Little Wattlebird (Anthochaera chrysoptera)

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

The species is resident in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges and is not described as migratory in the supplied documents. Breeding can occur year round, with the main breeding period from August to December.

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

• Breeding, mating and laying: Breeding can occur year round, with August to December identified as the main breeding season. The documents do not specify peak laying months within that period.
• Young in nest or dependent: Nestlings remain in the nest for about 16 days, and both adults care for the young. Up to three broods may be raised in suitable conditions, so dependent young may occur during the main breeding period and at other times.
• Highest clearing risk: Clearing risk is present year round because breeding can occur year round. Risk is highest from August to December, when the main breeding season occurs and nests or dependent young are more likely to be present.

Identification

The Little Wattlebird is a medium to large honeyeater and the smallest of the Australian wattlebirds. It is usually identified by its dark plumage, white streaking, chestnut wing patch and lack of facial wattles.

Adults are mostly dark grey-brown above, with faint white shafts on the feathers. The underparts are grey and heavily streaked with white. Streaking is finer on the throat and more blotched on the sides of the belly.

A large rufous or chestnut patch is visible in the wings during flight. The eye is blue-grey. Young birds are duller, less heavily streaked and have a browner eye.

Maximum reported length: 33 cm

Sexes: Similar in appearance

Key plumage features: Dark grey-brown body, white streaking and chestnut wing patch

Identification: Similar species

The Red Wattlebird is larger and has yellow underparts and red wattles on the cheeks. The Little Wattlebird lacks wattles and has a darker, more heavily streaked appearance.

Little Wattlebirds may occur with Red Wattlebirds, so size, underpart colour and the presence or absence of wattles should be checked together.

Identification: Calls, nests and field signs

The call is loud and clucking, often accompanied by head and tail movements. Birds may clash their bills while calling, producing a distinctive bill-clattering sound.

The nest is a large cup made from twigs and grass and lined with soft material such as feathers, wool, bark or grass. It may be placed from ground level to about 15 m above ground.

Adults commonly feed from flowers while perched. Repeated use of flowering shrubs, loud clucking calls and a cup nest can help identify an occupied site during pre-clearing checks.

Nest height: Ground level to about 15 m

Nest construction: Large cup of twigs and grass, lined with soft material

Distribution: National range

The species has a broad but discontinuous distribution across south-eastern and south-western mainland Australia and Tasmania. The supplied documents provide detailed locality information for the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, but not a complete state by state or bioregional account.

The Little Wattlebird occurs in south-eastern Australia, south-western Australia and Tasmania. The supplied documents do not specify all states or the full set of IBRA bioregions in which it occurs.

Broad Australian range: South-eastern and south-western mainland Australia and Tasmania

Resident status: Resident in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges region

Distribution: Known strongholds and subpopulations

In the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, filtered records since 1983 are concentrated around suburban Adelaide and the western ranges, the Barossa, the northern plains and the southern Fleurieu north of Waitpinga and Second Valley.

The species is uncommon and geographically isolated in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges. Records may be linked to the South-East through the Coorong. Earlier records also included Deep Creek Conservation Park.

Distribution: Population status

No national population estimate, local abundance estimate or density is provided. The species has been described as probably declining in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, where its distribution forms part of a limited extant South Australian distribution.

Population size: Not reported in the supplied documents

Recorded regional trend: Probably declining in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges

Habitat: Habitat types

Little Wattlebirds use relatively dry, often scrubby vegetation as well as urban gardens and parks. Development assessments should retain flowering shrubs, woodland and forest structure, particularly where these habitats connect across a site.

The species uses Banksia heath, forest, woodland, coastal woodland and urban areas. In the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, preferred broad vegetation groups include heathy woodland, shrubland and wetland.

The species can persist in urban parks and gardens where suitable flowering vegetation is available.

Habitat: Features to retain

Retain mature and regenerating flowering shrubs, woodland canopy, understorey and vegetation links between larger habitat patches. Banksia-rich vegetation is particularly relevant because it provides both nectar and habitat structure.

