Eungella Honeyeater (Bolemoreus hindwoodi)

Conservation status

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

The species is resident and breeding in Australia, but the supplied documents do not provide monthly breeding, nesting, fledging or dispersal records. The calendar below therefore shows year-round presence and applies a precautionary clearing-risk pattern rather than claiming a documented breeding peak.

Months are January to December. A value of 1 indicates occurrence or precautionary risk; a value of 2 is not assigned because the supplied sources do not identify monthly peaks.

• Breeding: Breeding is confirmed in Australia, but breeding months are not stated in the supplied sources.
• Young: The timing of nesting, fledging and dependent young is not stated. Check for nests and dependent young before clearing in every month.
• Movement or dispersal: The species is recorded as not a migrant and resident in Australia. No seasonal movement or dispersal period is provided.
• Fire and climate exposure: Drought, temperature extremes and future habitat change are identified as ongoing or future threats, but no monthly pattern is provided.
• Highest clearing risk: Risk applies throughout the year because the species is resident and the breeding season is unknown. The highest site-specific risk will be when active nests or dependent young are present.

Identification

The supplied documents provide taxonomic, range and banding information but do not provide a plumage description, measurements, mass, sex differences, call description or nest description. Identification should therefore be confirmed by an experienced bird observer, especially where related honeyeaters occur.

This is a medium-sized honeyeater in the family Meliphagidae. It is listed in the ABBBS recommended band size list under Bolemoreus hindwoodi, with recommended band size 03 and metal band type AY.

Recommended band size: 03

Metal band type: AY

Identification: Similar species and confirmation

The species was previously listed as Lichenostomus hindwoodi. The documents do not provide enough morphological or vocal detail to describe reliable differences from similar honeyeaters, including the Bridled Honeyeater, Bolemoreus frenatus.

• Do not rely on a single brief view where identification affects clearing or capture decisions.
• Record clear photographs, diagnostic call notes, location, elevation and habitat details where possible.
• Use an experienced observer or suitable reference collection for confirmation.

Identification: Field signs

The supplied sources do not describe tracks, scats, calls, nests, eggs, roosts or other field signs. As a bird, it is most likely to be detected through direct observation or calls during targeted surveys, but species-specific detection guidance is not provided in these documents.

Distribution: National range

The Eungella Honeyeater has a highly restricted distribution in Queensland. It is endemic to the Clarke Range and is recorded as resident and breeding within Australia.

The species is known only from Queensland, in the Clarke Range west of Mackay. The supplied documents do not identify additional Queensland bioregions by name.

State: Queensland only in the supplied sources

Extent of occurrence, breeding or resident: 420 square kilometres

Extent of occurrence, non-breeding: 1,500 square kilometres

Area of occupancy, breeding or resident: 300 square kilometres

Number of locations: 11 to 20

• Treat records from the Clarke Range as potentially important, including records outside the main rainforest blocks.
• The species is resident and not a migrant, so it may be present during construction and clearing at any time of year.

Distribution: Strongholds and population structure

The main reported areas are Eungella National Park and Crediton State Forest. BirdLife recognises the Clarke Range as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area.

Subpopulations: 1

Mature individuals in largest subpopulation: 100 per cent

• The population is treated as one subpopulation.
• All mature individuals are estimated to occur in the largest subpopulation, so local losses may affect the species at a population scale.

Distribution: Population status

The 2020 estimate was 2,000 to 4,700 mature individuals, with a best estimate of 2,500 to 3,000. The population is suspected to be stable, although the estimate has poor data quality and the species has a restricted range.

Estimated total population: 2,000 to 4,700 mature individuals

Best estimate: 2,500 to 3,000 mature individuals

Population trend: Suspected stable

Generation length: 3.4 years

Habitat: Habitat types

The Eungella Honeyeater is associated mainly with moist montane forest at high elevation in the Clarke Range. The available habitat information supports a focus on intact or connected rainforest and adjoining suitable vegetation during site assessment.

BirdLife identifies subtropical or tropical moist montane forest as major habitat for the species. Subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and rural gardens are also recorded as suitable habitat.

