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Scrubtit (Acanthornis magna)

The scrubtit is a small, mostly sedentary forest bird endemic to Tasmania and King Island. On development sites, dense wet forest, swamp paperbark remnants, fern gullies and connected riparian vegetation may support the nationally Critically Endangered King Island subspecies, so clearing, fire, drainage and understorey damage require careful assessment.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Critically endangered.

Tasmania, Threatened Species Protection Act 1995: Endangered.

Breeding season

The calendar below combines the best available information for the species and the King Island subspecies. Breeding timing is based mainly on the nominate Tasmanian form, with a February record of dependent young on King Island.

Survey guidance recommends early morning area searches or transects, particularly early in the breeding season. For areas under 50 ha, the guideline gives 10 hours over 5 days for area searches or transects, and 6 hours over 3 days for broadcast surveys.

  • Breeding: Breeding is recorded from September to January, usually peaking in October and November.
  • Young: Dependent young were recorded on King Island in February 2004. Young may also remain dependent during the later part of the September to January breeding period.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing and disturbance are most likely to harm the species from September to February because breeding, nesting and dependent young may overlap this period. Risk is highest from October to December, while dependent young have also been recorded in February.

Identification

Scrubtits are small, active birds of dense wet vegetation. They are often difficult to see and can be confused with scrubwrens and thornbills.

Adults are brown to reddish-brown above and yellowish-white, cream or pale below. The head has a grey facial mask, the eyes have pale yellowish irises and narrow white eye rings, and each wing has two white shoulder spots. A prominent black band crosses the posterior part of the tail.

The bill is greyish-black, short and slightly decurved. Legs and feet are pinkish-brown to grey. Males and females are alike in appearance.

Body length: 11 to 12 cm.

Wing length: 5.1 to 5.4 cm for the King Island subspecies.

Weight: 8.5 to 11 g for the King Island subspecies.

Identification: Distinguishing features

The King Island subspecies is slightly smaller and paler brown than the Tasmanian nominate form. Its black tail band is narrower and less sharply defined.

It may be confused with the Tasmanian scrubwren, Sericornis humilis, especially during brief views. The cream to yellowish-white throat and belly, brown head and back, white wing spots, pale eye and black tail band help separate it from similar small forest birds.

Identification: Calls, nests and field signs

The bird is secretive and inconspicuous but may call from a perch when disturbed. Calls are described as a quiet double chirp or warble, with loud contact calls and a distinctive whistled call also reported.

The nest is a woven, domed or globe-shaped structure with a side entrance. It is usually placed in a fern or shrub, generally 1 to 3 m above the ground, although the King Island conservation advice records the placement more generally as within ferns or shrub branches.

Juveniles are duller than adults, with smaller wing spots, finer white feather margins and a pale gape. No reliable species-specific tracks, scats, sloughs or eyeshine signs are available for field identification.

Nest material: Tree-fern hairs, bark, rootlets, grass, moss and fern fronds, with feathers and fur reported for the nest lining.

Typical nest position: In a fern or shrub, usually 1 to 3 m above ground.

Egg appearance: White or pearly white, with fine reddish spotting concentrated near the larger end.

Distribution: National range

The scrubtit is endemic to Tasmania, including King Island. The supplied sources provide detailed current distribution data for the King Island subspecies but do not define a formal Australian bioregional range.

The species occurs in Tasmania and on King Island in Bass Strait. The King Island subspecies is restricted to King Island, Tasmania.

No separate mainland Australian or interstate range is identified in the supplied sources. A formal bioregion name is not provided in those sources.

State or territory: Tasmania, including King Island.

Bioregion: Not specified in the supplied documents.

King Island extent of occurrence: Estimated at 17 km², with a reported range of 16 to 20 km².

King Island area of occupancy: Estimated at 16 km², with a reported range of 12 to 20 km².

Distribution: Known strongholds and subpopulations

Recent records of the King Island subspecies are from the Nook in Lavinia State Reserve, Colliers Swamp and Pegarah State Forest. Additional records occur in remnant swamp paperbark forest near Lake Martha Lavinia and Granite Lagoon, on private land and in Lavinia Nature Reserve.