Retain vegetation around known feeding areas and active nests, and avoid isolating small patches from nearby heath, woodland or forest.

Specified elevation limit: Not reported

Specified climate limit: Not reported

Foraging habitat: Food

The Little Wattlebird is a nectar-feeding honeyeater that also takes plant material and insects. It usually feeds from a perch, but may make short flights to catch insects.

Nectar is collected with a long, brush-tipped tongue adapted for probing deep into flowers. Other food includes flowers, berries, seeds and insects.

The supplied documents do not identify a complete list of food plant species. Banksia vegetation is relevant because Banksia heath is a preferred habitat and Banksia shrublands are specifically identified in relation to threats.

Primary food: Nectar

Other food: Flowers, berries, seeds and insects

Feeding method: Mostly perched feeding, with some insects caught in flight

Foraging habitat: Site implications

Survey flowering shrubs, Banksia-rich heath, woodland edges, gardens and other vegetation likely to support nectar resources. Check for repeated use of the same flowering plants, especially where clearing is proposed.

No foraging range, home range or movement distance is provided. Do not apply an assumed buffer or home-range size without site-specific evidence.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding can occur throughout the year, with the main breeding period from August to December. Nests are cup-shaped and may be placed close to the ground or high in vegetation, so both understorey and taller trees or shrubs can be relevant during pre-clearing surveys.

The female normally builds the nest and incubates the eggs alone. Both adults care for the young. Up to three broods may be raised in a year when conditions are suitable.

The documents do not provide an age at maturity or lifespan.

Main breeding season: August to December, with breeding possible year round

Clutch size: One to three eggs. One to two eggs are also reported.

Incubation: The supplied documents do not state the incubation period.

Nestling period: About 16 days

Age at maturity: Not reported

Lifespan: Not reported

Broods: Up to three broods per year when conditions are suitable

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat

Nests are made from twigs and grass and lined with soft material including feathers and wool. They may be placed anywhere from ground level to about 15 m above ground.

Potential breeding habitat therefore includes dense shrubs, woodland understorey and taller trees or shrubs that provide suitable forked branches and cover. Avoid assuming that only large trees contain nests.

Nest type: Large cup of twigs and grass

Nest height: Ground level to about 15 m

• Inspect low shrubs, dense understorey and taller vegetation before clearing.
• Repeat checks where clearing occurs during the August to December main breeding period, because nests can be difficult to detect and breeding may occur year round.
• Treat an active nest and the surrounding vegetation as a no-go area until the nest is no longer active and the relevant approval or site procedure allows work to continue.

Sheltering habitat: Cover and roosting habitat

The supplied documents do not describe specialised refuges such as hollows, burrows, dens or roost caves. Shelter is most likely provided by the same scrub, woodland, forest and garden vegetation used for feeding and nesting.

Retain dense shrubs, woodland understorey, forest vegetation and connected patches of habitat. These features can provide cover for adults and young and may support movement between feeding areas.

No roost tree dimensions, hollow requirements, burrow dimensions or specific night roost sites are reported.

Specialised refuge: None reported

Known shelter features: Scrub, woodland, forest and garden vegetation

Roost size or tree size: Not reported

Sheltering habitat: Pre-clearing checks

Inspect dense vegetation from ground level to about 15 m for cup nests before clearing. Listen for repeated clucking or bill-clattering and watch for adults carrying nesting material or feeding young.

Where vegetation is retained as a corridor or exclusion area, protect its understorey as well as the canopy because the species uses scrubby habitats and nests can be close to the ground.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The supplied regional profile identifies grazing impacts on Banksia marginata recruitment and the potential effects of Phytophthora cinnamomi on Banksia shrublands. Clearing and fragmentation are relevant project risks because they remove the heath, shrubland, woodland and forest used for feeding, shelter and breeding.

Clearing flowering heath, shrubland, woodland, forest and urban vegetation can remove feeding and nesting habitat. Fragmentation may isolate the uncommon and geographically isolated populations recorded in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges.

