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Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata)

The Malleefowl is a large, ground dwelling megapode of semi arid and arid shrublands and low woodlands across mainland southern Australia. It is Vulnerable under the EPBC Act and is particularly sensitive to clearing, fragmentation, grazing, large fires, introduced predators and disturbance around active mound nests on development sites.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Vulnerable.

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

Western Australia, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Northern Territory, Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976: Critically endangered.

Breeding season

Timing varies with rainfall and local conditions. The pattern below is typical for southern Australia and should be adjusted using local records, active mound checks and advice from the relevant state authority.

Months are January to December. A value of 0 means not typical, 1 means occurs, and 2 means the period is more likely or more active.

  • Breeding and laying: Egg laying usually starts in September and may continue through summer, sometimes into early autumn. Male mound maintenance is most evident during the laying season.
  • Eggs and hatching: Incubation takes about 49 to 96 days, averaging about 60 days. Chicks commonly emerge from November to January, but hatching may continue into March.
  • Young dispersal: Chicks receive no parental care after emergence. Newly hatched chicks may disperse at about 600 m per day, and older birds may move up to 2 km. Adults are generally sedentary outside dispersal.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing and heavy disturbance are most likely to harm the species from September to March because eggs, active mounds and newly emerged chicks may be present. Active mound status must be checked because timing varies between years.

Identification

Malleefowl are large, cryptic birds that usually walk away quietly rather than fly. They are most often detected from active or historic mound nests, distinctive tracks and occasional sightings in dense mallee.

Adults are pale grey brown overall, with boldly barred and mottled grey, cream, black and rufous upperparts. The head and neck are grey, the throat and chest are pale with a dark central stripe, the bill is short and dark, and the legs and feet are pale greyish.

The sexes are similar in plumage. The male may be recognised by his loud booming call, particularly from or near the mound. Both sexes may grunt, warble or produce quieter conversational calls.

Length: About 60 cm.

Height: About 43 cm.

Weight: 1.5 to 2.5 kg.

Identification: Distinguishing features

The combination of large size, powerful legs, short bill, flattish head, barred upperparts and a dark throat stripe is distinctive in its range. Malleefowl are not easily confused with another resident Australian bird when seen well.

They are usually solitary away from the mound, wary of people and well camouflaged in dappled mallee. They rarely fly unless disturbed, and adults may quietly walk into cover.

  • Do not rely on a single flush or incidental sighting to assess site use.
  • Record the direction of travel, group size, habitat, photographs and GPS location for every sighting.
  • Treat suitable habitat as potentially occupied where survey effort has not detected birds or signs.

Identification: Field signs

The nest is a large mound made from leaf litter, sticks and sandy soil. Mounds may be up to 4 m across and 1 m high. An active mound has recently disturbed soil or litter and may show fresh scratching, digging or maintenance by the male.

Tracks are distinctive and are the best detection sign in open sandy areas and along sandy tracks. Malleefowl also leave feeding scratches and disturbed leaf litter, but these signs should be interpreted with care.

Mound size: Up to 4 m across and 1 m high.

  • Search for mounds in sandy soil with abundant leaf litter, especially beneath or beside dense mallee and shrub cover.
  • Inspect the mound surface and egg chamber area without climbing on, digging into or otherwise disturbing the mound.
  • In arid areas, search sandy tracks for footprints at least one week after wet or excessively windy weather where practicable.
  • Record mounds as active or inactive using the National Malleefowl Monitoring Manual or an equivalent state protocol.

Distribution: States and bioregions

The Malleefowl formerly occupied much of southern mainland Australia, from the west coast to the Great Dividing Range. It occurs in every mainland state except Queensland, but the former range is now fragmented and has contracted substantially, particularly in arid areas and at the edges of the range.

In Western Australia, the species occurs from the wheatbelt and South Western Australia Mallee through the Great Western Woodlands, Murchison and Great Victoria Desert areas. In South Australia it occurs across the Murray Mallee, eastern and south eastern mallee, the Flinders and adjacent arid regions, and the Great Victoria Desert.

