near woodland edges, heath, scrub and open clearings.
  • Mark and protect any active tunnel, nest excavation or area containing eggs until the fauna ecologist confirms the next action.
  • Maintain nearby shade, basking structures and ground cover because breeding habitat is unlikely to consist of nesting soil alone.

Sheltering habitat: Refuges and retreat areas

The species uses structural cover and temperature gradients rather than a documented specialised den system. It shelters in cooler areas when overheated and uses dry soil for nesting.

Eastern Bearded Dragons perch on branches and logs, then retreat to lower and cooler places when temperatures rise. Vegetation, shrubs, logs, rocks and shaded areas can provide cover from heat and predators.

Females excavate tunnels or nests in dry earth for egg laying. Use of tree hollows, permanent dens, burrows, caves, roosts or particular refuge dimensions has not been confirmed.

Known refuge types: Lower and cooler areas, vegetation, shrubs, logs, rocks and dry-soil nest tunnels

Known refuge dimensions: Not stated for wild animals.

  • Inspect beneath and beside logs, branches, rocks, dense shrubs, shade structures and debris before removal.
  • Search cooler shaded areas near exposed basking sites, especially during hot weather.
  • Check loose dry soil for fresh digging, tunnels and nest chambers before earthworks.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

For development projects, the main documented risks are habitat loss and fragmentation, direct mortality on roads, and removal of basking, feeding and nesting features. Several other pressures affect the species, but their effects have not been quantified.

Habitat loss and fragmentation are reported causes of local population decline. Clearing can remove woodland, heath, scrub, fallen timber, basking structures, shade and dry nesting ground at the same time.

Fragmentation may isolate individuals and reduce movement between feeding, basking, refuge and breeding areas. A minimum retained patch size or separation distance has not been established.

  • Complete pre-clearing searches in woodland, heath, scrub, farmland margins and other suitable habitat.
  • Inspect and retain, where practicable, logs, branches, standing trees, shrubs, shaded ground and loose dry soil.
  • Use staged clearing and fauna spotter catcher controls where animals may be present in vegetation, timber or soil.

Threats: Roads, predators and collection

Road mortality is identified as a major risk because warm road surfaces attract basking dragons. Domestic dogs and cats are reported causes of death in rural areas. Predators in bushland include medium to large birds and brown snakes.

Collection from the wild for the pet trade is also reported as a pressure. Reptiles are protected under relevant Australian legislation, and keeping wild-caught animals requires the relevant permits and licences.

  • Use fauna controls around roads, access tracks, warm asphalt and recently graded surfaces.
  • Prevent dogs and cats from entering retained habitat and work areas where practicable.
  • Do not collect, relocate or retain animals except under the applicable permit, licence and fauna management procedures.

Threats: Fire, hydrology and disease

A quantified fire regime, hydrology threat or disease profile for wild Eastern Bearded Dragons has not been established. Fire and water regime changes should therefore be assessed through the project ecological assessment rather than treated as documented species-specific thresholds.

The husbandry material identifies health checks, hygiene and quarantine as important in captivity, but it does not establish a particular disease risk for wild populations.

  • Avoid burning, flooding or prolonged wetting of dry nesting and refuge areas without a site-specific ecological assessment.
  • Record any injured, emaciated or diseased-looking animal and refer it to the project fauna ecologist or wildlife veterinarian.
  • Use clean equipment and follow site quarantine procedures when handling or relocating reptiles.

Survey methodology: 1. Diurnal visual searches

Survey for Eastern Bearded Dragons, Pogona barbata, should focus on warm daylight periods and habitat where animals can bask, climb, shelter and forage. No prescribed survey design, trap effort, transect length or detection probability has been published, so the project ecologist should set effort from the impact area, habitat quality and approval conditions.

Search during daylight because Eastern Bearded Dragons are diurnal. Prioritise warm periods when animals are likely to bask on exposed branches, logs and other elevated positions.

Search open woodland, savanna, coastal heath, forest, scrub, heathland and farmland edges where these habitats occur within the species' distribution.

Walk slowly through the impact area and inspect tree trunks, branches, logs, rocks, ground shelters, vegetation edges and areas with a clear basking position.