Clearing can directly destroy a cup nest or dependent young, particularly during the main breeding period from August to December. Because breeding can occur year round, nest checks are needed outside that period as well.

• Search all vegetation proposed for removal, including low shrubs and taller vegetation up to about 15 m.
• Retain connected flowering vegetation where practicable, especially around known records and concentrated feeding areas.
• Stage clearing so that fauna spotter catchers can inspect vegetation immediately before removal.

Threats: Grazing, disease and fire

Grazing can affect Banksia marginata recruitment, reducing replacement of important flowering shrubs. Phytophthora cinnamomi has the potential to affect Banksia shrublands.

The supplied documents do not specify the effects of fire, fire intervals or fire severity on this species. Apply the relevant project fire hygiene and vegetation management procedures where Banksia or other susceptible vegetation is present.

Threats: Other project risks

The supplied documents do not provide species-specific evidence on road mortality, introduced predators or hydrology change. These risks should still be assessed where works remove habitat, alter wetland or drainage conditions, increase vehicle movements or expose nests and young to disturbance.

Avoid drawing conclusions from the absence of records. The regional record map is based on filtered observations and does not necessarily represent the full distribution.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat assessment and diurnal searches

Little Wattlebirds use heaths, forests, woodlands, coastal vegetation and urban parks and gardens. They feed mainly on nectar and may be detected by their loud clucking calls and bill-clattering, but the supplied documents do not specify a validated project survey effort for this species.

Map and inspect Banksia heath, heathy woodland, shrubland, wetland edges, forests, coastal woodlands and suitable parks or gardens within and near the disturbance area.

Search flowering vegetation, dense shrubs and likely nesting vegetation during daylight hours.

Record Little Wattlebirds seen or heard, the habitat used, feeding plants, direction of movement and any nest or breeding behaviour.

Pay particular attention to areas around suburban Adelaide and the western ranges, the Barossa, northern plains and southern Fleurieu habitat types where the supplied regional records are concentrated, while recognising that the species occurs more broadly in south-eastern and south-western Australia and Tasmania.

Maximum reported length: Up to 33 cm

Main breeding season: August to December

Nest height: Ground level to about 15 m

Survey methodology: 2. Call and movement searches

Use quiet listening periods during suitable daylight survey visits to detect the species' loud clucking calls and bill-clattering.

Search from locations that provide views across flowering trees, shrubs and woodland edges, because the species commonly feeds while perched and can also catch insects in flight.

Record repeat detections separately and map movement between retained vegetation patches, flowering resources and proposed work areas.

Do not treat a lack of detection as evidence that suitable habitat is unused, particularly where flowering resources are present or vegetation is dense.

Survey methodology: 3. Nest and breeding searches

During the August to December breeding period, inspect suitable shrubs and trees for the large cup-shaped nest described for the species.

Search vegetation from ground level to about 15 m, because nests may be placed across that height range.

Look for adults carrying nesting material, incubating, feeding young or repeatedly visiting one location.

Keep observers and machinery away from a suspected nest until a suitably qualified ecologist has assessed the risk and the project controls are in place.

Typical clutch size: One to three eggs

Nestling period: About 16 days

Possible broods: Up to three in a year when conditions are suitable

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

Use a qualified ecologist to set the number, timing and duration of survey visits after assessing the habitat, proposed clearing footprint, season, flowering conditions and disturbance risk, because the supplied documents do not provide species-specific effort requirements such as nights, hours, transect lengths or trap nights.

Do not use cage trapping, mist-netting or other capture methods unless they are justified by the approved survey design and undertaken under the required wildlife permits by authorised personnel.

Record the date, start and finish times, observers, weather, survey area, method, effort, GPS location, detection type, behaviour, habitat and photographs where appropriate.

Submit verified records to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and include all negative survey results, nest observations, injuries, relocations and mortality in the project report.