In Victoria, important areas include the Murray Mallee and adjoining mallee reserves. In New South Wales, records are concentrated in the south west mallee, Scotia mallee, the central western mallee reserves and Goonoo forest, with occasional or historic records from the Pilliga, Cobar, Goulburn River and other areas. The species may be extinct in the Northern Territory, where the last confirmed record was in 1965.

  • NSW: Murray Darling Depression, Darling Riverine Plains, Cobar Peneplain, Riverina, NSW South Western Slopes, Brigalow Belt South and parts of the Sydney Basin.
  • Victoria: Murray Mallee and adjoining mallee country.
  • South Australia: Murray Mallee, eastern and south eastern mallee, Great Victoria Desert and other semi arid to arid areas.
  • Western Australia: South Western Australia Mallee, wheatbelt remnants, Great Western Woodlands, Murchison and Great Victoria Desert.
  • Northern Territory: historically recorded in the Tanami and central regions, but possibly extinct.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

The largest remaining contiguous areas of habitat are east of the Western Australian wheatbelt, including the Great Western Woodlands, Murchison and Great Victoria Desert extending into South Australia. Important subpopulations also remain in the Victorian and South Australian Murray Mallee, the NSW south west mallee, Scotia and central western reserves, and Goonoo forest.

Small remnants can retain birds where they have dense shrub cover, abundant litter, suitable sandy or light soils and links to other native vegetation. A lack of records does not prove local absence because the species is cryptic and often occurs at low density.

  • NSW examples include Mallee Cliffs National Park, Scotia, Tarawi, Yathong, Nombinnie, Round Hill, Loughnan and Goonoo.
  • Western and South Australian strongholds include large mallee, mulga and shrubland remnants, including Aboriginal managed areas and protected areas.
  • Retain roadside and other native vegetation links because birds may use them to move between habitat patches.

Distribution: Population size and trend

National monitoring indicates a continuing decline, although trends differ between regions. The species remains widespread but many populations are small, isolated and exposed to drought, fire and other chance events.

Estimated mature population: About 25,000 individuals nationally, within an estimated range of 20,000 to 30,000.

Recent trend: About 2 percent decline per year in monitoring data from approximately 140 sites between 1989 and 2017.

Three generation change: Estimated decline of 30 to 50 percent over 28 years, with a similar decline predicted for the next three generations.

Historical range contraction: From 1981 to 2005, the apparent contraction was 22 percent in eastern Australia, 26 percent in South Australia and 28 percent in Western Australia.

Habitat: Vegetation communities

Malleefowl occupy semi arid to arid shrublands and low woodlands, especially mallee and acacia dominated communities. Habitat quality depends on vegetation structure, leaf litter, soil, rainfall and the time since fire.

Preferred communities include dense mallee with shrub understorey, broombush, native pine and acacia shrublands. The species also occurs in mulga, eucalypt woodland with a thick understorey, and mallee with spinifex, although densities may be lower in some open or spinifex dominated communities.

In the South Western Australia Mallee, relevant vegetation includes mallee with dense, open or shrubby understoreys and associated eucalypts, Melaleuca, Acacia, Eremophila and other shrubs.

  • Retain intact mallee and shrubland patches, including roadside remnants and vegetated corridors.
  • Avoid clearing understorey, fallen timber, coarse woody debris and leaf litter.
  • Give priority to large remnants and links between remnants, particularly where surrounding agricultural land has removed suitable cover.

Habitat: Structure, soil and climate

The species favours a dense but discontinuous canopy, dense and diverse shrub and herb layers, and open ground beneath the canopy. Sandy or light sandy loam soils and abundant leaf litter are needed for mound construction.

Densities are generally highest in higher rainfall and more fertile areas, particularly where shrub diversity and food plant abundance are high. In NSW, preferred habitat is associated with approximately 300 to 450 mm mean annual rainfall. No specific elevation limit is given in the supplied sources.

Typical NSW rainfall range for preferred habitat: Approximately 300 to 450 mm mean annual rainfall.

Preferred post fire structure: Older age classes, particularly vegetation more than 20 years since fire, with maximum densities often taking 40 years or more to develop.