The Nook records are from four isolated swamp forest patches that survived the 2007 fire. Colliers Swamp supports two small patches of old-growth swamp paperbark forest. Pegarah State Forest supports birds in riparian forest along the Fraser River and in small linear patches on drainage lines.

Estimated subpopulations: Approximately three on King Island.

Largest estimated subpopulation: About 20 mature individuals.

Mature individuals: Approximately 50, with a reported range of 30 to 70.

Other survey result: No birds were found at more than 100 other sites surveyed between 2011 and 2020.

Distribution: Population trend

The King Island population is severely fragmented and is expected to continue declining. The small population size means that all surviving birds and occupied patches are important to persistence.

The rate of decline has not been quantified. The main documented population pressures include habitat loss and fragmentation, wildfire, understorey degradation, ticks and predation.

Habitat: Habitat types

Scrubtits use dense, structurally complex wet forest and swamp vegetation. Retain small remnants and linear patches where they contain mature swamp paperbark or connected dense understorey.

The King Island subspecies inhabits mature swamp paperbark, Melaleuca ericifolia, forest in flat, low-lying and poorly drained swamps and protected dune swales. It also occurs in wet eucalypt forest, riparian forest and fern gullies.

The species more broadly occurs in Tasmanian rainforest and wet eucalypt forest. Records include wet sclerophyll forest, Nothofagus beech forest and forest communities with dense undergrowth.

Key vegetation: Mature swamp paperbark, Melaleuca ericifolia, often with a dense understorey.

Other recorded vegetation: Wet eucalypt forest, riparian forest, fern gullies, wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest.

Topography and moisture: Flat, low-lying, poorly drained swamps, protected dune swales, gullies and damp forest sites.

Habitat: Structure and mapping cautions

The preferred habitat has mature canopy vegetation and a continuous, structurally complex understorey of young paperbark, ferns, shrubs and ground-layer plants.

Sites should not be excluded only because swamp paperbark is not the mapped canopy community. The species has been recorded where Melaleuca ericifolia was absent from the canopy, or present only nearby, as a subdominant or in small patches embedded within other vegetation.

Habitat may remain suitable after fire or degradation is reduced, but recently burnt or degraded areas that could recover are also identified as habitat important to survival for the King Island subspecies.

Small habitat patches: Melaleuca ericifolia may occur in patches smaller than 1 ha within other vegetation communities.

Elevation limit: No elevation limit is given in the supplied documents.

Climate limit: No species-specific climate limit is given. The habitat is associated with wet, damp and poorly drained forest conditions.

Foraging habitat: Diet

Scrubtits forage close to the ground in dense vegetation, using bark, trunks, branches, ferns, shrubs, litter and fallen logs.

The diet of the King Island subspecies has not been recorded directly. It is expected to include insects, spiders and snails, based on records for the nominate Tasmanian subspecies.

Small invertebrates and insect eggs are also reported as food for scrubtits generally.

Main prey: Insects, spiders and snails, with insect eggs also reported for the species.

Diet certainty for King Island birds: Direct dietary records are lacking; the diet is inferred from the nominate subspecies.

Foraging habitat: Foraging locations and method

Foraging is mainly arboreal and occurs on tree trunks, branches and within tree-ferns, generally below the lower canopy. Birds also search shrub branches and leaf litter on the ground.

Recorded or reported foraging plants and trees at the species level include sassafras, horizontal tree, myrtle beech, Tasmanian snow gum, urn gum and musk daisy-bush. On King Island, birds use swamp paperbark, ferns, shrubs and other tree species.

Foraging height: Almost never above the lower canopy.

Foraging range: No quantitative foraging range or home-range size is available for the species or King Island subspecies.

  • Inspect dense understorey, tree-ferns, low trunks, fallen logs, bark and leaf litter when assessing habitat.
  • Treat riparian strips and narrow drainage-line remnants as potential foraging habitat where they retain dense understorey and mature wet forest elements.
  • Do not assume that open canopy above a dense understorey means the site is unsuitable.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding records for the King Island subspecies are limited. Use the known nesting habitat of the species as a guide, while treating dense understorey and fern or shrub cover as breeding constraints during site planning.

The only reported King Island breeding record is of adults with dependent young during surveys in February 2004. Breeding biology is expected to be similar to the nominate Tasmanian subspecies.

