Sandhill Grasswren (Amytornis oweni)

Conservation status

Western Australia, WA Threatened and Priority Fauna List: Near threatened. Priority 4 (rare, near threatened) on the Western Australian priority fauna list. Priority species are not listed under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 but should be considered in assessments. This listing covers only Amytornis oweni oweni.

Breeding season

The Sandhill Grasswren is a poorly known resident bird of arid Australia, and no breeding months have been established. Breeding may vary with rainfall, food availability, fire history and local conditions, so avoid assuming that any month is free of breeding risk.

Breeding mode: Egg laying by birds. Species-specific breeding details are not recorded.

Clutch size: Not recorded.

Incubation: Not recorded.

Fledging and dependence: Not recorded. Young may remain associated with small family groups.

Age at maturity: Not recorded.

Nest site: Not recorded. Avoid disturbance to suitable mallee over spinifex habitat until breeding use has been assessed.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded. Breeding may be influenced by local rainfall and food conditions.

Timing may vary between years and regions, particularly with rainfall, food availability, fire history and the condition of mallee over spinifex habitat.

• Resident presence and local movements: The Sandhill Grasswren is not described as migratory and may be present in suitable habitat throughout the year.
• Ground foraging and calling activity: Birds forage on the ground and may be detected mainly by calls, with activity reduced or less obvious during dry conditions.
• Potential breeding and nesting: Breeding timing is unresolved, so all months should be treated as having potential breeding activity rather than assigning a seasonal peak.
• Potential dependent young in family groups: The species lives in small family groups, but the timing and duration of dependent young are not established.
• Highest clearing risk: Treat every month as a potential risk period because nests, young and breeding places have not been characterised and the species is cryptic.

Identification: Appearance and behaviour

The Sandhill Grasswren is a small, cryptic bird that spends most of its time on the ground. It is well camouflaged in mallee and spinifex, and can be missed even when present.

The bird is small and ground dwelling. It hunts among vegetation and usually stays low in the cover.

When startled, it may become silent and remain motionless for a long time. A quiet site does not confirm that the species is absent.

Typical social setting: Small family groups

Detection challenge: Cryptic, quiet and difficult to detect when numbers are low

• Look closely through mallee over spinifex rather than relying on birds crossing open ground.
• Use binoculars and allow time for birds to move or call after people enter suitable habitat.

Identification: Calls and similar species

Presence is often detected from calls rather than a clear view. The available identification information does not describe a diagnostic call or provide a full comparison with similar species.

The former name was Striated Grasswren, sandhill or sandplain race. Western Australian records may also use Amytornis striatus striatus, although the current name is Amytornis oweni oweni.

• Record the call, direction and location whenever possible.
• Obtain a photograph or expert confirmation for uncertain records, especially where other grasswrens occur.

Identification: Field signs

No dependable nest, dropping, whitewash, stain or odour field sign is established for this species. Calls, direct observations and repeat detections in suitable habitat are the most useful site evidence.

Keep a quiet, cryptic bird record even when the observation is brief. Note the vegetation, substrate, behaviour and direction of travel.

• Record GPS location and the extent of the surrounding mallee and spinifex.
• Do not treat a failure to flush a bird as evidence that the habitat is unused.

Distribution: Range in Australia

The Sandhill Grasswren occurs in the central arid zone of Australia. Records and mapping cover parts of the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia, with the species associated with major desert landscapes.

In Western Australia, the species is associated with central arid country, including parts of the Great Sandy Desert, Gibson Desert and Great Victoria Desert.

The Western Australian fauna listing records the species from the Kimberley, Pilbara, Goldfields, Midwest and Wheatbelt regions. The available project information does not define the extent or regularity of occurrence in each region.

• Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia are the mapped states and territories.
• Treat suitable habitat as potentially occupied where it occurs within the known arid range.
• Check current state databases and project records before clearing.

Distribution: Local occurrence and detectability

Recent records have occurred near project areas, including repeat observations within 100 to 200 km in several directions from one project area. The species may occur at low density and in isolated remnants.