• Prioritise moist montane forest for habitat assessment.
• Include suitable moist lowland forest and rural gardens in searches where they occur within the Clarke Range range.

Habitat: Structure and elevation

The supplied sources do not specify preferred tree species, canopy height, tree diameter, understorey density or edge width. The species occurs mainly in high elevation rainforest, with records from 900 to 1,250 metres and an occasional lower limit of 150 metres.

Usual altitude range: 900 to 1,250 metres

Occasional lower altitude limit: 150 metres

Severely fragmented: No

• Map and retain mature moist forest, forest edges and connecting vegetation within the project area.
• Assess habitat below 900 metres as well as high elevation habitat because the recorded occasional lower limit is 150 metres.

Habitat: Development-site application

The species is resident, so suitable habitat can be occupied outside a defined breeding period. Habitat clearance, road formation, utility corridors and temporary works should be assessed across the full year.

• Search all suitable moist forest before clearing or construction begins.
• Retain connected forest where practicable and avoid unnecessary removal of vegetation adjoining known habitat.
• Use records, habitat mapping and pre-clearance observations together when setting fauna controls.

Foraging habitat: Feeding information

The supplied documents identify the species as a honeyeater but do not provide its diet, food plants, feeding height, foraging technique, territory size or daily foraging distance. Site decisions should therefore protect the full range of suitable moist forest rather than relying on a narrow list of food trees.

No species-specific information on nectar, fruit, insects, other prey or feeding behaviour is provided in the supplied sources. No foraging range or territory size is given.

• Do not assume that only flowering trees are relevant habitat.
• Record feeding observations, plant species, canopy height and the location of feeding activity during fauna surveys.
• Treat moist montane forest as potential foraging habitat even when feeding is not observed during a survey.

Foraging habitat: Habitat protection during works

BirdLife identifies moist montane forest as major habitat and moist lowland forest and rural gardens as suitable habitat. This supports retaining native vegetation and connections between occupied forest patches during project planning.

• Avoid clearing habitat solely because no feeding birds are detected during a short inspection.
• Include temporary access tracks, compounds and laydown areas in the foraging habitat assessment.
• Schedule vegetation removal only after an ecologist has assessed whether birds are using the area.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

The species is recorded as resident and breeding in Australia, but the supplied documents do not provide its breeding months, nest location, clutch size, incubation period, age at maturity or lifespan. Breeding habitat should therefore be assessed from the available moist forest and from observations at each site.

The documents confirm breeding or resident occurrence but do not provide species-specific breeding biology. No reliable values are available for mating, laying, clutch size, incubation, fledging, maturity or lifespan.

Breeding occurrence: Breeding resident in Australia

Breeding season: Not stated in the supplied sources

Clutch size: Not stated in the supplied sources

Incubation period: Not stated in the supplied sources

Age at maturity: Not stated in the supplied sources

Lifespan: Not stated in the supplied sources

• Seek current regional advice before setting breeding-season survey or clearing controls.
• If a nest or dependent young is found, stop work in the immediate area and obtain advice from the project ecologist or fauna spotter catcher.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat

The available evidence places the species mainly in subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, with suitable moist lowland forest also recorded. The sources do not identify nest trees, nest height, nest materials or breeding territory size.

• Inspect native vegetation for active nests and dependent young before clearing.
• Retain suitable forest around any confirmed nest until the young have fledged and the site has been checked again.
• Record nest location, vegetation type, height and activity so controls can be tailored to the site.

Sheltering habitat: Known sheltering habitat

No species-specific refuge, roost or nest-site measurements are provided. The strongest available sheltering-habitat evidence is the species' association with moist montane forest and its resident status.

BirdLife identifies subtropical or tropical moist montane forest as major habitat, with moist lowland forest and rural gardens also suitable. The documents do not specify hollows, dense understorey, roost trees, nest sites or minimum shelter dimensions.

• Retain mature and structurally varied native vegetation where practicable.
• Inspect forest edges, canopy and dense vegetation before clearing, including areas proposed for temporary works.
• Do not remove potential shelter solely because no bird is visible at the time of inspection.