Record animals seen, basking positions, escape direction, shelter locations and any evidence of repeated use.

Activity period: Diurnal

Reported adult size: Males up to about 60 cm and females up to about 50 cm from snout to tail tip

  • Do not treat a cool, overcast or windy search as equivalent to a warm daylight search, because animals may be less active or may retreat to cooler or sheltered places.
  • Include both elevated and ground-level searches because the species is described as semi-arboreal and uses branches, trunks and lower, cooler places.

Survey methodology: 2. Targeted habitat and refuge searches

Map exposed branches, tree trunks, logs, rocks, dense vegetation, ground shelters and dry earth that could provide basking, retreat or nesting habitat.

Inspect areas where an animal could move between a warm basking position and shade or a cooler retreat. Record connectivity between these features and retained habitat.

Use experienced observers to distinguish Pogona barbata from the central bearded dragon and other large lizards. Check the dark beard, triangular head, spiny body margins and generally grey, brown or dark coloration, while allowing for colour changes with temperature and excitement.

Key detection features: Basking animals on exposed branches or logs, movement between warm and cool places, and beard displays when threatened

Important habitat structure: Branches, trunks, logs, rocks, vegetation, dry earth and sheltered cool places

  • Use repeated searches where the first search occurs in cool conditions, during rain or strong wind, or before vegetation and refuge features have been safely inspected.
  • Do not disturb a suspected nesting female or excavate dry earth solely to confirm presence; record the location and refer the matter to the fauna spotter catcher and project ecologist.
  • No species-specific standard has been published for spotlighting, trapping, funnel traps, pitfall traps, artificial shelters, transect lengths, survey area or the required number of survey nights. Do not present these as standard effort.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

Set the search area, timing, number of visits, observer effort and weather requirements in the project survey plan before works begin. Increase effort where habitat is continuous, the impact footprint is large, earlier searches were conducted in poor conditions or a dragon is detected nearby.

Record survey dates, start and finish times, observers, weather, search conditions, area covered, methods used, habitat searched, animals detected, photographs, coordinates and any limitations.

Submit confirmed records and relevant negative survey information to the relevant state wildlife database, subject to the data requirements of the relevant jurisdiction.

Retain records in the project fauna management system and provide them to the environmental officer, fauna spotter catcher and approval authority where required.

  • Check the current state survey and wildlife-recording requirements before fieldwork, because no statutory survey guideline has been published for this species.
  • Use photographs and diagnostic notes to support identification, particularly where the animal could be confused with Pogona vitticeps or another bearded dragon.

Vegetation associations: Woodland

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

Recorded habitat types include open woodland, savanna, coastal heath, forest, scrub and farmland.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: NSW, QLD, SA, VIC.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Vegetation associations: Heath

Recorded habitat types include open woodland, savanna, coastal heath, forest, scrub and farmland.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: NSW, QLD, SA, VIC.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Vegetation associations: Shrubland

Recorded habitat types include open woodland, savanna, coastal heath, forest, scrub and farmland.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: NSW, QLD, SA, VIC.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Ecosystem associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific ecosystem association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Soil and substrate associations: Sandy soils or sand

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

Females tunnel into dry earth or dig a nest in sand and bury their eggs.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: NSW, QLD, SA, VIC.

Habitat use: breeding

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Soil and substrate associations: Friable or loose soil for burrowing

Dry, diggable soil or sand is the only specific natural nesting feature described.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: NSW, QLD, SA, VIC.

Habitat use: breeding

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Water and wetland associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific water association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Fauna records and mapped habitat: Not yet analysed

Record locations can be overlaid with mapping, but record frequency alone does not measure habitat preference. No species is excluded from desktop assessments by this analysis.

No quality-controlled record-to-map analysis has been completed for this species. The existing generalised distribution dots and indicative range polygons have not been treated as precise occurrence coordinates.

A defensible run needs dated, independently attributable records, coordinate uncertainty, duplicate and captive-record checks, layer versions and regional scope. Preference and absence require additional survey-effort and detection evidence.