A negative survey result should be interpreted cautiously where survey conditions were dry or bird activity was suppressed.

• Map records, habitat patches, recent fire history and proposed disturbance together.
• Use nearby records to guide targeted searches, but do not use distance from a record alone to rule out occupancy.

Distribution: Overseas range

The Sandhill Grasswren is an Australian species. No overseas range is recognised in the available information.

Habitat: Vegetation to look for

Look for Sandhill Grasswren habitat in arid mallee communities with a spinifex understorey. Sand plains and sand ridges are the main landforms identified for site assessment.

Suitable habitat is mallee over spinifex, including Triodia species. Dense or continuous ground cover can make the bird difficult to see but may still support it.

Retain the full vegetation structure where possible. Clearing only the taller mallee can still remove the low cover used by the species.

• Mallee woodland or shrubland over Triodia.
• Sand plain vegetation with connected ground cover.
• Sand ridge vegetation, including cover between ridges and adjacent patches.

Habitat: Landforms and habitat continuity

Prioritise sand plains and sand ridges during pre-clearance assessment. Habitat can occur in isolated remnants, and isolation may increase the risk to local populations.

Assess the whole patch, not only the area directly beneath proposed infrastructure. Access tracks, laydown areas and temporary work zones can divide otherwise connected cover.

• Map all suitable patches within and beside the disturbance footprint.
• Avoid unnecessary breaks between habitat patches.
• Retain vegetated buffers where the project design allows.

Habitat: Fire history

Habitat has been reported to remain suitable for around 40 years after fire. Recolonisation of burnt areas has been recorded after six or seven years, so recently burnt ground should not automatically be discounted.

Record fire age and the condition of spinifex and mallee during the site assessment.

• Use fire history to identify both established habitat and areas with recovery potential.
• Avoid broad conclusions from a single fire-age class.

Foraging habitat: Foraging places

The Sandhill Grasswren forages on the ground and hunts insects. It is most likely to be encountered by carefully searching the low vegetation rather than open areas above the shrub layer.

Search beneath and between mallee stems and spinifex clumps on sand plains and sand ridges. Ground cover, litter and low vegetation should be treated as part of the foraging habitat.

The species may move through cover without being seen. Pause regularly and listen for calls during early morning bird activity.

Foraging method: Ground foraging

Food: Insects

• Inspect the edges and interior of dense Triodia patches.
• Search around mallee bases, low shrubs and vegetated sand ridge slopes.
• Keep vehicles and foot traffic to existing access lines where practical.

Foraging habitat: Site practices during works

Keep spoil, equipment and stored materials out of intact spinifex and mallee where possible. Avoid creating broad bare corridors between retained patches.

If a bird is detected near active works, stop and report the location to the fauna spotter catcher or ecologist. Record whether it moves into retained cover.

• Mark occupied or potentially occupied habitat before clearing.
• Use spotters who understand that a silent bird may remain hidden rather than flee.
• Inspect temporary work areas before use and rehabilitate them promptly after works.

Breeding habitat: What to look for

Breeding ecology and breeding-place characteristics are poorly known for the Sandhill Grasswren. The species lives in small family groups, but specific nest locations, breeding timing and nest dimensions should not be assumed.

No reliable nest type, nest location or breeding-place description is established here. Do not rely on finding a nest to identify breeding habitat.

Treat connected mallee and spinifex cover as potential breeding habitat wherever the species is recorded or suitable habitat is present.

Family groups: Small groups are reported, but group size is not quantified.

Breeding timing: No reliable breeding months are established here.

• Search quietly through dense ground cover when checking a work area.
• Record adults, juveniles, family groups and repeated calls separately.
• Escalate any suspected nest or dependent young to the project ecologist before disturbance.

Breeding habitat: Clearing controls

Before clearing, inspect suitable habitat and confirm the proposed disturbance boundary. If a bird is detected, retain cover around the location while the ecologist assesses the risk.

Do not disturb suspected breeding habitat simply because no nest is visible. Ground nests or concealed breeding sites may be difficult to detect.