Sheltering habitat: During clearing

The species is resident and may use habitat throughout the year. A pre-clearance check should therefore cover all suitable forest within the disturbance footprint and immediately adjoining vegetation.

• Use a qualified fauna spotter catcher during clearing where required by approval conditions.
• Stage clearing so fauna can move towards retained vegetation rather than into active work areas.
• Stop work and reassess if a bird repeatedly returns to a tree or vegetation patch, or if a nest or dependent young is located.

Threats: Clearing and habitat disturbance

The main documented risks are fire, climate-related change and habitat disturbance from logging and other development pressures. The species' restricted range and single-subpopulation structure increase the importance of avoiding local habitat loss.

Earlier assessment material identified logging, mining exploration and possible habitat change from encroaching habitation as concerns. BirdLife records ongoing logging and wood harvesting, although the assessed impact was low.

Documented land-use threat: Logging and wood harvesting

Other concerns identified in assessment material: Mining exploration and habitat change from encroaching habitation

• Avoid clearing moist montane forest in the Clarke Range wherever practicable.
• Assess direct loss, edge effects, access tracks, construction compounds and temporary disturbance together.
• Retain connections between suitable forest areas and avoid creating unnecessary isolated patches.

Threats: Fire and climate

Fire is identified as an ongoing threat, with increased fire frequency or intensity expected to cause slow, significant declines. The 2019 wildfires caused population losses that were assumed to have ceased, but future fire frequency may increase with climate change.

Fire impact assessed by BirdLife: Slow, significant declines

2019 fire effect: Population losses were reported and assumed to have ceased

Climate-related threats: Drought, habitat shifting and alteration, and temperature extremes

• Keep clearing and construction activities compliant with fire controls and emergency procedures.
• Prevent avoidable ignition, retain moist forest buffers where practicable and rehabilitate disturbed areas promptly.
• Assess fire risk from machinery, access tracks, slash and altered fuel loads.

Threats: Fragmentation, roads and other pressures

BirdLife does not classify the species as severely fragmented, but its area of occupancy is only 300 square kilometres and one subpopulation contains all mature individuals. The supplied sources do not separately quantify road mortality, predators, disease or hydrology change.

Severely fragmented: No

Area of occupancy: 300 square kilometres

Road mortality, predators, disease and hydrology change: Not specifically documented in the supplied sources

• Treat new roads and linear infrastructure as potential habitat-loss and access pressures even where direct mortality data are unavailable.
• Keep construction footprints as narrow as practicable and avoid unnecessary disturbance to retained forest.
• Do not assume that predators, disease or hydrology change are absent, but seek site-specific evidence before assigning them as primary threats.

Survey methodology: 1. Diurnal bird searches

No species-specific survey guideline was provided in the source material. Survey effort should focus on detecting a small, resident honeyeater in subtropical and tropical montane rainforest, particularly vine forest and high-altitude rainforest between 900 and 1,250 m.

Undertake searches during daylight when birds are active and calling, with the greatest attention given to subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and vine forest retained within or near the work area.

Search forest edges, flowering vegetation, canopy and subcanopy, and connections between retained forest patches.

Record all honeyeater observations, calls, feeding activity, flight direction, group size, habitat and the distance from the proposed disturbance footprint.

Recorded breeding or resident extent: 420 km2

Recorded non-breeding extent: 1,500 km2

Recorded altitude: Usually 900 to 1,250 m, with an occasional lower limit of 150 m

• Use binoculars and a camera with a telephoto lens where available, rather than approaching birds closely.
• Walk slowly and quietly along mapped transects or fixed observation points that cover all suitable habitat and likely access routes.
• Repeat searches in suitable weather because rain, strong wind and dense cloud can reduce visual and aural detection.

Survey methodology: 2. Call and observation surveys

Use passive listening at fixed points during the early part of each daylight survey, then inspect any calls or movement detected in the canopy and subcanopy.

Map every detection with a GPS and retain the original audio or photographic evidence where possible.