  • Retain unburnt strips and older vegetation within or beside recently burnt areas.
  • Avoid stock access and other grazing pressure that removes litter, shrubs or regeneration.
  • Do not assume a recently burnt patch is unsuitable for all use, because birds may forage there while relying on adjacent older vegetation for shelter and breeding.

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding sites

Malleefowl forage on the ground in leaf litter, open areas and low vegetation. They are opportunistic feeders, and food availability varies with rainfall, season, soil and vegetation condition.

The diet includes seeds, flowers, fruits, herbs, invertebrates, fungi and tubers. Important plant foods include Acacia seeds and seeds or other material from shrubs such as Cassia, Beyeria and Bossiaea. Invertebrate foods include ants, cockroaches and other soil invertebrates, and the species may also take lerps and cereals where available.

Malleefowl usually forage among leaf litter, low shrubs and open ground. Recently burnt areas may provide increased herbage for feeding, but adjacent unburnt vegetation is needed for shelter, nesting and daytime refuge.

  • Retain native shrubs through flowering, fruiting and seed set.
  • Retain leaf litter and ground debris that support invertebrates and provide feeding cover.
  • Prevent grazing by stock, rabbits, goats and other herbivores from removing food plants and ground cover.
  • Minimise grain spillage beside roads through suitable habitat because feeding birds may be killed by vehicles.

Foraging habitat: Foraging range

Established pairs and individuals are generally sedentary and remain in the same area throughout the year, although adults may roam over several kilometres. Home ranges overlap between neighbours and are larger for non breeding birds.

Breeding pair home range: About 83 to 92 ha in one South Australian study.

Broader reported home range: About 50 to 500 ha, or 0.5 to 5 km².

Arid region resident range: Approximately 1 to 4 km², inferred from repeated track occurrence.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Malleefowl breed in large mounds that use decomposing, damp leaf litter as an external heat source. Breeding sites require sandy soil, abundant litter, nearby mature vegetation and protection from fire, grazing and mound disturbance.

Pairs are monogamous. The female lays eggs into a mound containing a leaf litter core covered by sand. The male checks and adjusts mound temperature, maintaining the egg chamber at about 33 to 34 degrees Celsius by opening or covering the mound.

Chicks hatch independently, climb to the surface through the mound and receive no parental care after emergence. They can run within about two hours and fly within about 24 hours.

Laying season: Usually September to mid or late summer, sometimes extending into early autumn.

Typical clutch: Usually 15 to 24 eggs.

Maximum reported clutch: Up to 30 to 34 eggs in a season.

Incubation: Approximately 49 to 96 days, averaging about 60 days.

Incubation temperature: About 33 to 34 degrees Celsius.

Age at maturity: About 3 to 4 years.

Breeding lifespan: Reported to continue until about 15 years.

Breeding habitat: Mound habitat

Mounds are built in light sandy or sandy loam soils with abundant leaf litter. Breeding densities are highest in older, dense mallee with good canopy cover and are greatly reduced in grazed or recently burnt habitat.

Mounds may be reused and renovated rather than rebuilt each year. An inactive appearance does not mean that a mound has no future breeding value.

Mound dimensions: Up to 4 m across and 1 m high.

Time before breeding commonly resumes after fire: Usually at least 15 to 20 years, with maximum densities often taking 40 years or more.

  • Establish a no disturbance area around every mound until its status and project risk have been assessed by a suitably experienced ecologist.
  • Do not drive machinery over mounds, store materials on them, remove litter from them or excavate nearby soil.
  • Retain mature mallee, shrub cover, leaf litter and sandy soil around mounds.
  • Schedule clearing outside the main laying and hatching period where practicable, but assess active mounds individually because breeding timing varies with rainfall.

Sheltering habitat: Cover and refuge

Malleefowl shelter on the ground beneath dense, older mallee and shrub cover. The species relies on unburnt vegetation for roosting, nesting and daytime concealment, and uses native vegetation corridors when moving between patches.

