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Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps)

The sugar glider is a small, nocturnal, tree dwelling marsupial that lives in forest, woodland and some connected remnant vegetation across much of eastern, northern and southern Australia. On works sites, hollow bearing trees can support shared dens, food resources and several members of a local group. The species is listed as least concern in Australia, but clearing or damaging a shared breeding hollow can affect a substantial part of the local group and may require additional controls in Queensland.

Conservation status

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Colonial breeder. Gliders den together in shared tree hollows, and approved Queensland species management programs have treated them as colonial breeders. Plan for a high risk program where a den hollow may be disturbed.

Breeding season

Sugar gliders can mate from August to December, with births recorded from June to January and most births from August to October. Timing varies with latitude, rainfall, food availability and local population, so hollow-bearing trees should be treated as potentially active throughout the year.

Breeding mode: Marsupial breeder. The female gives birth to one or two young, which complete early development in the pouch and then in a leaf-lined tree hollow.

Breeding timing: Mating commonly occurs from August to December. Births can occur from June to January, with most births from August to October.

Gestation and litter size: Gestation is about 16 to 21 days. Litters contain one or two young, and up to two litters may occur in a year.

Young development: Young remain attached to the teat for about 40 days in some accounts, or in the pouch for about 70 days in other accounts. After leaving the pouch, they remain in the nest for about 50 days and continue foraging with their mother.

Maturity: Females reach sexual maturity at about 8 to 15 months. Males reach sexual maturity at about 12 months.

Colonies and breeding places: Sugar gliders are social hollow users, not colonial in the same way as bats or waterbirds. A usual group contains 2 to 7 adults, often with young, and may share a tree hollow containing a spherical or bowl-shaped nest made from eucalyptus leaves. Groups may share a nest, and a breeding hollow can support several animals from the local group.

Recognising and protecting an active den tree: Look for a suitable hollow, leaf nest material, fresh chew marks, droppings, scratch marks, scent marking and repeated nocturnal entry. Use spotlighting and stag-watching to check hollow-bearing trees, with minimal disturbance. Retain den trees where possible. If felling cannot be avoided, use a two-stage process that removes the crown first and leaves the hollow section standing until animals have moved, under an approved method and fauna spotter direction. Nest boxes can supplement lost hollows, but do not replace natural hollow-bearing trees.

Year to year timing can shift with rainfall, temperature, flowering and gum availability, and populations in different regions may not follow the same peak months.

  • Mating: Mating is commonly recorded from August to December, but local conditions can extend or shift this period.
  • Births: Births can occur from June to January and are most often reported from August to October.
  • Dependent young in pouch or nest: Dependent young may be present for several months because pouch development is followed by a further nestling period.
  • Shared hollow and colony den use: Groups can share leaf-lined tree hollows throughout the year, with group size and den use changing with season and resources.
  • Nocturnal activity and foraging: Sugar gliders are nocturnal and usually forage in trees, although cold or wet conditions can reduce activity and lead to torpor or huddling.
  • Highest clearing risk: The highest risk is from June to January, when births, pouch young, nest young and shared breeding hollows may be present, although colonial breeding places need protection in every month.

Identification: Appearance

Sugar gliders are small, nocturnal gliding possums. They spend most of their time in the canopy and rarely come to the ground, so quiet night surveys and careful inspection of hollow bearing trees are often needed.

The back is usually blue grey to brown grey, with a dark stripe from the nose or forehead to the mid back. The underside is cream to grey. The eyes are large, the ears are pointed and the tail is long, bushy and sometimes white tipped.

A gliding membrane extends from the wrist to the ankle. The tail helps with balance and steering. The body is about the size of a rat or squirrel. Males are generally larger than females.

Activity: Strictly nocturnal

Gliding distance: Usually up to about 50 m, with individual glides recorded up to 90 m

  • Head and body length: 160 to 210 mm.
  • Tail length: 165 to 210 mm.
  • Adult weight: about 95 to 160 g.