• Use staged clearing where practicable, working towards retained habitat rather than isolating it.
• Keep fauna spotters informed of all changes to the clearing footprint.
• Follow project approval conditions and obtain specialist advice where breeding activity is suspected.

Breeding habitat: Survey planning

A single survey can miss this species, particularly after an extended dry period or when bird activity is low. Repeat searches and suitable call-based detection methods should be considered for high-risk habitat.

There is no established species-specific breeding survey window in the available information. Plan surveys around local conditions, recent records and the proposed clearing program.

• Combine direct observation, call detection and habitat assessment.
• Document weather, time, fire history and survey effort so a negative result can be interpreted properly.

Sheltering habitat: Cover to retain

The Sandhill Grasswren uses dense arid vegetation for cover and can remain motionless when threatened. Specific night roosts and shelter structures are not established, so retain a range of connected ground and shrub cover.

Mallee over spinifex on sand plains and sand ridges should be treated as potential sheltering habitat. Dense Triodia provides low cover that may conceal birds from people and machinery.

Retain both the spinifex layer and the mallee structure where possible. Avoid reducing a habitat patch to scattered isolated shrubs.

• Protect intact ground cover around the clearing boundary.
• Keep access tracks narrow and use existing disturbed routes.
• Avoid parking, refuelling or storing materials on spinifex and mallee cover.

Sheltering habitat: Response to disturbance

A startled bird may not flush. It may stay silent and motionless, then move through cover after people have passed.

Fauna spotter catchers should pause, scan slowly and listen before assuming an area is clear.

• Stop machinery if a bird is seen within the active work area.
• Allow a clear route to retained habitat where fauna movement is required.
• Record the location and likely direction of movement.

Sheltering habitat: Roosting and overnight shelter

No specific roost structure, night shelter or roosting site is established for this species. Avoid removing isolated clumps of dense cover on the assumption that they are unimportant.

Where works must occur beside suitable habitat, use a clearly marked exclusion area and prevent accidental vehicle entry.

Threats: Clearing and habitat loss

The main site risks are loss and fragmentation of mallee and spinifex habitat, poor detection during surveys, and inappropriate fire or clearing practices. These risks are greater where populations are small or isolated.

Clearing of mallee over spinifex removes foraging, sheltering and potential breeding habitat. Include temporary disturbance, access tracks, camps, laydown areas and power or service corridors in the impact assessment.

Keep the clearing footprint as small as practicable and clearly mark its limits before machinery enters.

• Avoid clearing intact sand plain and sand ridge habitat where alternatives exist.
• Retain connected patches rather than leaving small isolated remnants.
• Rehabilitate temporary disturbance with locally appropriate native vegetation and ground cover.

Threats: Fragmentation and isolation

Populations may occur in isolated remnants. New roads, cleared corridors and wide bare areas can increase isolation and reduce movement between patches.

Plan infrastructure to follow existing disturbed routes and keep retained habitat connected.

• Map habitat at the landscape scale, not only within the development boundary.
• Use fauna underpasses or other crossing measures only where they are designed for the local site and supported by ecological advice.
• Monitor retained patches beside major works.

Threats: Fire and habitat condition

Fire changes spinifex and mallee structure. Habitat can remain suitable up to around 40 years after fire, and recolonisation has been recorded after six or seven years, but recently burnt areas should not be assumed to be empty or permanently unsuitable.

Avoid unnecessary ignition and manage hot works carefully near dry spinifex.

• Record fire history before clearing.
• Prevent escaped construction fires.
• Use an ecologically informed fire plan where prescribed burning or fuel reduction is proposed.

Threats: Missed detections during works

The species can be silent, motionless and difficult to see. A single-season survey after a long dry period may underestimate its presence.

Use experienced observers, repeat searches where risk is high, and treat suitable habitat as potentially occupied until the assessment is adequate.

Known survey limitation: The species was missed during a single-season spring survey despite systematic bird searches.

• Schedule bird searches during periods of activity, including early morning.
• Combine call detection with visual searches and habitat mapping.
• Apply stop-work and reporting procedures for any detection during clearing.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

The sandhill grasswren is a cryptic, ground-foraging bird that may be detected mainly by its calls. It can remain silent and motionless when disturbed, so a single survey, especially after dry conditions, may not show whether it is present.

