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Pale-vented Bush-hen (Amaurornis moluccana)

The pale-vented bush-hen is a secretive rail of dense freshwater wetland margins, rainforest edges, regrowth, swamps, creeks and overgrown artificial wetlands. It occurs mainly in coastal and subcoastal northern Australia, with the New South Wales range restricted to the Northern Rivers. Dense ground cover and wetland connectivity can be removed during clearing, weed control, drainage works, road construction and riparian rehabilitation.

Conservation status

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Northern Territory, Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976: Near threatened.

Breeding season

The species is reported as a possible nomad or dispersive mover in response to rainfall, but its movement pattern is not well known. Breeding is concentrated in summer, and disturbance to dense wetland-edge cover is most likely to affect nests and dependent young from December to February.

Winter records may be lower because the species is less common or less detectable. The supplied sources do not provide a full annual movement pattern or a measured period of juvenile dependence.

  • Breeding, mating and laying: Breeding occurs from December to February, once per year. Clutches usually contain four to seven eggs.
  • Young in nest and dependent: Incubation lasts about 25 days. Chicks are semi-precocial and nidifugous, but the duration of dependence is not reported.
  • Movement and local dispersal: Movement patterns are unknown. The species may move into wetter habitat after rain and retreat to permanent water during dry periods.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing and intensive disturbance are most likely to harm the species during the December to February breeding period, when nests and young may be present in dense cover. Suitable habitat can be occupied outside this period, so year-round pre-clearing checks remain appropriate.

Identification: Description and measurements

Pale-vented bush-hens are secretive, ground-running wetland birds. They are more often detected by movement through dense vegetation or by their calls than by prolonged views.

Adults are 23 to 30 cm long and weigh about 180.1 to 208 g. The wingspan is 45 to 49 cm.

The pale vent and bush-hen shape are useful clues, but the supplied sources do not provide a full plumage description or measurements for males and females separately.

Length: 23 to 30 cm

Wingspan: 45 to 49 cm

Weight: 180.1 to 208 g

Identification: Separating it from similar rails

Identify it in the context of habitat and behaviour. It is usually associated with dense, overgrown freshwater margins, long grass, reeds, rainforest edges and regrowth, and it commonly runs through cover rather than remaining in open water.

Other crakes and rails use similar wetland margins. A reliable identification should combine the bird's structure and pale vent with its call, habitat and behaviour. The supplied sources do not provide a detailed comparison of plumage or calls with each similar species.

  • Do not rely on habitat alone where several rail and crake species are present.
  • Record diagnostic photographs, sound recordings or repeated observations where practicable, especially in dense cover.

Identification: Field signs and detection

The species is shy and cryptic. It feeds alone or in pairs on the ground and sometimes in shallow water, usually under the cover of long grass. Less frequent winter records may reflect reduced activity or detectability rather than absence.

Calls are available for the species, but the supplied documents do not describe the call structure. The sources do not provide diagnostic information on tracks, scats, eyeshine or roost signs.

Nests are made from grasses. They are placed in dense tall grass near a swamp or creek, either close to the ground above normal flood level or in dense bush by a creek, up to two metres or more above the ground.

Social foraging: Alone or in pairs

Nest material: Grasses

Nest height: Close to ground or up to two metres or more above ground

  • Search slowly along dense creek margins, wetland edges and regrowth, watching for movement through grass and reeds.
  • Use call playback only under an approved survey method and avoid repeated disturbance near suspected nests.
  • Treat a grass nest or repeated adult alarm behaviour near dense cover as evidence requiring a targeted breeding assessment.

Distribution: National range

The species is distributed across northern and eastern Australia, mainly in coastal and subcoastal country. Records are sparse in some areas because the bird is difficult to detect.

The main Australian range extends through coastal and subcoastal parts of the Northern Territory and eastern Queensland. In Queensland it has been recorded from Weipa along the east coast to Rockhampton, and from the Blackall Ranges to Brisbane.

In New South Wales it is restricted to the Northern Rivers district. There are sporadic records from northern Western Australia.

The supplied sources describe the range by coastal and subcoastal districts rather than by formal Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia bioregion names.

  • Northern Territory: mainly the coastal and subcoastal Top End.
  • Queensland: Weipa, the eastern Queensland coast, Rockhampton, the Blackall Ranges and Brisbane.
  • New South Wales: Northern Rivers district.
  • Western Australia: sporadic records in the north.