Identification: Calls and similar species

Sugar gliders do not use echolocation. Listen for a loud yip or yip yip yip call, barking, hissing and a rolling, motor like anger call. Calls may come from a den tree or from animals moving through the canopy.

The species can be confused with squirrel gliders, mahogany gliders and other small gliders. A sugar glider usually has a blunter face, a slimmer tail and may have a white tail tip. Recent taxonomic changes mean that local glider identification should be checked by an experienced ecologist where the distinction affects approvals or management.

Main identification feature: Dark dorsal stripe with a wrist to ankle gliding membrane

Common confusion: Squirrel glider and other small glider species

  • Use photographs, call recordings and location details where identification is uncertain.
  • Do not rely on a single brief view at night.

Identification: Field signs

Small, black, pointed droppings may be found below a den tree or on branches and platforms. Droppings are about 12 mm long and 4 mm wide, and may be joined by hairs.

The most useful sign is a combination of fresh leaf nests, den hollows, repeated animal activity and calls. Sugar glider nests are made from green or fresh eucalypt leaves and are often cup shaped or spherical inside a hollow.

Whitewash: Not a useful primary sign for this species

Echolocation: Absent

  • Fresh leaves or nest material at a hollow entrance.
  • Small black droppings below a tree or on nearby limbs.
  • Scratch marks or worn bark near a hollow entrance.
  • Yipping, barking or hissing during spotlighting.
  • A musky or glandular animal odour around a regularly used den may support other evidence, but odour alone is not reliable.

Distribution: Australian range

The sugar glider is widespread in Australia, although recent taxonomic work has narrowed the distribution of animals that are formally assigned to this name. For project planning, confirm the local species identity and use current state records where the distinction from other gliders matters.

The species profile covers New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. Records and habitat associations vary between regions.

Sugar gliders occur in wet and dry sclerophyll forest, woodland, rainforest margins and eucalypt dominated vegetation. They are more often associated with tall open mixed eucalypt forest where suitable hollows and food plants are present.

Mapped Australian jurisdictions: NSW, NT, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC and WA

Typical landscape setting: Forest, woodland, remnant vegetation and connected habitat

  • Eastern and southern mainland forests and woodlands.
  • Northern Australian woodland areas under the broader sugar glider treatment.
  • Introduced populations occur in Tasmania.

Distribution: Taxonomy and local verification

Sugar gliders were formerly treated as one widespread species. Recent work recognises sugar glider, Krefft's glider and savanna glider as separate species in parts of the former range.

This can affect survey results, mapping and approvals. Record the animal's location, photographs, call and habitat, and seek specialist confirmation where another glider is possible.

Family: Petauridae

Conservation status: Least concern in Australia

  • Check whether local mapping uses the current species treatment.
  • Do not assume every small glider in northern or eastern Australia is a sugar glider.
  • Treat an unconfirmed glider record conservatively during clearing assessments.

Distribution: Landscape connectivity

Sugar gliders can persist in some remnant patches, but they need connected trees for movement and foraging. Large cleared gaps can isolate groups and increase exposure to predators and vehicles.

Map hollow bearing trees, canopy links, roadside vegetation and nearby remnants before finalising clearing limits.

Recorded home range: About 0.5 to 7.1 hectares, depending on the study and habitat

  • Retain linked tree lines where practicable.
  • Identify narrow canopy gaps that may restrict movement between retained trees.
  • Include adjoining vegetation in the site assessment, not only trees inside the work footprint.

Habitat: Vegetation communities

Look for sugar gliders wherever mature or partly mature trees provide hollows, connected canopy and suitable food plants. They can use modified landscapes, but habitat quality usually falls when hollow trees, understorey food plants and movement links are removed.

Suitable habitat includes wet and dry sclerophyll forest, eucalypt woodland, rainforest edges and remnant bushland. Acacia rich understorey is especially useful because wattle gums are an important food source.

Important tree and plant resources vary between regions. Retain a diverse mix of eucalypts, acacias, flowering trees and shrubs rather than focusing on one tree species.