Habitat limitations and contrary evidence: No supported exclusion recorded

Not recorded is not the same as cannot occur. Low suitability, resident habitat, breeding habitat and occasional movement are different conclusions.

This library has not established a vegetation, ecosystem or soil-type exclusion for this species. This does not mean all habitat is suitable; the evidence needed to justify an exclusion has not been assembled.

Habitat limitations and contrary evidence: Before using a negative association

  • Confirm the taxon, geographic region, life stage and habitat function covered by the evidence.
  • Check survey methods, season, repeated effort and detectability before interpreting non-detection.
  • Investigate credible contradictory records and microhabitats absent from broad mapping.
  • Do not convert a missing map class, low record count or failed data request into species absence.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Plan the work around the species' use of warm basking positions, semi-arboreal structures, ground shelters and dry earth. The project should avoid unnecessary removal of habitat and should make the treatment of any animal or refuge feature clear before machinery arrives.

Retain exposed branches, trunks, logs, rocks, dense vegetation, shade and cool retreats wherever practicable.

Retain links between basking sites, shelter, feeding areas and nearby woodland, savanna, heath or other suitable habitat. Avoid creating isolated retained patches where the work design can keep habitat connected.

Keep suitable dry, well-drained ground where it is needed for female nesting, and do not disturb suspected nest sites without ecological direction.

Design the work footprint to avoid known basking locations, repeated sightings, refuge features and areas used by dragons to move between warm and cool places.

  • Use the smallest practicable clearing footprint.
  • Keep retained habitat protected from machinery, vehicle parking, spoil, washdown and material storage.
  • Include non-breeding habitat features, not only large trees, because the species uses ground refuges, rocks, branches, logs and vegetation.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Check the current EPBC Act status, state threatened-species status, wildlife possession rules and any local government or land manager requirements before disturbance.

Obtain any required wildlife, clearing, relocation, handling and animal-care approvals before works begin. Australian reptiles are protected, and licences or permits may be required for keeping reptiles.

Prepare a fauna management plan that names the project ecologist, authorised fauna spotter catcher, wildlife carer and veterinary contact.

Stage clearing so the fauna spotter catcher can inspect each work area immediately before disturbance and machinery can stop without placing animals or workers at risk.

Schedule works to avoid periods when animals are least detectable, and use survey and ecological advice to select suitable timing rather than relying on a fixed month that has not been specified.

  • Confirm whether an EPBC referral is required even though the species is not listed nationally.
  • Check state requirements separately, including any Victorian requirements where the species is identified by the project as vulnerable.
  • Include site maps showing exclusion areas, retained habitat, access routes, release areas, refuge features and no-go zones.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete a pre-clearance search of the approved footprint and adjacent retained habitat using the project survey method.

Mark retained trees, branches, logs, rocks, vegetation, suspected nest sites and movement links before plant enters the work area.

Install exclusion fencing or other clearly visible barriers where they can protect retained habitat and prevent machinery entry without blocking the animal's safe movement to retained habitat.

Brief all operators on the species' appearance, the stop-work procedure, the spotter catcher's authority and the location of the nearest retained habitat.

Check that bags, secure temporary holding equipment, personal protective equipment, first-aid materials, records and transport arrangements are ready before capture or relocation is needed.

  • Do not use a holding enclosure or capture equipment unless it is clean, secure, escape-proof and suitable for the animal and the planned holding period.
  • Use experienced handlers for aggressive animals, because the species can bite and may hold on when it bites.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

The fauna spotter catcher should control the immediate fauna risk while the operator controls the plant. Work must stop when an animal, suspected nest, refuge feature or unsafe handling situation is identified.

Complete a daily pre-start inspection of the active work area, access tracks, retained habitat edges, logs, rocks, branches, tree bases, ground shelters and dry earth.

The fauna spotter catcher must be able to see the active clearing face and must have direct communication with the machine operator.

Use staged clearing. Clear vegetation progressively towards retained habitat only where the ecologist confirms that this direction is safe and does not drive the animal towards roads, people, water hazards or other work fronts.

Keep machinery stopped while the spotter catcher inspects a detected animal, refuge feature, suspected nest or unsafe obstruction.