Do not treat the absence of detections as proof that suitable habitat is unoccupied, because the available population estimates and survey information have recognised uncertainty.

Estimated mature population: 2,000 to 4,700 individuals, with a best estimate of 2,500 to 3,000

Estimated number of subpopulations: 1

Number of locations: 11 to 20

• Record the date, start and finish time, weather, observer names, route or point locations, visibility, wind, rain and the area searched.
• Use call playback only where it is permitted and justified by the project fauna management plan, and stop if the bird shows stress or repeated avoidance.

Survey methodology: 3. Habitat and occupancy assessment

Before field searches, map subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, vine forest, forest edges, rural gardens used by the species and corridors between retained patches.

Inspect the full disturbance footprint and a suitable surrounding area for connected forest, recent fire, logging impacts, flowering resources and access to higher-altitude rainforest.

Use the habitat map to identify areas requiring additional targeted searches, construction exclusion zones or retention.

Major habitat type: Subtropical or tropical moist montane forest

Other suitable habitat types: Subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and rural gardens

Fire impact identified by BirdLife: Slow, significant declines, with impact rated medium

• Document whether each habitat patch is continuous, isolated, recently burnt, logged or connected to the Clarke Range forest system.
• Treat high-altitude rainforest as major habitat and retain it wherever practicable.
• Record weed cover, fire damage and canopy condition because fire frequency, temperature extremes, drought and habitat alteration are identified threats.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

• Use a qualified ornithologist or ecologist to set the final number, duration and spacing of survey visits after reviewing the habitat map and the proposed clearing footprint.
• Carry out additional searches when suitable habitat is present but the initial survey does not detect the species.
• Report survey limitations, weather, effort, detection methods, mapped habitat and all positive and negative results in the ecological assessment.
• Submit confirmed records and suitable photographs or recordings to the relevant Queensland wildlife database and the Atlas of Living Australia where appropriate.
• Check current Queensland threatened-species requirements before fieldwork, because the supplied project information identifies the species as Vulnerable in Queensland and not listed under the EPBC Act.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

The Eungella Honeyeater has a restricted range centred on the Clarke Range, with records associated with Eungella National Park and Crediton State Forest. Avoiding the loss and fragmentation of moist montane forest is the preferred control.

Redesign the work to retain subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, vine forest and connected forest patches, particularly habitat above 900 m.

Keep clearing away from forest edges and retain continuous links between habitat patches wherever practicable.

Avoid works in areas affected by recent fire where remaining unburnt rainforest may provide refuge.

Primary range: Clarke Range, west of Mackay, Queensland

Key areas identified in the nomination: Eungella National Park and Crediton State Forest

Known fragmentation status: Not severely fragmented

• Mark no-go areas before machinery enters the site.
• Retain native canopy and understorey vegetation, including flowering plants used by honeyeaters, unless removal is approved and unavoidable.
• Do not use a generic clearing buffer as a substitute for a site-specific habitat assessment, because the supplied documents do not provide a species-specific buffer distance.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and planning

Confirm the current Queensland listing, permit and clearing requirements before finalising the method statement.

Check whether the project requires a Queensland wildlife or protected plant approval, a permit to handle fauna, or other state authorisation.

Confirm the EPBC Act position using the current species list and project referral tool before works commence, rather than relying only on the supplied historical nomination outcome.

• Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat, survey results, spotter catcher responsibilities, stop-work triggers, release sites, injured-animal contacts and reporting requirements.
• Stage works so that the smallest practicable area is disturbed at one time.
• Schedule clearing outside periods of extreme heat, heavy rain, strong wind and active fire risk where practicable.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete a pre-clearance inspection immediately before clearing and update the habitat map if vegetation, fire conditions or the work footprint has changed.

Mark retained forest, exclusion areas, access tracks, stockpiles and release areas on the ground and in the site plan.

Use exclusion fencing where it can protect retained rainforest and prevent machinery or workers entering habitat.