Map mallee over spinifex on sand plains and sand ridges before planning clearing.

Review recent records, Birdata records, local databases, fire history and aerial imagery. Treat connected habitat and isolated remnants as potential habitat.

Check whether the proposed works could affect habitat in Western Australia, South Australia or the Northern Territory. Confirm the current taxonomic name and legal status before finalising approvals.

• Map habitat condition, recent fire age, existing tracks, cleared areas and likely movement links.
• Give particular attention to habitat that has remained unburnt for several years and to mature mallee and spinifex remnants.
• Use local records to identify areas that need targeted field survey, even where previous surveys did not detect the species.

Survey methodology: 2. Dawn bird surveys

Survey during the main morning activity period, from dawn through the early morning. The species has previously been sought during bird surveys from 5 am to 9 am, with twenty minute surveys over two hectares at fixed sites.

Repeat surveys across suitable habitat rather than relying on one visit. Use more than one season where practicable, particularly where the first survey follows an extended dry period or low bird activity.

Walk slowly and quietly through or beside mallee and spinifex. Listen for calls before moving through dense cover. Record visual observations, calls and birds that remain silent or motionless.

• Place survey points or transects in sand ridge habitat, sand plain habitat and transitions between habitat types.
• Include the edges of proposed clearing and nearby retained habitat.
• Avoid conducting the only survey in strong wind, heavy rain, extreme heat or other conditions that suppress bird activity.
• Use call playback only where it is allowed by the relevant authority and approved survey plan. Stop playback if it causes prolonged disturbance.

Survey methodology: 3. Detection and confirmation

Use experienced bird observers who can distinguish grasswren calls from other arid-zone birds. Obtain a recording, photograph or other evidence where identification is uncertain.

Do not assume that a quiet survey area is unoccupied. The species is well camouflaged and may occur in small family groups or at low density.

Where a suspected bird is found, allow it to settle and observe from a distance. Do not chase it through spinifex.

• Record the date, start and finish time, observers, weather, wind, recent rainfall, fire history and survey conditions.
• Record the location, habitat type, vegetation structure, burn age, behaviour, number of birds and whether the record was visual or auditory.
• Map all records and likely habitat. Record negative results with the same location and effort details.
• Photograph habitat and any tracks or disturbance that may affect the record, without disturbing birds or suspected nests.

Survey methodology: 4. Interpreting survey results

Treat a non-detection as uncertain where survey effort was limited, conditions were dry or bird activity was low. The species was not detected during a previous single-season spring survey, despite systematic bird surveys and other fauna methods.

Have an ecologist review the result before clearing suitable habitat. Increase survey effort where records occur within or near the work area, or where habitat is continuous with known records.

Keep the survey report with the clearing plan, environmental approval and site induction material.

• State clearly which habitat was searched and which habitat was inaccessible.
• Separate confirmed records, probable records and unconfirmed calls.
• Use the highest level of protection that is reasonable until an uncertain record is resolved.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Approvals and legal checks

Avoiding habitat is the preferred control. The sandhill grasswren is a Priority 4 species in Western Australia and is protected fauna, while its equivalent state conservation treatment may differ elsewhere, so confirm requirements for the project location before work starts.

Check the current EPBC Act list and the proposed action before clearing. Make an EPBC referral if the action may have a significant impact on a listed matter, or obtain project specific advice where that threshold is uncertain.

In Western Australia, obtain any required approvals for taking, disturbing or relocating fauna. Priority 4 is not itself a threatened species listing under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, but fauna remain protected and the species requires monitoring.

In South Australia, check the current Rare listing and any permit requirements under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. Apply the relevant Northern Territory requirements where works occur in the Territory.

Queensland projects must check the current protected wildlife requirements. If a breeding place may be tampered with, obtain an approved species management program where required. Do not assume that a permit from one jurisdiction applies in another.