Maintain exclusion fencing, marked no-go areas and access controls throughout the shift, and repair damaged controls before work continues.

  • Do not allow machinery to crush or bury logs, rocks, branches or other refuge features until they have been inspected.
  • Do not leave open excavations, pipes, trenches or stockpiles unattended where a dragon could enter or become trapped.
  • Stop work if visibility, communication, weather, fire, dust, machinery movement or public access prevents safe fauna observation.

During habitat disturbance: Animal encounters and handling

Stop the relevant plant and establish a safe exclusion zone when an Eastern Bearded Dragon is found.

Allow the authorised fauna spotter catcher to assess whether the animal can move safely into retained habitat without capture.

Capture and handle the animal only under the project's approval conditions and by an authorised, experienced person. Use appropriate protective equipment and avoid the head and mouth.

Place a captured animal in a secure, ventilated temporary container or catching bag, keep it out of direct heat and transport it for the shortest practicable time.

Release the animal into suitable nearby retained habitat selected by the project ecologist, with basking structure, shade, shelter and access to cooler places. Record the release location and time.

Send an injured, weak, overheated, cold or otherwise compromised animal to the nominated reptile-experienced veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer.

  • Do not attempt to determine sex by manually everting the hemipenes unless this is performed by a suitably experienced professional for a justified reason.
  • Do not relocate an animal across roads, into unsuitable exposed ground, into another work area or into habitat that cannot provide both warm and cool places.
  • Treat a female found digging or associated with a suspected nest as a stop-work matter and obtain ecological direction before disturbing the ground.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat feature handling

Inspect hollow-bearing or potentially sheltering trees, logs, rocks, branches, dense vegetation and ground cavities before they are removed, felled, pushed or buried.

Retain suitable logs, rocks, branches and vegetation where the approved design allows. If a feature must be moved, use the fauna management plan and ecological direction to inspect it and place it safely in retained habitat.

Protect dry earth that may contain a nest or shelter until the project ecologist has assessed it.

Keep temporary fauna exclusion devices and open excavations under daily inspection, particularly during hot weather when animals may seek shade or cooler places.

  • Do not assume that a feature is unused because no animal is visible during one inspection.
  • Do not use the species' use of branches and logs as a reason to remove all ground cover, because the animal also retreats to lower and cooler places.
  • Wetlands are not identified as a specific habitat type. Treat any wetland, drainage line or water body as a project fauna risk area and manage it under the approved fauna and erosion plans.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work records and triggers

Stop work for a confirmed or suspected Eastern Bearded Dragon, suspected nest, trapped animal, injured animal, unexpected concentration of animals, damaged exclusion control or any condition that prevents safe fauna supervision.

Record the date, time, coordinates, work activity, machine, observer, animal identification, behaviour, photographs, action taken, handler, temporary holding details, release location, injury status and final outcome.

Notify the project environmental officer and project ecologist of every capture, relocation, injury, mortality, nest discovery, non-compliance and repeat sighting.

Resume work only when the authorised environmental representative confirms that the animal has moved or has been safely managed and the control measures are functioning.

  • Report any mortality immediately under the project approval and incident procedures.
  • Update the daily fauna register even when the animal leaves without capture.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work should confirm that no animal remains in the disturbance footprint, that retained habitat is still protected and that relocation, injury and mortality records are complete.

Complete a final search of the cleared footprint, retained habitat edges, spoil areas, trenches, pipes, machinery laydown areas and temporary holding locations before the area is handed back to construction.

Inspect retained branches, logs, rocks, vegetation, shade and cool refuges for damage or displacement.

Remove or modify temporary fauna hazards, including open trenches, unsecured pipes, damaged fencing and material piles, in accordance with the fauna management plan.

Check that any released animal was recorded at a suitable nearby retained location and that no animal was left in a temporary container or catching bag.

  • Repeat checks after overnight works, major earthworks, movement of stored materials or changes to exclusion fencing.
  • Escalate any post-clearance sighting or sign of injury to the fauna spotter catcher and project ecologist.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained habitat and release areas at the frequency set by the approval, fauna management plan or project ecologist. Use the same identification and recording standards as the pre-clearance survey.