Distribution: Known concentrations and population information

In Brisbane, the species is widespread where suitable habitat remains and was considered probably uncommon. It was reported as moderately common along the Brisbane River and on densely vegetated streams.

Virtually all Australian breeding records during the cited four-year survey period were confined to eastern Queensland. Movement patterns are unknown, and there is no population estimate or documented national trend in the supplied sources.

Australian population size: Not reported in the supplied sources

Population trend: Not reported in the supplied sources

Brisbane distribution: Widespread in suitable habitat, probably uncommon, with records across most suitable areas

Breeding records in the cited survey: Virtually all Australian records were from eastern Queensland

Distribution: Project interpretation

A lack of records should not be treated as evidence that the species is absent. Its shy and cryptic behaviour can result in under-recording, particularly where dense grass, reeds, weeds or rainforest regrowth limit visibility.

Survey effort should include suitable habitat along waterways, swamp margins, artificial wetlands and dense regrowth, rather than relying only on open-water searches.

Habitat: Overall habitat

Pale-vented bush-hens require dense cover associated with freshwater. They are strongly linked to wetland and waterway margins, but can move into adjacent grassland and urban habitat where cover remains connected to forested or wet areas.

The species is primarily associated with dense, overgrown margins of permanent freshwater wetlands. It also occurs around swamps, artificial wetlands and grasslands adjacent to forested areas and urban areas.

Rainforest, rainforest remnants, secondary growth and their margins are important habitat settings. It can use both still and running freshwater, including creeks, dams and swamp edges.

Habitat: Vegetation structure

Suitable habitat has dense tall grass, reeds, rushes or other thick ground cover. Dense bushes, lantana and other weeds may provide cover, although weed removal can remove habitat if it is done broadly or without replacement cover.

The bird can use flooded scrub, swampy grassland, the floor of dry to swamp rainforest and dense stands of grass and reeds. The supplied sources do not provide a minimum patch size or stem density.

  • Retain continuous dense cover along creek, drain, swamp and wetland margins.
  • Protect the connection between wetland vegetation and adjacent rainforest, regrowth, grassland or urban refuge areas.
  • Avoid treating all dense wetland weeds as low-value vegetation before undertaking a fauna assessment.

Habitat: Elevation and climate

The species is recorded from lowlands to about 1,500 m. It is mainly associated with warm, wet coastal and subcoastal regions, but may move in response to rainfall and water availability.

During dry periods it may retreat to areas with permanent water. In wetter periods it may move into newly suitable wet habitat.

Recorded elevation range: Lowlands to about 1,500 m

Hydrological setting: Usually permanent freshwater, with use of swamps, artificial wetlands and wet grassland

Climate and movement context: Possible movement into wetter habitat after rain, with retreat to permanent water in dry periods

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding method

The pale-vented bush-hen forages mainly on the ground under dense cover. It uses wetland edges and adjacent long grass rather than open water alone.

The diet includes plant material, seeds, insects and occasionally frogs. It feeds alone or in pairs, on the ground and sometimes in shallow water.

It is mainly crepuscular but is often active during the day. Feeding occurs in the cover of long grass, reeds and dense wetland-edge vegetation.

Main food groups: Plant material, seeds, insects and occasionally frogs

Foraging time: Mainly crepuscular, with frequent daytime activity

Foraging position: Ground and sometimes shallow water

  • Search the ground layer and shallow wetland margins, not only the water surface.
  • Retain leaf litter, grass tussocks, reeds and low vegetation that provide cover while the bird searches for food.
  • Avoid clearing all ground cover from a wetland edge in a single operation.

Foraging habitat: Foraging area

The supplied sources do not provide a home-range size, daily movement distance or foraging territory size. The species may occur away from water in adjacent grassland, but dense cover and access to wet areas remain important.

Possible movement with rainfall means that temporary wet habitat and connected drainage lines may be used during wetter periods.

Known foraging range: No measured home range or daily distance is provided

Habitat relationship: Wetland margins, long grass, reeds, regrowth and adjacent grassland

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding occurs once a year in dense vegetation beside water. Nests may be close to the ground or elevated within dense bush, so both the ground layer and low woody cover need protection during the breeding period.