Both parents feed the young. Incubation and fledging periods have not been recorded, including at the species level. Immatures are thought to reach complete adult plumage at about one year of age.

Breeding season: September to January, with October to November usually the main breeding period for the nominate subspecies.

King Island dependent young record: Adults with dependent young were recorded in February 2004.

Clutch size: Usually three eggs, sometimes four.

Incubation: Not recorded.

Fledging period: Not recorded.

Age at full adult plumage: Thought to be about one year.

Gestation: Not applicable.

Lifespan: Not reported in the supplied documents.

Breeding habitat: Nest habitat

Nests are woven from tree-fern hairs, bark, rootlets, grass, moss and fern fronds. They are built within a fern or in the branches of a shrub, usually in dense low vegetation.

Breeding habitat comprises mature swamp paperbark forest and other wet forest communities with a continuous, structurally complex understorey. Riparian forest along drainage lines may also support breeding birds.

  • Retain ferns, dense shrubs, young paperbark and ground-layer vegetation within and around occupied or potentially suitable forest.
  • Avoid clearing, slashing, burning or heavy machinery movement through dense understorey during the September to January breeding period where practicable.
  • Inspect suitable ferns and shrubs for woven nests before works, noting that the species is secretive and nests may be difficult to locate.

Sheltering habitat: Cover and refuge

The supplied documents do not describe separate roost, den or hollow requirements. Dense vegetation appears to provide cover for resting, nesting and escape.

Scrubtits shelter and move through dense understorey, ferns, shrubs, swamp paperbark and wet forest vegetation. The species is secretive and usually remains close to the ground.

Swamp forest may provide refuge during wildfire. Surviving patches that did not burn in the 2007 fire supported later records of the King Island subspecies.

Roosts and hollows: No separate roost or tree-hollow requirement is documented.

Burrows and dens: Not used or reported for this bird.

Known nest height: Usually 1 to 3 m above ground in a fern or shrub, according to general species information.

  • Retain dense understorey, tree-ferns, low shrubs, fallen logs, leaf litter and mature swamp paperbark in work areas and buffers.
  • Protect narrow riparian and drainage-line forest patches because they may provide cover and connectivity between larger remnants.
  • Avoid treating burnt or temporarily degraded habitat as permanently unsuitable if vegetation can regenerate.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The strongest project risks are loss or modification of small wet forest remnants, damage to dense understorey, altered swamp hydrology and wildfire. The King Island subspecies has very little population and habitat buffer.

Land clearing has removed and fragmented native vegetation across King Island. Remaining habitat occurs as small, isolated remnants and narrow bands within grazing country.

Clearing can reduce occupied area, remove breeding and feeding habitat, break connectivity between subpopulations and increase exposure to wind damage and drying.

  • Avoid clearing mature swamp paperbark, wet forest, fern gullies and dense riparian understorey.
  • Map small patches and linear drainage-line vegetation even where the dominant mapped community is not swamp paperbark forest.
  • Retain habitat connections between Lavinia State Reserve, Colliers Swamp, Pegarah State Forest and nearby private remnants where present.

Threats: Fire and climate

Wildfires in 2001 and 2007 burnt large areas of native vegetation on King Island, including swamp paperbark forest. Frequent or severe fire can prevent regeneration and reduce breeding and foraging habitat.

Projected increases in temperature, drought and severe fire weather may increase fire risk, although the magnitude of future change is uncertain.

  • Keep machinery, hot works and access arrangements away from dry forest remnants during elevated fire danger.
  • Include occupied and potential scrubtit habitat in bushfire mitigation and rapid response planning.
  • Avoid unnecessary removal of wet forest buffers that help retain moisture around swamp and riparian habitat.

Threats: Hydrology, grazing and disease

Drainage of lagoons and swamp forests has damaged Melaleuca ericifolia and other swamp communities. Land clearing can also impede water flows and dry vegetation margins more quickly.

Overabundant wallabies and increasing fallow deer can simplify the understorey used for foraging and nesting. Phytophthora cinnamomi can alter vegetation structure and plant composition.

  • Avoid drainage, infilling, diversion or dewatering that changes swamp, wetland or riparian conditions.
  • Prevent livestock, deer and wallabies from entering retained habitat where fencing is practicable.
  • Apply clean-down and hygiene controls for vehicles, machinery and footwear when moving between sites with known or suspected Phytophthora infection.