Record basking observations, use of branches and logs, movement between warm and cool places, shelter use, mortalities, injuries and any evidence of breeding or nesting.

Compare post-work observations with the pre-clearance record and investigate a decline in detections where habitat has been retained but disturbance may have altered access or shelter.

Submit required records to the relevant state wildlife database and provide incident, relocation, mortality and compliance reports to the approval authority where required.

  • Do not claim successful mitigation from a single absence record.
  • Keep photographs, coordinates, field sheets, permits, release records and veterinary or wildlife-carer records with the project environmental file.

After habitat disturbance: Maintain controls and offsets

Maintain exclusion fencing, retained-habitat buffers, access restrictions and fauna-safe drainage or excavation controls until the environmental officer confirms that they are no longer needed.

Repair damaged retained habitat features and replace displaced logs, rocks or branches where the approved rehabilitation plan requires it.

Apply offsets or other compensatory measures only where required by the approval, clearing permit or state framework, and document how they address the residual impact on Eastern Bearded Dragon habitat.

  • Review controls after storms, hot weather, fire, vandalism, machinery access or any change to the construction footprint.
  • Close out each fauna incident with the action taken, responsible person and date of verification.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should recreate the structure used by Eastern Bearded Dragons for basking, movement, shelter and foraging. It should provide both warm exposed positions and nearby shade or cooler retreats, rather than producing a uniformly open or uniformly shaded site.

Re-establish locally appropriate woodland, savanna, heath, scrub or forest structure according to the pre-clearing community and project rehabilitation plan.

Plant locally appropriate native species that provide dense cover, shade, branches, trunks, flowers, berries or insect habitat. Native plants, shrubs and grasses are useful enclosure features, so select species from the relevant regional vegetation community.

Retain or reinstate logs, rocks, branches, trunks, leaf litter and ground cover in stable locations that provide basking positions and nearby retreats.

Provide a mix of exposed warm areas and shaded or cooler places, because the species thermoregulates by moving between them.

Reinstate connected vegetation and refuge features between retained habitat patches where the project has fragmented movement routes.

  • Use non-toxic native plants and avoid introducing ornamental or invasive species.
  • Do not place logs, rocks or branches where they create an erosion, fire, machinery or public-safety hazard.
  • Do not assume that a nest box replaces natural ground nesting habitat, because females tunnel into dry earth to lay eggs.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage threats and site condition

Control weeds so native cover, basking structure and movement links can establish.

Manage domestic and feral predator access where this is identified as a project risk, noting that the husbandry manual identifies dogs, cats, birds and snakes as predators or causes of mortality in the species' broader context.

Apply the approved fire management plan to retain habitat structure and avoid removing all shelter or ground cover in a single operation.

Keep rehabilitation areas free of rubbish, open pits, unsecured pipes, construction materials and other fauna traps.

Use erosion and drainage controls that prevent sediment, pollutants and uncontrolled water movement from degrading retained or restored habitat.

  • Do not use broad pest or chemical treatments without checking risks to reptiles, prey insects, native plants and waterways.
  • Avoid maintenance regimes that remove all logs, rocks, leaf litter, shrubs or low branches from restored areas.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

Set measurable rehabilitation targets for survival of planted native vegetation, weed cover, retained and reinstated refuge features, connectivity, erosion control and protection from machinery.

Inspect restored areas during warm daylight periods and record Eastern Bearded Dragon sightings, basking use, movement between warm and cool places, shelter use and signs of nesting.

Photograph fixed monitoring points and map habitat features before works, after rehabilitation and during follow-up inspections.

Investigate failures such as plant death, loss of logs or rocks, broken connectivity, predator access, fire damage or repeated animal mortality, then revise management actions.

Continue monitoring for the period required by the approval or rehabilitation plan and report results to the project environmental officer and relevant authority.

  • Use the pre-clearance habitat record as the baseline for judging whether restored structure is developing.
  • Treat detection of an animal as useful evidence, but assess success from habitat condition and repeated use over the agreed monitoring period rather than from one observation.

Sources