• Brief all machine operators and supervisors on the species identification, habitat controls and stop-work procedure.
• Remove rubbish, unsecured materials and hazards from retained habitat before works begin.
• Confirm that the fauna spotter catcher has the authority, equipment and contacts needed to manage an animal found during works.

During habitat disturbance: Daily site controls

Works must be supervised so that clearing stops before an animal or occupied habitat is placed at risk. The fauna spotter catcher must be able to communicate directly with the operator and stop the relevant activity.

Inspect exclusion fencing, retained vegetation and access routes at the start of each shift.

Keep machinery within the approved footprint and prevent accidental widening of tracks, laydown areas and stockpiles into retained forest.

Maintain quiet, low-speed operations near retained habitat and avoid unnecessary clearing of canopy and understorey.

• Use a daily pre-start briefing to confirm the clearing limits, spotter catcher location, communication channel and emergency contacts.
• Stop work during conditions that prevent the spotter catcher from safely seeing the clearing face or detecting fauna.
• Keep domestic animals, food waste and avoidable night lighting away from retained habitat.

During habitat disturbance: Spotter catcher and machinery

The fauna spotter catcher must inspect vegetation immediately before removal and remain positioned so the operator can see and hear the stop signal.

Use staged clearing towards retained habitat or another approved safe area only where the fauna management plan confirms that this direction is suitable.

Allow the spotter catcher time to inspect each tree, branch, stump and ground layer before felling, pushing or mulching.

• Stop the machine immediately when the spotter catcher signals, loses visual control of the work face or identifies a bird, nest, injured animal or unsafe habitat feature.
• Do not restart until the spotter catcher has inspected the area, completed any approved fauna action and released the machine to proceed.
• Do not allow untrained workers to capture, handle or release the honeyeater.

During habitat disturbance: If the honeyeater is found

Stop the activity that could affect the bird and allow it to move away without pursuit where it is uninjured and outside immediate danger.

Use only a person authorised under the applicable Queensland requirements for any capture, handling, transport or release.

Release an unharmed bird into nearby retained suitable forest identified in the fauna management plan, with the release location recorded by GPS.

• Do not chase, net or handle a healthy bird unless capture is necessary to prevent immediate harm and the authorised handler considers it safe.
• Place an injured bird in a quiet, secure container suitable for short-term transport and arrange prompt assessment by a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer.
• Do not feed or give water to an injured bird unless directed by a veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer.
• Record the time, location, condition, action taken, handler, release or treatment location and outcome.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

Stop work if the bird is found within the clearing footprint, if a bird is injured, if a nest or dependent young is suspected, or if machinery cannot operate without entering retained habitat.

Stop work after any unapproved clearing, damage to exclusion fencing, fire affecting retained forest or change in conditions that prevents safe supervision.

Notify the site supervisor and environmental officer, then obtain ecological or regulatory advice before restarting where the trigger cannot be resolved on site.

• Keep a daily fauna register containing searches, sightings, handling events, injuries, releases, mortality, clearing areas and incidents.
• Photograph and GPS-mark significant habitat, injured animals, mortality events and any changed exclusion boundary.
• Report threatened-species incidents through the approval conditions and relevant Queensland reporting pathway.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearing checks should confirm that no animal remains trapped or injured and that retained rainforest has not been damaged. Monitoring should focus on habitat retention, fire impacts and continued use of connected forest.

Inspect the cleared area, retained forest edge, exclusion fencing and access routes at the end of each clearing stage.

Check for injured or dead fauna, displaced birds, damaged canopy and unapproved encroachment into retained habitat.

Keep the spotter catcher or another suitably qualified person available for follow-up checks where clearing has exposed dense vegetation or difficult terrain.

• Remove temporary hazards such as open pits, unsecured pipes, wire, netting and uncovered water containers.
• Repair damaged fencing and reinstate any failed no-go markers before the next work activity.
• Record the completed area, date, weather, personnel, incidents and corrective actions.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained moist montane forest and connected habitat after construction, with attention to fire damage, canopy loss, weed invasion and disturbance at forest edges.