Check the current EPBC Act status and relevant state or territory requirements before works begin, because the supplied source material contains differing conservation-status information.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Plan around the species' use of flowering vegetation, scrubby habitat and nesting sites. Retain habitat wherever practicable and resolve approval and fauna-handling requirements before vegetation is disturbed.

Avoid clearing Banksia heath, heathy woodland, shrubland, wetland vegetation, forest, coastal woodland and established flowering trees where practicable.

Retain mature and dense shrubs that can provide feeding and nesting sites, together with connected vegetation between retained patches.

Retain flowering plants and berry-producing vegetation used for food, and avoid isolating retained habitat patches from nearby feeding areas.

Use the smallest practicable disturbance footprint and clearly mark the approved clearing boundary before machinery enters the site.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Confirm whether the project requires an EPBC Act referral or approval because the project brief identifies the species as nationally Vulnerable.

Check state or territory threatened-species requirements, scientific licence requirements and wildlife rehabilitation arrangements before survey, capture, handling or relocation.

Schedule high-risk vegetation removal outside the main August to December breeding period where practicable, and obtain ecological advice if works cannot be delayed.

Stage clearing so fauna can move towards retained habitat, and document the sequence, exclusion areas, stop-work triggers and response arrangements in the fauna management plan.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

Complete a pre-clearance survey immediately before works, with extra attention to dense shrubs, flowering trees and vegetation that could hold a nest.

Mark retained vegetation, suspected nests, exclusion areas, access routes and the approved clearing boundary on the ground and in the work plans.

Install exclusion fencing where it can protect retained feeding or nesting habitat without blocking safe fauna movement.

Brief machinery operators, supervisors and fauna spotter catchers on the species' appearance, calls, habitat, nest locations and escalation process.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Keep disturbance within the approved footprint and maintain active communication between the fauna spotter catcher, ecologist, supervisor and machinery operators. Stop or change the work whenever an animal, nest or unexpected habitat risk is identified.

Inspect exclusion fencing, nest buffers, retained vegetation and access controls before work starts each day.

Use a fauna spotter catcher when required by the approval or fauna management plan, and give that person authority to stop machinery for an immediate fauna risk.

Clear vegetation progressively in the direction of retained habitat where this is safe and approved, allowing mobile birds to leave the work area.

Keep machinery, personnel and stockpiled materials out of retained flowering vegetation and wetland or shrubland habitat.

Maintain radio or direct communication so the spotter catcher can stop the operator before a bird, nest or habitat feature is damaged.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and nests

Treat any active nest, suspected nest or repeated adult nest visit as a stop-work issue until the ecologist has assessed it and confirmed controls.

Do not disturb vegetation containing an active nest or dependent young unless the action is authorised and the approved management plan provides for it.

Inspect trees, shrubs, logs, rocks, burrows and wetland margins before they are removed or damaged, even though the supplied documents identify vegetation and nests rather than a Little Wattlebird dependence on logs, rocks or burrows.

Retain or reinstate usable flowering vegetation and connected cover wherever practicable.

During habitat disturbance: If a bird is found

Stop nearby machinery and give the bird space to leave naturally if it is alert and uninjured.

Do not chase, catch or handle a healthy bird unless handling is necessary, authorised and undertaken by a suitably trained person under the project approval.

If capture is required, use the least stressful lawful method, minimise handling time and place the bird in nearby retained habitat only when the authorised ecologist has confirmed that relocation is appropriate.

Keep cats, dogs, vehicles and people away from the release location and record the location, condition, method, time and outcome.

Take an injured bird to an authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian through the project response contact, rather than providing unauthorised treatment on site.

Stop work and notify the project ecologist if a nest, dependent young, injured bird, dead bird or unexpected concentration of birds is found.

During habitat disturbance: Records and incident reporting

Record every detection, nest, handling event, relocation, injury, mortality, stop-work event and release location with coordinates and photographs where appropriate.

Report any breach of the clearing boundary, damage to retained habitat or failure of fauna controls to the environmental officer and approval holder immediately.