Dense canopy and tall shrubs reduce exposure to predators and provide shade and heat refuge. Leaf litter, fallen timber and ground debris provide cover and support feeding invertebrates.

After fire, birds may use recently burnt ground for foraging but depend on nearby unburnt patches for daytime shelter, roosting and nesting. Large fires that remove all unburnt refuge can kill birds and prevent recolonisation.

  • Retain unburnt vegetation strips and older mallee around construction areas and access routes.
  • Retain fallen logs, sticks, litter and shrub layers unless removal is unavoidable and approved.
  • Avoid creating wide cleared breaks through native vegetation that sever movement between remnants.
  • Use wildlife friendly fencing without electric fencing or barbed wire in occupied habitat.

Sheltering habitat: Movement corridors

Adults are mostly sedentary, but young birds disperse through native vegetation. Roadside vegetation can provide a route between isolated patches. Newly hatched chicks may disperse at an average rate of about 600 m per day, while older birds may move up to 2 km.

Newly hatched chick dispersal: Average of about 600 m per day.

Older bird movement reported in the South Australian fact sheet: Up to about 2 km.

  • Retain continuous native vegetation along roadsides where it connects larger remnants.
  • Inspect proposed access tracks, utility corridors and temporary work areas for active mounds and likely movement routes.
  • Use fauna spotters during vegetation removal where birds may be present, and stop work if a Malleefowl or active mound is found.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

Project impacts are most severe where they remove older mallee, sandy mound sites, dense understorey or links between remnants. The main pressures are habitat loss and fragmentation, inappropriate fire, grazing, introduced predators, road mortality and disturbance to breeding mounds.

Clearing has removed much of the highest quality habitat on fertile soils with adequate rainfall. Remaining populations may be small and isolated, with reduced recolonisation after fire and greater exposure to drought, fire and genetic effects.

Construction, linear infrastructure, temporary compounds and access tracks can remove habitat, split remnants and damage roadside movement links even where the cleared area is small.

  • Avoid clearing mallee, acacia shrubland, dense understorey, mature vegetation, leaf litter and sandy mound habitat.
  • Map all mounds, records, tracks, habitat patches and connecting native vegetation before finalising the project footprint.
  • Keep work areas, stockpiles, vehicle routes and spoil outside occupied habitat and mound areas.
  • Revegetate cleared areas with local mallee and understorey species matched to soil and site conditions where clearing cannot be avoided.

Threats: Fire and grazing

Large fires can kill Malleefowl directly and remove the litter, food, shade and cover needed for breeding and survival. Breeding is usually reduced for at least 15 to 20 years after fire, and maximum densities may take 40 years or more to return.

Sheep, cattle, goats, rabbits, deer and kangaroos can remove food plants, litter and shelter, damage regeneration and disturb mounds. Feral deer and pigs may trample or dig into active mounds.

  • Do not use broad scale burning in Malleefowl habitat.
  • Maintain a patchwork of vegetation age classes and retain older unburnt areas.
  • Exclude stock from remnants and revegetation sites where grazing is degrading cover or preventing regeneration.
  • Manage rabbits and other herbivores so that fox control does not leave additional grazing or browsing pressure unmanaged.

Threats: Predators, roads and disturbance

Foxes, cats and dogs take adults, eggs and young birds. Foxes may dig up eggs, while cats have a strong effect on young birds. The benefit of predator control varies between sites, and cat numbers may increase where foxes are controlled.

Birds feeding on spilled grain beside roads are vulnerable to vehicle strike. Small isolated populations may be affected by the loss of only a few birds. Active mounds are vulnerable to trampling, excavation, vibration, vehicle access and changes to nearby vegetation.

  • Control foxes, cats and rabbits using an approved, coordinated programme suited to the site.
  • Keep construction traffic away from known crossing points, active mounds and sandy feeding areas where practicable.
  • Minimise grain spillage and use warning signs where roads pass through occupied habitat.
  • Fence or clearly mark mound exclusion areas before machinery enters the site.
  • Record and report any injured or dead Malleefowl and any newly located mound.