Pale-vented bush-hens breed from December to February. They probably form monogamous pairs, although the nature of social bonding is not known.

Both sexes incubate the eggs for about 25 days. Chicks are semi-precocial and leave the nest soon after hatching.

Breeding season: December to February

Breeding frequency: Once per year

Clutch size: Usually four to seven eggs

Incubation: About 25 days, by both sexes

Chick development: Semi-precocial and nidifugous

Age at maturity: About 1.5 years

Lifespan: Average about 3.5 years; maximum reported age about 11.831 years

Breeding habitat: Nest habitat

Nests are constructed from grasses beside creeks, dams or swamps, often near rainforest edges, rainforest remnants or secondary growth.

A nest may be placed close to the ground in dense tall grass beside a swamp or creek, above normal flood level. It may also be placed in dense bush beside a creek, up to two metres or more above the ground.

Nest material: Grasses

Nest locations: Dense tall grass near swamps or creeks, or dense bush beside creeks

Nest height: Close to ground or up to two metres or more above ground

  • Retain dense tall grass, reeds and low bush beside water during December to February.
  • Before clearing or intensive weed removal, inspect dense cover near creeks, dams, swamps and rainforest edges for nests and adult alarm behaviour.
  • Stage unavoidable works so that dense cover is not removed across an entire wetland margin at once.

Sheltering habitat: Cover and refuge

The species shelters and moves through dense wetland-edge vegetation. Shelter is provided by long grass, reeds, rushes, dense bushes, rainforest regrowth and weed thickets, including lantana.

Pale-vented bush-hens are shy, cryptic ground birds that remain close to dense cover. They use long grass, reeds, dense bushes, rainforest edges, regrowth and swamp vegetation.

They may use lantana and other weeds around wetlands and waterways. These plants can provide immediate cover even where they are not desirable from a weed-management perspective.

  • Retain patches of dense ground cover while staged weed control or riparian rehabilitation is underway.
  • Maintain cover between wetland edges and adjacent forest, regrowth or grassland.
  • Inspect dense vegetation before slashing, mulching, burning or broad-scale weed removal.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter features and limits of available data

The supplied sources do not report den, burrow, hollow, roost, track, scat, eyeshine or refuge dimensions for this species. It is a ground-associated bird, and its shelter requirements are best represented by connected dense vegetation at wetland and waterway margins.

Nests are the only measured shelter feature described, with nests close to the ground or up to two metres or more above ground.

Burrows and hollows: Not reported; the species uses dense ground and low vegetation

Roost or refuge size: Not reported

Nest height: Close to ground or up to two metres or more above ground

Threats: Clearing and habitat modification

The main project risks are loss of dense wetland-edge cover, drainage or hydrological change, fragmentation, fire, vehicle strike and predation. The species can be missed during pre-clearing surveys because it is cryptic and may be less detectable in winter.

Habitat loss, fragmentation and simplification are major threats to crakes and rails, including the pale-vented bush-hen. Clearing dense vegetation beside waterways, wetlands and rainforest edges can remove feeding, shelter and nesting habitat.

Drainage, wetland reclamation, desiltation, broad-scale weed removal and poorly staged rehabilitation can leave bare ground or remove cover for years. Artificial wetlands and dense weedy margins may still support the species.

  • Survey before clearing, slashing, mulching, drainage works, desiltation or broad-scale weed removal in suitable habitat.
  • Retain dense wetland and waterway margins, and replace removed cover progressively with suitable native vegetation rather than leaving large bare areas.
  • Maintain habitat links along drainage lines and watercourses.

Threats: Roads and infrastructure

Roads can kill crakes and rails directly and can fragment wetland habitat. Pale-vented bush-hens may be particularly exposed because they are active ground runners and can travel farther from water than some other crakes and rails.

Infrastructure corridors through dense riparian vegetation can interrupt movement between wetlands, creeks and forested cover.

  • Check for suitable habitat on both sides of roads and linear infrastructure, not only within the wetland footprint.
  • Retain or restore vegetated movement links across drainage lines and along watercourses where practicable.
  • Use staged clearing and fauna spotter catcher controls where dense cover is being removed.

Threats: Fire, predators and hydrology

Planned and unplanned fire can destroy the dense vegetation needed for shelter and breeding. A mosaic approach is recommended so that all dense cover is not removed at the same time.