Repeat diurnal bird searches using the same mapped points or transects where monitoring is required by an approval or fauna management plan.

Compare detections, habitat condition and fire impacts with the pre-clearance baseline.

BirdLife population trend: Suspected stable

Fire risk identified by BirdLife: Increasing fire frequency may cause future population declines

• Report all confirmed records, injuries, mortalities, habitat breaches and corrective actions to the project environmental officer and approval authority where required.
• Update the site fauna register and submit confirmed records to the relevant Queensland wildlife database.
• Review controls if the species is detected in an area not covered by the original exclusion zone.

After habitat disturbance: Ongoing controls and offsets

Maintain retained habitat, exclusion fencing, weed controls and fire management measures for the period required by the approval and fauna management plan.

Use offsets only where residual impacts remain after avoidance and minimisation, and confirm that any offset meets the applicable Queensland or Commonwealth requirements.

Ensure any offset or restoration area protects suitable moist montane forest and maintains connection with retained habitat where practicable.

• Do not count temporary revegetation or an unprotected narrow strip as an equivalent replacement for mature montane rainforest.
• Document the location, tenure, management obligations and performance measures for any offset or restoration area.
• Review the control measures after fire, major storm damage or any new species record.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore suitable forest structure

Rehabilitation should restore the forest structure and connectivity used by the Eungella Honeyeater. The source material does not specify a planting list, nest-box design or restoration density, so these must be set by a Queensland restoration ecologist using local reference vegetation.

Re-establish locally appropriate subtropical or tropical moist montane forest vegetation within cleared areas and along connections between retained patches.

Use locally sourced native plants from the correct local provenance and include canopy, mid-storey and understorey layers appropriate to the reference vine forest community.

Prioritise restoration that reconnects retained rainforest and reduces exposed forest edge.

Relevant habitat: Subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and vine forest

Known altitude range for targeted habitat: 900 to 1,250 m, with occasional records down to 150 m

• Do not select planting species solely for rapid growth or ornamental value.
• Use the nearest intact reference forest to set the species mix, spacing, structure and weed control method.
• Protect new plantings from browsing, trampling, machinery and fire until established.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, weeds and predators

Prepare and maintain a site-specific fire management plan that protects retained and regenerating montane rainforest from increased fire frequency and intensity.

Control weeds that suppress rainforest regeneration or increase fuel loads, using methods that do not damage retained native vegetation.

Manage introduced predators and domestic animals where they pose a demonstrated risk, in accordance with the approved fauna management plan.

Fire threat assessment: Ongoing, affecting more than 90 percent of the range, with slow and significant declines assessed

Other identified threats: Logging, drought, temperature extremes and future habitat alteration

• Inspect restoration areas after fire and replace failed plants where the approved restoration target requires it.
• Keep firebreaks, access and suppression planning compatible with the retention of moist rainforest.
• Record weed treatment, fire events, grazing or browsing damage and predator control outcomes.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

Monitor survival, canopy development, understorey cover, weed cover, fire damage and connectivity between retained forest patches.

Include repeat bird searches where the restoration area is large enough or forms part of a habitat connection, using the same method and locations over time.

Set project-specific completion criteria with the restoration ecologist because the supplied documents do not provide species-specific planting densities or timeframes.

• Use mapped photographs and fixed vegetation points to measure change in restoration structure.
• Treat repeated use by the Eungella Honeyeater, persistence of connected moist forest and successful native regeneration as useful ecological indicators, not as the only completion measures.
• Repair erosion, fencing, weed outbreaks and failed plantings when monitoring identifies a problem.
• Report monitoring results, maintenance actions and any new species records to the project environmental officer and relevant database.

Sources

• Species nominations not prioritised for assessment, Australian Government DCCEEW: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/threatened/nominations/species-not-prioritised-assessment
• ABBBS Recommended Band Size List, Australian Government DCCEEW: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/band-size-list-may-2018.pdf
• Eungella Honeyeater (Bolemoreus hindwoodi) | Details, datazone.birdlife.org: https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/eungella-honeyeater-bolemoreus-hindwoodi/details