Threats: Other pressures

Drought and climate change may reduce food, litter and vegetation cover, while more frequent extreme fire weather may increase the size and severity of fires. Weeds can compete with native plants for soil moisture and alter fuel loads. Possible infertility associated with agricultural chemicals remains an identified concern.

  • Prevent weed introduction and spread through construction vehicles, soil movement and rehabilitation materials.
  • Avoid spray drift into mallee remnants, food plants and mound areas.
  • Manage water, drainage and soil disturbance so that sandy mound sites are not eroded, buried or made unsuitable.
  • Retain native vegetation around mounds and avoid changes that remove litter or dry the mound substrate.

Survey methodology: 1. Area searches for mounds and signs

Survey Malleefowl in suitable mallee, acacia, broombush and other semi-arid to arid shrubland or low woodland. The species is cryptic and wary, so search for active mounds, tracks and other signs rather than relying on sightings alone.

In semi-arid areas and agricultural regions, search suitable habitat for active and inactive mounds, distinctive tracks and birds.

Prioritise long-unburnt, ungrazed or lightly grazed vegetation with a dense canopy, diverse shrub layer, sandy to sandy loam soils and abundant leaf litter.

Use an effort guide of 10 person-hours per 50 hectares for area searches.

Search around sandy open areas, leaf litter, dense mallee and shrubland, and habitat adjoining existing mounds.

Record all mound locations accurately and describe mound size, shape and condition so that records can be checked and revisited.

Recommended method: Area searches for mounds, tracks and birds

Survey effort guide: 10 person-hours per 50 hectares

Most suitable habitat: Long-unburnt mallee and associated shrubland with sandy soil and abundant leaf litter

  • Treat a failure to detect Malleefowl as not detected, rather than absent, unless the survey effort supports a defensible absence conclusion.
  • Inspect roadside vegetation and retained vegetation corridors because Malleefowl may use them to move between habitat patches.

Survey methodology: 2. Transect searches for tracks

Use transects along sandy tracks and other open sandy surfaces, particularly in arid regions where footprints are often the best detection method.

In arid habitat, use transects about 1 kilometre apart and apply an effort guide of 30 person-hours per 5,000 hectares.

Schedule arid-zone track searches at least one week after wet and excessively windy weather so that tracks can accumulate and remain identifiable.

Incorporate established tracks where appropriate, while avoiding unnecessary vehicle or pedestrian disturbance of retained habitat.

Transect spacing in arid habitat: About 1 kilometre

Survey effort guide: 30 person-hours per 5,000 hectares

Preferred conditions: At least one week after wet and excessively windy weather

  • Record the location, direction and freshness of tracks, together with the substrate, weather and time since rain or strong wind.
  • Do not interpret a lack of tracks after unsuitable weather as evidence that Malleefowl are absent.

Survey methodology: 3. Aerial and remote detection of mounds

Consider aerial surveys where habitat is extensive and relatively open, using transects close enough to detect mounds across the project area.

Use aerial survey duration that is sufficient to cover the area with the required transect spacing.

Consider LiDAR or photogrammetry to locate mounds and map habitat structure where the technology is available and suitable for the project.

Ground-check suspected mounds and record whether each mound is active or inactive.

Aerial method: Aerial transects over extensive, relatively open habitat

Remote methods: LiDAR and photogrammetry can assist mound detection and habitat mapping

  • Do not rely on aerial or remote detection alone where dense vegetation, topography or image resolution may conceal mounds.
  • Use the National Malleefowl Monitoring Manual where a project is contributing to an established monitoring programme.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Complete a desktop review of recent and historical records, habitat mapping, fire history, known mounds and nearby monitoring sites before fieldwork.
  • Survey during the breeding period where practicable, when egg laying generally starts in September and continues to mid-summer or sometimes early autumn, and chicks generally emerge from November to January, with emergence sometimes continuing to March.
  • Use repeat visits or additional methods where habitat is suitable but the species is not detected, because Malleefowl are cryptic, wary and often occur at low density.
  • Record survey dates, observers, weather, fire history, area searched, transect spacing, person-hours, mound status, tracks, sightings, photographs and GPS locations.
  • Submit verified records, including not detected results where required by the project, to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and provide records to the project approval authority.
  • Report active mounds and confirmed Malleefowl records promptly to the project environmental officer and relevant wildlife authority before disturbance proceeds.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Treat suitable Malleefowl habitat as potentially occupied until survey and approval requirements have been addressed. Avoid removing the connected, long-unburnt vegetation and litter that the species needs for shelter, food and mound construction.