Threats: Predation, ticks and small population size

Feral cats, rats and forest ravens may prey on scrubtits, eggs or young. The impact of these predators on the King Island subspecies is not fully quantified.

Captured King Island scrubtits have carried large numbers of ticks. The population is also vulnerable to genetic effects because it is small and fragmented.

Tick evidence: Large numbers of ticks have been recorded on captured King Island scrubtits.

Genetic risk: Isolation of approximately three subpopulations may limit gene flow and increase inbreeding risk.

  • Control access by domestic or feral cats to retained forest where project activities could increase cat presence.
  • Do not introduce food, waste or shelter that could increase rats or other predators near occupied habitat.
  • Report observations of scrubtits, nests, dependent young, heavy tick loads or predator activity to the project ecologist and relevant Tasmanian authorities.

Threats: Roads and construction disturbance

The supplied documents do not identify road mortality or a species-specific road avoidance distance. New roads and access tracks can nevertheless remove or divide the small forest patches used by the King Island subspecies.

Construction noise, vegetation removal and understorey disturbance may affect birds, nests and dependent young where works overlap occupied habitat.

Recommended survey effort for areas under 50 ha: Area searches or transects for 10 hours over 5 days, or broadcast surveys for 6 hours over 3 days.

Preferred survey timing: Early morning, especially early in the breeding season.

  • Use existing access routes where possible and keep new tracks out of mature wet forest, swamp paperbark remnants and dense riparian vegetation.
  • Schedule vegetation clearing outside the main September to January breeding period where practicable, subject to site survey results and regulatory requirements.
  • Treat a lack of detections as inconclusive unless the survey method and effort are suitable for this secretive species.

Survey methodology: 1. Area searches and transects

Survey the scrubtit where suitable wet forest, rainforest or dense understorey may be disturbed. The King Island subspecies has specific EPBC survey guidance and is difficult to detect because it is shy, inconspicuous and often remains close to the ground.

Use early morning area searches or transects through suitable habitat, particularly during the breeding season from September to January.

Search dense understorey, fern gullies, swamp paperbark forest, wet eucalypt forest, gullies, drainage lines and retained forest edges. Look and listen for birds foraging near the ground on trunks, bark, foliage, fallen logs and leaf litter.

The King Island subspecies is usually seen singly or in pairs, is probably resident, and has little movement between habitat patches. It may call from a perch when disturbed and may approach observer squeaking.

King Island survey effort: 10 hours over 5 days for area searches or transects in areas smaller than 50 hectares

Preferred timing: Early morning, especially from September to January

Typical detection: Calls and sightings of birds singly or in pairs, usually in dense low vegetation

  • For the King Island subspecies, apply 10 hours of area searches or transect surveys over 5 days in areas smaller than 50 hectares.
  • Conduct searches early in the morning, when activity and detection by calls and sightings are expected to be greatest.
  • Record the search route, date, start and finish time, weather, wind, rainfall, habitat type, observer names and all calls or sightings.

Survey methodology: 2. Broadcast surveys

Use broadcast surveys as a supplementary method in suitable habitat, especially during the breeding season. The survey guideline states that playback is likely to be effective for the King Island subspecies.

Use playback only under an approved survey design and in accordance with current animal ethics, permit and project requirements. Avoid repeated or prolonged playback that could disturb territorial birds.

King Island broadcast effort: 6 hours over 3 days

Best period: Especially during the breeding season, from September to January

Identification risk: Possible confusion with the Tasmanian scrubwren

  • For the King Island subspecies, apply 6 hours of broadcast surveys over 3 days.
  • Record the playback protocol, station locations, duration, time of day, weather, observer response and any bird response, including calls without a visual confirmation.
  • Treat a response as evidence requiring careful follow-up, because the subspecies may be confused with the Tasmanian scrubwren when seen briefly.

Survey methodology: 3. Habitat and detection assessment

Map all suitable and occupied habitat before field searches. For the King Island subspecies, focus on mature swamp paperbark, Melaleuca ericifolia, forest with a continuous and structurally complex understorey, wet eucalypt forest, fern gullies and riparian forest.