• Ask the project ecologist or relevant wildlife authority to confirm the current name, listing and permit pathway before mobilisation.
• Include fauna conditions in the construction environmental management plan and clearing permit.
• Stop planning on the basis of an old name or old database entry until the record has been reconciled with the current taxonomy.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Avoidance and site layout

Retain intact mallee over spinifex on sand plains and sand ridges wherever possible. Avoid fragmenting connected habitat and avoid using retained patches as laydown areas, access routes or spoil storage.

Fence approved disturbance areas before clearing. Mark exclusion areas clearly on plans, in the field and in machine operator briefings.

No species specific buffer distance has been established in the available guidance. Set a site specific no-go area around records, suspected breeding places and important habitat, based on advice from a qualified ecologist and the relevant authority.

• Move roads, tracks, camps, stockpiles and service corridors out of suitable habitat where practicable.
• Keep vehicle movements on defined routes and prevent casual driving through spinifex and mallee.
• Do not clear additional vegetation to create a safety margin unless it has been assessed and approved.
• Protect retained habitat from dust, drainage changes, fire, weeds, rubbish and night lighting.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Pre-clearance survey and breeding checks

Complete a pre-clearance inspection close to the start of works, after the work area has been marked and before machinery enters. Search the ground layer, spinifex clumps, mallee edges and sheltered vegetation for birds, nests or dependent young.

Breeding timing is not well established for this species, and there is no evidence that it undertakes regular migration. Do not schedule clearing on the assumption that there is a safe breeding or migration window.

If an active nest, dependent young or suspected breeding place is found, pause the affected work area and obtain advice from the project ecologist and relevant authority before proceeding.

• Use quiet observation and listening. Avoid trampling or flushing birds during the check.
• Record the location and condition of any breeding evidence and mark it without entering the exclusion area.
• Recheck the area if clearing is delayed or if weather, fire or site conditions change materially.

Before habitat disturbance: 4. Induction and exclusion controls

Give all workers a short fauna induction before clearing. Show photographs or approved identification material and explain that the bird may be detected only by calls or may remain still when approached.

Nominate a fauna spotter catcher or suitably authorised fauna professional with authority to stop work. Explain that this authority applies to machines, vehicles and subcontractors.

Brief workers on the location of no-go areas, reporting channels, speed controls, night lighting restrictions and the injured animal procedure.

• Use signs, bunting and GPS or machine control layers to show exclusion areas.
• Keep dogs, firearms and unauthorised wildlife handling equipment off the work site.
• Record the induction date, attendees, trainer and site controls.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Sequential clearing

Clear in a controlled sequence and keep a trained fauna professional involved throughout habitat disturbance. Work should stop whenever a sandhill grasswren, suspected nest or other fauna risk cannot be managed safely within the approved controls.

Clear from the least disturbed edge towards retained habitat, where the site layout allows, so birds have an opportunity to move into suitable cover. Use slow, staged clearing rather than pushing a whole habitat patch at once.

Clear only the approved footprint. Keep machinery out of retained mallee and spinifex, and maintain access for the spotter catcher.

Use daylight working where practicable. Avoid unnecessary night lighting and night vehicle movements through retained habitat.

• Complete a final visual and listening check immediately before each clearing stage.
• Clear small sections, pause, and inspect the remaining vegetation and ground layer before continuing.
• Keep a clear line of communication between the machine operator, spotter catcher, supervisor and environmental representative.
• Do not burn, mulch or stockpile cleared vegetation in retained habitat.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Animal handling and breeding places

Only authorised and appropriately trained people may capture, handle, examine or relocate a sandhill grasswren. Workers must not attempt to catch a bird or remove a nest.

If a bird is found, stop nearby machinery and give it space. Allow the spotter catcher to assess whether it can move safely into retained habitat.

If an active breeding place, dependent young, colony or roost is found, stop work in the affected area. Although colonies and roosts are not characteristic features documented for this species, any such record must be treated as significant until assessed.