Redesign the project to retain large, connected patches of mallee, acacia, broombush and other suitable shrubland or low woodland.

Retain sandy or sandy loam substrates, dense shrub and herb layers, mature canopy, leaf litter, fallen timber and existing mounds.

Avoid clearing roadside vegetation and other narrow vegetation links used for movement between retained patches.

Avoid placing access tracks, laydown areas, firebreaks or stock routes through suitable habitat or near active mounds.

Keep disturbance away from habitat that has not burnt recently where practicable, because breeding densities are higher in older vegetation and mounds are generally not constructed for 15 to 20 years after fire.

Malleefowl habitat: Semi-arid to arid mallee, acacia, broombush and associated shrubland or low woodland

Home range: About 0.5 to 5 square kilometres, with breeding pairs often reported at about 83 to 92 hectares in South Australia

Fire recovery: Mounds are generally not constructed within 15 to 20 years after fire, and maximum densities may take 40 years or more

  • Set out clearing limits on the ground and use the smallest practicable work footprint.
  • Do not remove leaf litter, logs or other ground debris from retained habitat.
  • Retain unburnt strips and connected vegetation between burnt and cleared areas.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Check whether the action may significantly affect a species listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act and obtain project-specific Commonwealth approval or referral advice before works commence.

Check state or territory threatened species, native vegetation, wildlife handling and clearing requirements for the work location.

Obtain any permit or authority required for fauna survey, capture, handling, transport, release, vegetation removal or rehabilitation.

Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat, survey results, active mounds, exclusion zones, fauna handling responsibilities, stop-work triggers, release sites and reporting requirements.

Stage clearing so that retained habitat and movement links remain available while works progress.

  • Consult the relevant state or territory wildlife agency before disturbing a known active mound or conducting works close to one.
  • Include Traditional Owners and local Malleefowl recovery or volunteer groups where their knowledge, access or monitoring assistance is relevant.
  • Schedule vegetation removal outside the main breeding and mound activity period where practicable, while recognising that birds and active mounds can occur outside that period.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete a pre-clearance inspection of all areas to be disturbed, including access routes, temporary work areas and construction compounds.

Mark active and inactive mounds, tracks, dense retained vegetation, sandy substrates, litter-rich areas and movement corridors on construction plans and on the ground.

Use suitably designed exclusion fencing to keep machinery, vehicles, people and stock away from retained habitat and active mounds where fencing will not create a movement barrier or trap fauna.

Brief all workers on Malleefowl identification, the clearing limits, mound protection, speed restrictions, stop-work triggers and the fauna spotter catcher's authority.

Confirm a nearby release area within retained suitable habitat before any fauna handling begins.

  • Do not fence an active mound or movement corridor in a way that prevents birds from reaching retained habitat.
  • Keep machinery, materials, spoil and refuelling areas outside marked habitat and mound exclusion areas.
  • Inspect exclusion fencing daily before work starts and repair gaps promptly.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and supervised clearing

Use staged, supervised clearing. The fauna spotter catcher must have authority to pause machinery and must work in direct communication with the operator and environmental officer.

Brief the crew each day before clearing starts and confirm the approved footprint, exclusion zones, weather conditions and fauna contacts.

Have the fauna spotter catcher inspect the work area immediately before vegetation removal and remain present while habitat is being disturbed.

Clear from the edge of the approved footprint towards retained habitat at a slow, controlled rate so birds can move away from machinery.

Use a spotter catcher who is authorised under the relevant state or territory requirements for the location and proposed handling activities.

Keep vehicle speeds low near retained vegetation, sandy tracks and known crossing points, and prevent grain or other food spills that could attract birds to roads.