Do not restrict the habitat assessment to vegetation polygons mapped as Melaleuca ericifolia swamp forest. The species may occur where paperbark is subdominant, nearby or present in small patches embedded in another vegetation community.

On mainland Tasmania, assess rainforest and wet eucalypt forest with dense understorey, because the species occurs in those habitats. Confirm the relevant state taxon and listing before relying on the King Island survey effort.

King Island area of occupancy: Estimated at 16 square kilometres, with a reported range of 12 to 20 square kilometres

King Island extent of occurrence: Estimated at 17 square kilometres, with a reported range of 16 to 20 square kilometres

King Island mature population: Approximately 50 mature individuals, with a reported range of 30 to 70

  • Inspect lower vegetation, tree trunks, bark, fallen logs and leaf litter because scrubtits forage mainly at these levels.
  • Record habitat structure, understorey density, ferns, swamp paperbark presence, wet forest condition, drainage lines, connecting vegetation and recent fire or grazing damage.
  • Use experienced observers who can separate scrubtit calls and appearance from Tasmanian thornbills and scrubwrens.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use the King Island effort guide where the project is on King Island and suitable habitat is present: 10 hours over 5 days for area searches or transects, plus 6 hours over 3 days for broadcast surveys.
  • If the project is outside King Island, document the taxon, habitat, survey method, timing, effort and reasons for any departure from the King Island guidance.
  • Do not claim absence solely because no bird was detected during a brief inspection, because the species is shy, inconspicuous and difficult to see.
  • Submit confirmed sightings, calls with supporting evidence, injured or dead birds and survey effort to the relevant state wildlife database, and provide records to the project regulator or approval authority where required.
  • Retain georeferenced tracks, photographs, sound recordings, habitat maps, weather data, observer qualifications and raw field sheets with the project environmental records.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise impacts

Avoid clearing scrubtit habitat wherever practicable. This is particularly important for the King Island subspecies, which occupies small, isolated remnants and has an estimated population of about 50 mature birds.

Retain all occupied areas and suitable habitat within the known range of the King Island subspecies, including habitat that is temporarily unsuitable after fire or degradation but may recover.

Retain mature swamp paperbark, Melaleuca ericifolia, and other forest with a continuous, structurally complex understorey.

Keep habitat patches, riparian forest, drainage-line vegetation and connecting native vegetation intact wherever practicable. All surviving King Island birds are important because the population is very small.

  • Redesign the work footprint to avoid occupied habitat, old-growth swamp paperbark, dense low understorey, fern gullies and wet forest.
  • Avoid indirect impacts such as altered drainage, sedimentation, machinery access, weed spread, grazing access, soil compaction and increased fire exposure.
  • Maintain connectivity between retained patches, particularly around the Nook and Lavinia State Reserve, Colliers Swamp and Pegarah State Forest on King Island.
  • Do not clear native vegetation on the assumption that a small patch is unimportant, because the subspecies may use paperbark patches smaller than 1 hectare and habitat where paperbark is not the canopy species.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Check whether the action may significantly impact the EPBC listed King Island scrubtit before works begin. The King Island subspecies is listed as Critically Endangered under the EPBC Act.

Confirm the applicable Tasmanian listing, land manager requirements and permits for clearing, handling, capture, relocation, injured wildlife and use of playback. The supplied documents identify the King Island subspecies as Endangered under Tasmanian listing information and the EPBC Act as Critically Endangered.

Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat, exclusion areas, survey effort, fauna spotter catcher responsibilities, stop-work triggers, reporting and emergency contacts.

  • Obtain any EPBC approval, state permit, reserve approval, animal ethics approval or wildlife handling authorisation required for the project.
  • Schedule vegetation removal outside the main breeding period where practicable. For the King Island subspecies, the breeding period is generally September to January, while Tasmanian sources describe breeding from September to December.
  • Stage clearing so that retained habitat remains connected and available before any adjacent habitat is disturbed.
  • Brief all contractors on the scrubtit identification features, exclusion areas, speed limits, access routes and stop-work procedure.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

Complete the pre-clearance survey at the approved level of effort before finalising the disturbance footprint. Mark occupied habitat, suitable habitat, access routes and no-go areas on plans and on the ground.