Foxes, cats and dogs can prey on eggs and chicks. Changes in rainfall, longer droughts, reduced wetland availability and increased weed infestation may reduce habitat quality and availability.

The supplied sources do not identify a species-specific disease threat.

  • Avoid burning all dense riparian or wetland-edge cover in one operation.
  • Manage domestic and feral predators near nesting and wetland habitat where approved controls are available.
  • Protect permanent water refuges and avoid works that drain or isolate wetland-edge habitat, especially during dry periods.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat assessment and targeted searches

The pale-vented bush-hen is shy and cryptic, and records may underestimate its presence. Survey effort should focus on dense vegetation beside permanent freshwater wetlands, creeks, dams, swamps, rainforest margins and secondary growth.

Typical habitat: Dense, overgrown margins of permanent freshwater wetlands, creeks, dams and swamps, often beside rainforest, rainforest remnants or secondary growth.

Known elevation range: Lowlands to 1500 metres.

  • Map permanent and temporary freshwater wetlands, creek margins, dams, swamps, drainage lines, rainforest remnants, regrowth and dense vegetation before selecting survey points.
  • Search dense, overgrown margins containing tall grass, reeds, rank ground cover, lantana or other dense shrubs, including habitat beside urban areas and forested areas.
  • Inspect habitat that may be used even where water is not immediately present, because the species can occur in adjacent grassland and dense cover.
  • Record the condition, continuity and width of dense cover along each waterway or wetland, and identify links to nearby retained habitat.

Survey methodology: 2. Diurnal and crepuscular searches

Activity pattern: Mainly crepuscular, but often active during the day.

Foraging behaviour: Usually solitary or in pairs, on the ground and sometimes in shallow water, within cover of long grass.

  • Undertake quiet searches along wetland and creek margins during the day, with additional searches at dawn and dusk when the species is mainly active.
  • Walk slowly through or beside long grass and dense cover, checking shallow water margins and ground-level cover without unnecessarily entering habitat.
  • Use repeated observation points along the full length of suitable habitat rather than relying on a single open-water vantage point.
  • Record flushed birds, calls, tracks, feathers and other signs, and document the exact habitat feature and location of each observation.

Survey methodology: 3. Call and detection surveys

Detection limitation: The species is shy and cryptic, and is possibly more common than records indicate.

Movement information: Movement patterns are unknown; the species may move into wetter habitat after rain and may use permanent water during dry periods.

  • Include a quiet listening period at each suitable wetland and creek section during dawn, dusk and other periods of likely activity.
  • Record all calls with the date, time, location, weather, observer and direction of travel where these can be determined.
  • Use call playback only under an approved project survey protocol and stop if the bird shows disturbance or moves into cover.
  • Treat a non-detection as inconclusive where dense vegetation, rainfall, water levels or seasonal conditions reduce detectability.

Survey methodology: 4. Survey timing and seasonal coverage

Breeding season: December to February.

Clutch size: Usually 4 to 7 eggs.

Incubation: Both sexes incubate for around 25 days.

  • Schedule at least one survey period during the species' breeding season where works could affect nesting or dependent young.
  • Give particular attention to dense grass, reeds and creekside vegetation from December to February, when breeding is reported.
  • Avoid relying only on winter observations, because the species is reported to be less common in winter in Brisbane.
  • Repeat searches after rainfall where practical, because the species may move into wetter habitat after the onset of rain.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Set the number and spacing of survey points, visits and repeat searches through a documented risk assessment that covers the area of suitable habitat and the proposed disturbance footprint.
  • Do not describe the site as free of pale-vented bush-hens from a single negative search, because the species is difficult to detect.
  • Survey both the disturbance footprint and connected retained habitat that may receive displaced birds.
  • Record survey dates, start and finish times, weather, rainfall history, observers, search route, habitat condition, survey method, effort and all detections or non-detections.
  • Submit verified records to the relevant state wildlife database and retain spatial data, photographs, sound recordings and field notes with the project records.
  • Use current state survey and permitting requirements for the project jurisdiction, because the supplied sources do not provide a species-specific national survey guideline or fixed minimum effort.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Plan the work around dense wetland and creekside cover, not only open water. The main risks are habitat loss, fragmentation, vegetation removal, fire, roads and predation of ground nests and chicks.