  • Stop work immediately if the fauna spotter catcher identifies a Malleefowl, active mound, injured animal or unexpected suitable habitat within the work area.
  • Do not chase, corner or force a Malleefowl into dense machinery movements or towards roads.
  • Keep workers and machinery away from active mounds unless the approved action specifically addresses the mound and the relevant authority has authorised it.

During habitat disturbance: Fauna handling and habitat features

Allow an uninjured Malleefowl to move into nearby retained habitat wherever it can do so safely.

Capture or handle the bird only when necessary to prevent immediate harm, and only by a person authorised under the applicable wildlife legislation and project approval.

Use appropriate containment, minimise handling time, keep the bird quiet and shaded, and do not release it into cleared, burnt or unsuitable habitat.

Take injured or distressed birds to an appropriately qualified veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer as soon as practicable, following the relevant state or territory protocol.

Protect active and inactive mounds, leaf litter, fallen timber, logs, rocks, burrows and dense understorey from vehicle movement, spoil placement and accidental burial.

  • Do not dismantle, excavate, relocate or cover a Malleefowl mound unless specifically approved and directed by the relevant wildlife authority.
  • Do not move logs, rocks or other habitat features through occupied habitat unless the fauna management plan requires it and a qualified person supervises the work.
  • Use nest boxes only where a project ecologist has identified a genuine shortage of suitable hollows for other fauna; nest boxes are not a substitute for retaining Malleefowl habitat or mounds.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work and records

Stop the relevant activity if a Malleefowl enters the work area, an active mound is found, a bird is injured, exclusion fencing fails, or clearing extends beyond the approved footprint.

Keep machinery stationary until the fauna spotter catcher confirms that the animal has moved to safe retained habitat or has been safely captured and transferred.

Record each observation, including date, time, GPS location, activity, mound status, animal condition, photographs, handling, release location, people involved and any permit or incident number.

Report injuries, deaths, captures, relocations, active mounds and unauthorised impacts to the project environmental officer and the relevant authority within the time required by the approval or permit.

Review the clearing method after every fauna incident and change the staging, exclusion controls or machinery approach before work resumes.

  • Use the fauna spotter catcher's decision to stop work as binding for the work crew.
  • Escalate any suspected breach of an EPBC approval or state permit through the project incident system immediately.
  • Add all verified records to the project fauna register and submit them to the relevant state or territory database.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks and monitoring

Confirm that no fauna or habitat features were left within the cleared area, then maintain the retained habitat and movement links for the life of the project. Post-work checks should test whether the controls protected the species, not only whether clearing stayed within the boundary.

Have the fauna spotter catcher or ecologist inspect the cleared footprint, edges, access routes and exclusion fencing after each clearing stage.

Check for birds, tracks, active or damaged mounds, trapped fauna, exposed litter, vehicle damage and new barriers between retained habitat patches.

Continue checking retained habitat and known mounds during the next suitable breeding period, using active mound status as the principal measure of breeding activity.

Monitor corridors and roadside vegetation where they were retained to support movement between habitat patches.

Use repeat monitoring for at least the period specified in the approval, fauna management plan or rehabilitation plan.

  • Record any post-clearance Malleefowl observation or mound activity with GPS coordinates and photographs.
  • Treat new mound activity or repeated tracks near the works as evidence that retained habitat remains occupied and requires ongoing protection.
  • Investigate any decline in mound activity against fire, grazing, predator control, rainfall and construction impacts before changing management.

After habitat disturbance: Reporting and ongoing controls

Provide the approval authority with the required fauna incident, clearance, relocation, monitoring and rehabilitation reports.

Maintain exclusion fencing, speed controls, signage and no-go areas until the environmental officer confirms that the controls are no longer needed.

Remove temporary materials, spoil, fencing and access tracks from retained habitat and movement corridors when works finish.

Record any unavoidable habitat loss and implement approved offsets or other compensatory measures where required by Commonwealth, state or territory approvals.

Update the project GIS and fauna register with final clearing boundaries, retained habitat, active mounds, release sites and rehabilitation areas.