• Establish and mark an exclusion area around the find, with its size set by the ecologist and relevant authority for the site conditions.
• Do not relocate a breeding place or young unless the action is lawful, authorised and directed by the relevant wildlife professional.
• Record the find, pause time, location, habitat, photographs where safe, decision maker and approval before work resumes.
• Resume only after the ecologist confirms that the exclusion, timing and method comply with the approval conditions.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Injured or trapped animals

Treat an injured, trapped or exhausted bird as a wildlife incident. Keep people, vehicles and machinery away and reduce noise.

Contact the fauna spotter catcher, project ecologist or approved wildlife carer immediately. Use the jurisdictional wildlife rescue or veterinary pathway nominated in the environmental management plan.

Do not provide food or water and do not release the bird without professional direction.

• Place a temporary visual barrier around the location if this can be done without approaching the bird.
• Record the condition of the bird, location, time, likely cause, photographs and the person taking custody.
• Report any death, injury or unauthorised handling under the project approval and incident procedure.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Daily records and stop-work events

Maintain a daily fauna log for the full clearing period. Include searches that found no animals, not just incidents.

Use the spotter catcher's stop-work authority for any suspected sandhill grasswren record, breeding place, injury, machinery strike, fire escape or entry into a no-go area.

Escalate repeated detections or movement into the work area to the project ecologist. Reassess the clearing sequence and controls before continuing.

• Record date, weather, work area, clearing stage, observers, effort and results.
• Map all animal records, exclusion areas, relocations and incidents.
• Check that every stop-work event has a documented decision to resume work.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Immediate post-clearance inspection

Post-clearance checks help confirm that controls worked and that birds have not been trapped in isolated vegetation or construction areas. Use the results to adjust work methods while the project is still active.

Inspect the cleared footprint, retained edges, spoil areas, trenches, drains, temporary fencing and equipment after each clearing stage and at the end of each work day.

Look and listen for birds sheltering in remaining spinifex or mallee, and check for injured animals, nests, dependent young and entrapment hazards.

Close or cover pits, pipes and other fauna traps as soon as they are no longer needed. Inspect them before work recommences.

• Have the spotter catcher or nominated fauna professional complete the inspection where fauna risk remains.
• Remove waste, netting, loose wire and other material that could entangle wildlife.
• Keep exclusion fencing intact until the ecologist confirms that it can be removed.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Relocation and release follow-up

Record every relocation, including the capture point, release point, habitat condition, time, method, animal condition and person responsible.

Release a bird only at an approved nearby location with suitable mallee and spinifex cover, and only when directed by the authorised fauna professional. Do not create a release site that increases isolation or exposes the bird to construction traffic.

Check the release area for immediate hazards and keep machinery and people away during release.

• Do not assume that relocation has solved the impact. Report any repeat appearance in the work area or any evidence of injury or return.
• Use the most appropriate lawful monitoring method for the site. Avoid repeated close approach or unnecessary handling.
• Report failed relocation, mortality or unusual behaviour to the project ecologist and relevant authority.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained habitat and rehabilitation areas where the project has removed or fragmented suitable habitat. Use repeat dawn listening and observation, with the same locations and methods where practicable.

For a Priority 4 population in Western Australia, set monitoring effort through the project environmental plan and consult DBCA where records or impacts are significant. Apply equivalent state requirements in other jurisdictions.

Report results to the approval holder, land manager and relevant authority when required by approval conditions.

• Compare detection records, habitat condition, fire history, weed cover and construction disturbance over time.
• Record whether retained patches remain connected, accessible and free of new disturbance.
• Keep survey data, photographs, maps, permits, incident forms and corrective actions in the project register.

After habitat disturbance: 4. Incident review

Review every injury, mortality, unauthorised clearing event, breeding-place find and repeated detection near machinery.

Identify whether the cause was survey failure, poor marking, induction failure, equipment movement, weather, fire or an unexpected habitat feature.

Update the clearing method, exclusion controls and induction before the next work stage.

• Discuss the incident with the spotter catcher, machine operators, supervisor and ecologist.
• Document the corrective action, responsible person and completion date.
• Share lessons with contractors working on other areas of the project.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should rebuild the structure and connectivity of the habitat used by the sandhill grasswren. Focus on mallee over spinifex on sand plains and sand ridges, while recognising that this species is poorly known and may take time to return after disturbance.