Primary project risk: Habitat loss, fragmentation and simplification.

Additional risks: Drainage and reclamation works, road collisions, planned and unplanned fire, predation and changes to rainfall.

  • Retain dense, overgrown vegetation along permanent freshwater wetlands, creeks, dams and swamps wherever practicable.
  • Retain links between wetland margins, rainforest remnants, regrowth and other densely vegetated areas.
  • Set site-specific no-go areas and buffers around wetlands, creeks and dense cover before finalising access tracks, compounds, drainage and clearing limits.
  • Keep clearing to the approved footprint and prevent machinery, spoil, sediment and runoff from entering retained wetland or creekside habitat.
  • Avoid broad-scale removal of lantana and other dense ground cover until a survey confirms that the cover is not being used by bush-hens or other cryptic wetland birds.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project planning

  • Check the current EPBC Act status before work starts; the supplied DCCEEW table records the species as not listed nationally.
  • Check the current state listing, permit and wildlife handling requirements for every jurisdiction affected by the project, including New South Wales and the Northern Territory where the project information identifies state conservation listings.
  • Obtain any required clearing, threatened species, wildlife handling, rehabilitation and waterway approvals before mobilisation.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies suitable habitat, survey methods, clearing limits, fauna handling authority, release sites, stop-work triggers, incident contacts and reporting requirements.
  • Stage clearing so that retained habitat and movement links remain available while the work area is progressively reduced.
  • Schedule vegetation removal outside December to February where practicable, and use additional pre-clearance controls if work must occur during the breeding season.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

  • Complete a targeted pre-clearance survey of all dense wetland, creek, swamp, rainforest margin and secondary-growth habitat within and beside the work area.
  • Mark approved clearing limits, retained habitat, wetland and creek buffers, access routes and fauna release areas on the ground and in the site plans.
  • Use exclusion fencing where it can protect retained dense cover, wetland margins and movement links from machinery and workers.
  • Brief operators and supervisors on the species' appearance, behaviour, habitat, stop-work triggers and the requirement to avoid chasing birds into dense vegetation or water.
  • Confirm that an authorised fauna spotter catcher is available for each clearing stage and that injured-animal transport and veterinary arrangements are in place.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery coordination

Keep clearing slow, supervised and within marked limits. The fauna spotter catcher should work directly with the machine operator and stop work whenever a bush-hen or other fauna cannot be safely cleared or handled.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, clearing markers, wetland buffers, access routes and retained vegetation before work begins each day.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher to inspect the next clearing section immediately before machinery enters it.
  • Clear in short sections towards retained habitat where this can be done safely, while avoiding pushing fauna into roads, open water or active machinery areas.
  • Require the operator to stop immediately on the spotter catcher's signal and keep the bucket, blade and vehicle stationary until the area is cleared.
  • Prevent night works, vehicle movement and lighting from unnecessarily disturbing retained wetland and creekside habitat.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat and fauna handling

Nest location: Nests are usually in dense tall grass near a swamp or creek, above normal flood level, or in dense bush beside a creek, sometimes up to 2 metres or more above ground.

Young: Chicks are semi-precocial and leave the nest soon after hatching.

  • Inspect dense grass, reeds, low shrubs, creek banks and wetland margins for adults, nests and dependent young before removing vegetation.
  • Do not disturb or dismantle a nest during the breeding season unless the authorised fauna practitioner and relevant authority have approved the action.
  • Do not attempt to catch a bird by chasing it through dense vegetation or into water; use the least disruptive method available to the authorised handler.
  • Only an appropriately authorised person may capture, handle, transport or release the bird.
  • Release an uninjured bird into nearby retained habitat with suitable dense cover, freshwater access and a safe connection to surrounding vegetation, subject to the approved fauna management plan.
  • Take an injured or apparently debilitated bird to an approved wildlife carer or veterinarian as soon as practicable, and record the handover.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work if a pale-vented bush-hen, nest, dependent young or injured animal is found within the clearing zone.
  • Stop work if clearing enters marked retained habitat, a wetland or creek buffer, or an area that has not received the required pre-clearance inspection.
  • Stop work if dense vegetation is being removed in a way that prevents safe inspection or causes fauna to flee towards traffic, water or machinery.
  • Record the species, location, date, time, habitat, activity, photographs, action taken, handler, release or treatment location and any project changes.
  • Report mortality, injury, nest disturbance, unauthorised clearing and repeated fauna displacement to the project environmental officer and the relevant approval holder or regulator.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance inspection

Post-clearance work must confirm that the approved footprint was cleared safely and that retained wetland and creekside habitat remains connected and usable.