Use fencing, bunting, signage and machinery exclusion zones to protect retained wet forest, dense understorey, drainage-line vegetation and habitat corridors.

Check the work area immediately before clearing because a scrubtit may be present without being detected during an earlier inspection.

  • Have the fauna spotter catcher inspect the vegetation to be disturbed on the day of works and after any overnight pause.
  • Mark the limits of clearing, retained understorey, wet areas, logs and other habitat features before machinery enters the site.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can prevent machinery, vehicles, stock, deer or wallabies from entering retained habitat without creating a wildlife entanglement risk.
  • Control weeds and clean machinery before entering retained habitat, particularly where Phytophthora cinnamomi may be present.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and clearing sequence

Use slow, supervised clearing in suitable habitat. The fauna spotter catcher must have authority to pause works and must work in direct communication with the machine operator and site supervisor.

Hold a daily pre-start briefing covering the mapped habitat, exclusion zones, weather, fire conditions, machinery movements, fauna procedures and stop-work contacts.

Clear from the retained habitat towards already cleared ground where safe, allowing mobile animals to move into retained habitat rather than isolating them in the work area.

Keep machinery out of retained swamp paperbark, wet forest, dense understorey, drainage lines and habitat corridors unless that access has been specifically approved.

Use a spotter catcher to inspect the active work area, vegetation being felled and the immediate escape route continuously during clearing.

  • Stop machinery when the spotter catcher signals, when visibility is lost, when an animal enters the work zone or when a habitat feature cannot be safely inspected.
  • Do not allow workers to chase, corner, call repeatedly to or handle a scrubtit unless they are authorised under the relevant permit and fauna management plan.
  • Maintain low vehicle speeds and prevent workers, vehicles, domestic animals and machinery from entering retained habitat.
  • Suspend work during unsafe fire weather or when smoke, fire or access conditions could place the birds or retained habitat at unacceptable risk.

During habitat disturbance: Fauna response and handling

If a scrubtit is found, stop work in the immediate area, identify the bird if possible, and allow it to move into nearby retained habitat without pursuit.

If capture is necessary, use only an appropriately authorised person and the approved handling method. Keep handling brief and minimise noise, heat, light and exposure.

Relocate a bird only where authorised and only to nearby suitable retained habitat that matches the management plan. Do not move it to an unapproved site or across unsuitable cleared areas.

Take an injured bird to an authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian as soon as practicable, following the permit and project animal welfare procedure.

  • Record the date, time, location, condition, action taken, release location, people involved and any photographs or recordings.
  • Contact the project ecologist, fauna authority or regulator if the bird cannot be safely released, if more than one bird is found, or if a breeding site may be affected.
  • Do not use nest boxes, artificial hollows or other replacement features as a reason to clear occupied scrubtit understorey.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

Stop work in the affected area if a scrubtit is detected within the clearing footprint, if a nest or dependent young is suspected, if clearing breaches an exclusion zone, or if fire, sediment, drainage or machinery impacts reach retained habitat.

Stop work if the spotter catcher loses a safe view of the clearing face or cannot communicate with the operator.

Escalate any unexpected clearing of occupied or suitable habitat to the project environmental officer and approval holder before work resumes.

  • Maintain a daily fauna log containing survey effort, weather, habitat cleared, machinery used, bird observations, incidents, stop-work events, relocations and injuries.
  • Map every detection and relocation with coordinates and link it to photographs, audio files and the relevant clearing area.
  • Report any suspected breach of an EPBC or state approval immediately through the project's incident and regulator notification process.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Confirm that clearing has not left birds, nests or isolated habitat in the work area. Continue controls because the King Island subspecies occupies small remnants and may depend on habitat that appears temporarily degraded.

Inspect the cleared area, retained edges, access tracks and escape route after clearing and again at the end of the work period for birds, nests, injured fauna and accidental damage to retained habitat.

Check that exclusion fencing, signs, drainage controls and machinery boundaries remain effective after each construction stage and after heavy rain or fire events.

Remove dangerous debris and stabilise exposed soil without entering retained habitat or damaging dense understorey.