  • Report fauna injuries, deaths and unauthorised impacts promptly rather than waiting for the next scheduled report.
  • Keep survey and monitoring data in a format that can be supplied to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and the National Malleefowl Monitoring Database where appropriate.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure and connectivity

Rehabilitation should rebuild connected native vegetation and the ground conditions used by Malleefowl. Recovery is slow after fire and clearing, so protect retained vegetation while replanted areas develop.

Revegetate cleared areas with locally appropriate mallee, acacia, broombush and other native shrub and ground-layer species from nearby intact vegetation and comparable soils.

Re-establish wide native vegetation links between retained patches and use roadside vegetation only as part of a broader connected corridor.

Restore dense but discontinuous canopy, diverse shrub and herb layers, sandy ground conditions and leaf litter where those features occur in nearby occupied habitat.

Retain or reinstate fallen timber, coarse woody debris and ground litter, while keeping active mounds undisturbed.

Exclude stock, rabbits, goats, deer and other herbivores from rehabilitation areas until plants are established and natural regeneration is secure.

Suggested habitat plants: Locally occurring mallee eucalypts, acacias, broombush and native ground-layer species

Malleefowl movement: Young birds may disperse through native vegetation corridors; chicks can move about 600 metres per day when newly hatched and up to 2 kilometres at other times

  • Do not create bare ground across rehabilitation areas because wind and water erosion can remove soil and litter needed by Malleefowl.
  • Match the relative abundance and structure of plant species to nearby intact remnant patches rather than establishing a uniform planting.
  • Do not plant species or alter drainage in a way that changes the sandy substrate or vegetation structure used by Malleefowl.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage weeds, predators, fire and grazing

Control weeds in and around rehabilitation areas so they do not compete with native plantings for soil moisture or replace native food and shelter plants.

Use spot control around plantings and avoid herbicide drift into retained native vegetation, mounds and food plants.

Control foxes and rabbits together where they are management targets, and assess cat responses before and during predator control.

Manage feral goats, deer, pigs, sheep and other herbivores that compete for food, damage understorey or disturb mounds.

Use a patchy, planned fire approach that maintains vegetation of different ages and retains unburnt refuge, nesting and shelter areas; avoid broad-scale burning of Malleefowl habitat.

Fire response: Malleefowl generally prefer older vegetation, and breeding may be reduced for many years after extensive fire

Predator management: Fox and cat control effects can vary, and fox control may be associated with increased cat numbers in some areas

  • Do not burn all habitat within a locality at one time.
  • Use Traditional Owner knowledge and participation when planning fire management on Aboriginal land, subject to the relevant permissions and cultural protocols.
  • Protect rehabilitation from fire until vegetation has developed sufficient structure, and include wildfire response measures in the site management plan.
  • Close or fence artificial water sources where they attract damaging herbivores or alter use of conservation areas, subject to other fauna requirements.

Rehabilitation actions: Measure rehabilitation success

Inspect plant survival, recruitment, canopy and shrub development, litter accumulation, weed cover, grazing damage, predator activity and corridor continuity at set intervals.

Search rehabilitated and adjacent retained habitat for Malleefowl tracks, birds and mounds using the relevant area search or transect method.

Use the same monitoring locations and methods over time so results can be compared with the pre-disturbance survey.

Treat increasing native vegetation cover, stable or increasing mound activity, continued movement through corridors and reduced weed and herbivore damage as evidence of progress.

Continue management until the environmental officer and approval authority accept that the agreed rehabilitation and monitoring outcomes have been met.

Breeding activity indicator: The number and proportion of active Malleefowl mounds

Survey standard: Use repeatable searches for mounds, tracks and birds, with effort recorded in person-hours and area searched

  • Record rainfall and fire history with each monitoring visit because breeding activity and food availability respond strongly to these conditions.
  • Do not count a lack of mounds in recently rehabilitated ground as failure or success without considering the long time needed to develop suitable vegetation and litter.
  • Submit rehabilitation fauna records and monitoring results to the relevant state or territory wildlife database where required.

Sources