  • Inspect the cleared area and its edges for injured, trapped or displaced bush-hens, nests, chicks and accessible dense cover that may have been missed during clearing.
  • Check wetland margins, creek banks, drainage lines, retained vegetation and exclusion fencing after machinery leaves the area.
  • Remove hazards such as open trenches, unsecured pipes, pits and temporary fencing that could trap ground-foraging birds.
  • Repair any damage to retained habitat, wetland margins, creek banks or movement links caused by the works.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and controls

  • Continue targeted observations at retained wetlands, creek margins and dense regrowth during construction and after major changes to the site.
  • Repeat monitoring after rainfall, vegetation removal, drainage changes, fire, major noise or lighting changes, and any recorded bush-hen displacement.
  • Maintain exclusion fencing, no-go areas, sediment controls and access restrictions until the environmental officer confirms that the risk has ended.
  • Review monitoring results and change work methods if bush-hens repeatedly avoid, become trapped in or are displaced from retained habitat.

After habitat disturbance: Reporting and approvals

  • Provide the approval holder with a close-out report covering survey effort, detections, fauna interactions, injuries, mortalities, releases, habitat disturbance, incidents and corrective actions.
  • Submit verified records to the relevant state wildlife database and retain the project spatial data and evidence.
  • Check whether residual habitat loss, fragmentation or wetland impacts require an offset, restoration action or further approval under the applicable state or Commonwealth process.
  • Document any commitments for rehabilitation, follow-up monitoring and long-term management before demobilisation.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore bush-hen habitat

Rehabilitation should recreate continuous, dense cover beside freshwater wetlands and waterways. It should provide shelter, feeding areas and movement links rather than leaving open, simplified wetland edges.

Preferred cover: Dense tall grass, reeds, rank ground cover, dense shrubs and vegetation beside freshwater.

Temporary rehabilitation option identified in the source: Vetiver grass may be used as a gradual replacement for weedy ground cover in suitable rehabilitation projects, with native plants established between it and the vetiver removed as native cover develops.

  • Reinstate dense native grasses, reeds, sedges and other locally appropriate wetland-edge plants beside creeks, dams, swamps and artificial wetlands.
  • Restore a gradation from shallow wet areas to dense ground cover and secondary growth, while retaining safe access for waterway maintenance.
  • Reconnect isolated wetland and creekside habitat through vegetated drainage lines and watercourses where this is consistent with the site design.
  • Use locally appropriate native plants between any temporary erosion-control plantings, and remove temporary plantings as native cover establishes.

Rehabilitation actions: Wetland, weed and predator management

  • Design wetlands and drainage features with permanent or seasonally reliable freshwater areas and dense fringing vegetation, where consistent with hydrology and approvals.
  • Do not remove all dense weeds or ground cover in one operation where it may be providing bush-hen habitat.
  • Survey dense weedy wetland and creek margins before weed removal, remove weeds in small patches and replace cover promptly with suitable native plants.
  • Control foxes, cats and dogs around breeding and release habitat, because these animals can prey on eggs and chicks.
  • Keep rehabilitation works out of the December to February breeding period where practicable.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire and success monitoring

Breeding period for monitoring: December to February.

Suggested habitat outcome from the source: Continuous, dense vegetation along suitable waterways and wetland margins, with connectivity between preferred habitat areas.

  • Use a mosaic fire plan so that dense vegetation is not burnt at the same time across a wetland or creek corridor.
  • Protect riparian and wetland cover from planned fire where the site fire regime allows, and assess the effect of any wildfire before restarting works.
  • Monitor plant establishment, weed cover, water availability, dense-cover continuity, predator activity and bush-hen use at retained and rehabilitated sites.
  • Use repeated records of bush-hens, calls or other verified detections, together with habitat condition, as measures of whether the site is being used and remains suitable.
  • Continue monitoring through at least the first breeding season after rehabilitation, with additional checks after major rainfall, drought, fire or weed-control work.

Sources