  • Complete a final fauna spotter catcher inspection before demobilising from each clearing stage.
  • Search for injured or dead birds around machinery, fencing, cut vegetation and access roads, and manage them through the authorised wildlife procedure.
  • Reinstate any damaged habitat boundary, understorey, drainage-line vegetation or connectivity feature as soon as practicable.
  • Keep domestic animals, stock, deer and wallabies out of retained and rehabilitated habitat where fencing or other approved controls are required.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained habitat and adjoining rehabilitation for scrubtit presence, understorey condition, fire damage, grazing, weeds, Phytophthora symptoms and connectivity.

Use repeat early morning searches and call observations during the breeding period where the approval or fauna management plan requires post-work monitoring.

Compare post-work results with pre-clearance habitat maps and survey records, including changes in the area of suitable understorey and links between habitat patches.

  • Report all detections, injuries, mortalities, relocations, habitat loss, approval incidents and corrective actions to the approval holder and relevant regulator.
  • Submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database and retain the underlying evidence and survey effort.
  • Continue monitoring until the approval's completion criteria are met, or until the ecologist and regulator agree that controls are no longer needed.
  • Apply any required offset, conservation covenant, habitat protection agreement or other approval measure before closing the project.

Rehabilitation actions: Rebuild suitable habitat

Rehabilitation should rebuild the wet, structurally complex understorey used by scrubtits for shelter, foraging and nesting. On King Island, rehabilitation should also improve links between isolated habitat remnants.

Replant or encourage regeneration of mature swamp paperbark, Melaleuca ericifolia, wherever it is part of the approved target community.

Restore wet eucalypt forest, fern gullies, riparian vegetation and other local native forest communities that support dense understorey.

Use local provenance plants and a mixed structure of young paperbark, shrubs, ferns and ground-layer plants rather than establishing an open canopy with sparse understorey.

Reconnect retained patches with native vegetation corridors and buffer them from pasture, machinery access, grazing and edge drying.

  • Retain fallen logs, leaf litter, bark and natural ground cover where safe because scrubtits forage on trunks, fallen logs, bark, foliage and leaf litter.
  • Do not remove coarse woody debris or simplify the understorey during maintenance.
  • Reinstate natural drainage and wet soil conditions where the project has altered them, while preventing erosion and sediment movement into retained habitat.
  • Do not plant species or install structures that are not part of the approved local ecological community restoration design.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage threats during recovery

Control weeds and prevent machinery, soil and water movement from spreading Phytophthora cinnamomi into retained or rehabilitated wet forest.

Manage browsing by wallabies, deer and livestock where it prevents the understorey from developing. The King Island conservation advice identifies browsing as a threat to the low vegetation used for foraging and nesting.

Protect recovering habitat from wildfire and incorporate the relevant fire management plan, rapid response arrangements and access for firefighting.

  • Fence rehabilitation areas where needed to exclude livestock, deer and wallabies without creating wildlife entanglement hazards.
  • Use clean-down and wet-soil access procedures for vehicles and machinery in accordance with the site's Phytophthora hygiene requirements.
  • Maintain fire breaks and response arrangements without clearing retained scrubtit habitat or reducing connectivity.
  • Coordinate feral cat, rat and forest raven control with the responsible land manager where these predators are identified as a project or site threat.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and follow-up

Set measurable rehabilitation targets for survival and cover of Melaleuca ericifolia and other local native plants, dense understorey development, wetland or drainage function, weed control, browsing control and connection between habitat patches.

Monitor rehabilitation and retained habitat for scrubtit use, including calls, sightings, foraging signs and breeding activity, using consistent early morning methods.

Treat a failure to establish dense understorey, connectivity or wet forest structure as a need for corrective work rather than as completion of rehabilitation.

King Island recovery timeframe: The conservation advice sets objectives for 2033

Recovery objectives: Increase individuals and subpopulations, increase habitat critical to survival, and improve connectivity

  • Inspect rehabilitation after planting, after the first dry period, after major fire or storm events, and at the intervals required by the approval.
  • Replace failed plants and repair browsing, weed, erosion, drainage, fire or fencing controls promptly.
  • Use the species' recovery objectives as a guide where relevant on King Island: increase the number of individuals and subpopulations, increase habitat critical to survival and improve connectivity by 2033.
  • Record monitoring results, management actions, photographs, maps and scrubtit observations, and submit required reports and wildlife records to the relevant authorities.

Sources