Review controls before work resumes and document the ecologist's decision, any revised exclusion area and the time work recommenced.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Confirm that the approved footprint was cleared as planned and that retained habitat remains functional. Use records from construction to guide follow-up checks and any required corrective action.

Inspect the cleared area and retained vegetation for injured or trapped birds, active nests, dependent young and damage to marked exclusion areas.

Complete a final sweep of access routes, stockpile areas and vegetation edges before demobilising fauna personnel.

Compare the cleared area with the approved footprint and report any unauthorised vegetation loss or habitat damage.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and controls

Monitor retained flowering vegetation, shrubland and woodland edges during the period specified in the approval or fauna management plan.

Repeat targeted checks during August to December where breeding habitat was retained near the works or where a nest was recorded.

Maintain exclusion fencing and no-go areas until the environmental officer or ecologist confirms that the risk has ended.

Use observations of feeding, movement, nesting and occupancy to identify whether additional weed control, planting or access restrictions are needed.

After habitat disturbance: Reporting and offsets

Provide the final report to the approval holder and relevant regulators where required, including methods, effort, records, incidents, nest outcomes, habitat cleared and habitat retained.

Submit verified species records to the relevant state or territory wildlife database.

Deliver any approved offset, restoration or compensatory habitat measure in accordance with the approval and document its location, condition and management actions.

Rehabilitation actions: Planting and habitat structure

Rehabilitation should restore the food plants and dense vegetation used by Little Wattlebirds, while reconnecting retained habitat around the project area. The supplied documents do not identify a single required planting list or a species-specific rehabilitation target, so the design should be based on local reference vegetation and approval conditions.

Replant locally appropriate Banksia and other native flowering shrubs and trees that match the site's former heathy woodland, shrubland, forest, coastal woodland or wetland-edge community.

Prioritise a mix of mature-tree replacements, dense shrubs and understorey plants that can provide nectar, flowers, berries and cover over time.

Connect revegetated areas to retained vegetation rather than creating isolated planting islands.

Protect new plantings from grazing, browsing, trampling and vehicle access until they are established.

Rehabilitation actions: Nests, logs, rocks and wetlands

Retain existing mature vegetation and any suitable natural nesting structure where safe and consistent with the approved design.

Do not add logs, rocks, hollows or nest boxes as a substitute for the flowering shrubs and trees identified as Little Wattlebird habitat unless they are required for other species or by the rehabilitation plan.

Reinstate wetland-edge vegetation where wetland habitat was disturbed, using local hydrology and reference vegetation to guide the design.

Place nest boxes only where a qualified ecologist identifies a demonstrated need, because the supplied documents describe open cup nests in vegetation and do not specify nest-box use by this species.

Rehabilitation actions: Threat and site management

Control weeds that suppress native flowering shrubs and woodland regeneration.

Prevent grazing impacts on Banksia marginata recruitment, which is identified as a threat in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges.

Manage Phytophthora cinnamomi risk in accordance with the site hygiene plan, particularly where Banksia shrublands are present.

Manage fire in accordance with the approved ecological fire regime and local agency advice, protecting regenerating shrubs and maintaining suitable habitat structure.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

Monitor plant survival, native cover, flowering resources, weed cover, grazing damage, disease symptoms and connectivity with retained vegetation.

Record Little Wattlebird presence, feeding, movement and nesting during follow-up surveys, using the same mapped locations and repeatable methods where practicable.

Set measurable completion criteria in the rehabilitation plan for plant survival, native vegetation cover, weed control, protection from grazing and maintenance of retained habitat.

Continue management and corrective planting or weed control until the approved success criteria are met.

Sources

• [PDF] Anthochaera chrysoptera Little Wattlebird, South Australian Government: https://cdn.environment.sa.gov.au/landscape/docs/hf/pa-fact-littlewattlebird.pdf
• Anthochaera chrysoptera (Latham, 1801), Little Wattlebird, collections.museumsvictoria.com.au: https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/species/8169