Retain and reinstate native mallee and spinifex appropriate to the local landscape. Protect natural regeneration wherever possible.

Use local provenance seed and plant material where available, and match rehabilitation to nearby intact sand plain or sand ridge vegetation.

Shape disturbed ground to maintain natural drainage and avoid creating bare, compacted barriers between habitat patches.

• Remove temporary roads, hardstands, stockpiles and fencing when they are no longer needed.
• Reinstate spinifex cover and mallee structure rather than creating open grass or irrigated areas that do not match the surrounding habitat.
• Link rehabilitation to retained habitat and avoid narrow isolated strips where a broader connection is practicable.
• Do not use fire as a substitute for habitat restoration. The species can recolonise burnt areas after six or seven years, and suitable habitat may remain available for around 40 years after fire.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Fire, weeds and grazing controls

Prepare a site fire plan that protects mature mallee and spinifex habitat from unplanned burns. Avoid broadscale or frequent burning of retained and rehabilitated areas.

Control weeds before they seed and prevent vehicles from spreading weed material into retained habitat or rehabilitation areas.

Manage grazing, browsing and unauthorised vehicle access where they reduce spinifex cover or damage regenerating mallee.

• Use clean-down procedures for vehicles and machinery entering rehabilitation areas.
• Inspect rehabilitation after fire, flood, major storms and construction maintenance.
• Record fire age and vegetation recovery so future habitat management can be adjusted.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Water, lighting and site design

Do not create artificial water points unless they are justified by the wider ecological design and approved by the land manager. New water sources can change animal movements, attract predators and alter fire or weed risks.

Keep drainage, erosion controls and dust suppression from smothering spinifex or changing the structure of retained habitat.

Limit light spill into retained and rehabilitated mallee and spinifex. Use shielded, directed lighting and switch off temporary lights when they are not needed.

• Keep construction lighting within the work footprint.
• Avoid bright lighting at habitat edges and along movement links.
• Inspect rehabilitation for erosion, sediment deposition, weed invasion and altered drainage after rain.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Artificial breeding or roost structures

Do not install nest boxes, bat boxes, artificial nests or roost structures for this species as a routine measure. The sandhill grasswren is a ground-foraging bird, and a suitable artificial breeding or roost structure has not been established for it.

If field evidence identifies a specific breeding site feature that can be replaced, obtain advice from a qualified ornithologist and the relevant authority before designing or installing anything.

Prioritise intact ground cover, spinifex, mallee and habitat connectivity over artificial structures.

• Treat any proposed artificial structure as a trial with clear approval, design, placement and monitoring requirements.
• Remove structures that attract predators, create hazards or are not used, unless the land manager directs otherwise.
• Do not use bat boxes or nest boxes as a substitute for retaining suitable ground habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: 5. Long-term monitoring

Monitor rehabilitation through establishment and later recovery, using repeat dawn surveys and habitat assessments. The species may be difficult to detect even where habitat is suitable, so interpret non-detections cautiously.

Track vegetation cover, mallee regeneration, spinifex recovery, weeds, fire history, vehicle access and connectivity with nearby habitat.

Use monitoring results to guide maintenance, fire planning and future clearing decisions.

• Set monitoring points in rehabilitated habitat, retained habitat and any nearby reference habitat.
• Record the same weather, observer, timing and survey conditions for each visit where practicable.
• Continue monitoring at a level that matches the project's impact, approval conditions and the species' Priority 4 status in Western Australia.
• Report declining habitat condition or repeated fauna incidents promptly and implement corrective action.

Sources

• [XLS] Threatened and Priority Fauna, WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions: https://www.dbca.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-01/Threatened%20and%20Priority%20Fauna%20List%20-%20January%202025.xlsx
• GOLD ROAD RESOURCES LIMITED, Western Australian Government: https://www.epa.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/Referral_Documentation/Appendix%204%20%20Level%202%20Fauna%20Survey.pdf
• Occurrence records for the distribution map, Atlas of Living Australia: https://biocache.ala.org.au/