Habitat feature: Hollow bearing trees with connected canopy and diverse food plants

Ground use: Usually low. Sugar gliders are arboreal and rarely descend to the ground

  • Tall open mixed eucalypt forest.
  • Dry sclerophyll forest and woodland.
  • Wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest margins.
  • Acacia rich understorey and flowering native vegetation.
  • Remnant patches connected by trees or revegetated corridors.

Habitat: Features to map before clearing

A pre clearing habitat map should show hollow bearing trees, dead standing trees, large limbs, nest trees, food trees, canopy gaps and potential movement routes. Include trees just outside the work area where they could be affected by vibration, falling trees or loss of connecting canopy.

Record tree condition and hollow characteristics rather than using trunk diameter alone. Sugar gliders can use a range of hollow bearing tree sizes and characteristics.

Hollow value: Hollows provide shelter, nest sites and breeding places

Artificial habitat: Nest boxes may be used where natural hollows are scarce

  • Tree location and species, where known.
  • Hollow entrance height, size and orientation.
  • Visible leaf nests or nesting material.
  • Canopy connection to retained trees.
  • Nearby acacias, flowering eucalypts and other food plants.
  • Roads, artificial lighting, domestic animals and other hazards.

Habitat: Fragmented and urban sites

Sugar gliders may occur in small bushland remnants, revegetated areas, parks and urban edges. A site can therefore retain habitat value even when it is not part of a large forest block.

Give extra attention to narrow corridors, isolated hollow trees and trees beside roads. These sites may contain a small local group with few alternative dens.

Site assessment approach: Assess the whole local tree and canopy network, not only the clearing polygon

  • Inspect retained trees within and beside development footprints.
  • Avoid creating new gaps between den trees and food trees.
  • Manage external lighting near known den trees and movement routes.

Foraging habitat: Food plants and resources

Sugar gliders feed at night in the canopy and understorey. Their flexible diet means that retaining a range of flowering, gum producing and insect supporting plants is more useful than retaining a single food source.

Important foods include acacia gum, eucalypt sap, nectar, pollen, honeydew, manna and insects. Sugar gliders may lick sap flows on eucalypts and gums on wattles, and may feed around flowering trees and shrubs.

Retain mature food trees and maintain native understorey where possible. Avoid removing flowering or gum producing plants from around known den trees unless the impact has been assessed.

Foraging period: Mainly at night

Diet type: Omnivorous and seasonally flexible

  • Acacia and other wattle species.
  • Eucalypts that produce sap, manna or flowers.
  • Banksias, grevilleas and other nectar and pollen sources.
  • Native shrubs and leaf litter that support insects.
  • Vegetated canopy links between food and den trees.

Foraging habitat: Foraging signs and survey conditions

Spotlighting is most useful when animals are active and weather conditions are suitable. Scan the canopy, hollow entrances, trunks and connecting branches rather than only the ground.

Rain, cold and food shortages can reduce activity. Sugar gliders may enter torpor or remain huddled in a nest during cold or wet conditions, so a quiet survey does not prove that a tree is unused.

Typical observation: Animal moving through canopy, feeding at flowers or gum flows, or entering a hollow

Survey limitation: Low activity can reflect torpor or weather rather than absence

  • Use a red or filtered light where practicable and avoid prolonged illumination of one den entrance.
  • Record the time, weather, light conditions, tree location and animal behaviour.
  • Repeat observations when the first survey is affected by cold, rain or strong wind.
  • Avoid placing food or bait on the ground to attract animals.

Foraging habitat: Lighting and construction effects

Bright or poorly directed lighting can reduce nocturnal movement and foraging. Construction noise, vibration and removal of canopy links can also make otherwise suitable habitat less usable.

Direct lights away from hollow entrances, retained canopy and known movement routes. Schedule noisy work away from active den trees where practicable, and retain dark movement corridors.

Management aim: Maintain safe, connected and reasonably dark night time habitat

  • Use downward directed, shielded lights.
  • Avoid lighting the full face of a retained hollow tree.
  • Keep temporary lighting away from canopy links.
  • Reinstate native food plants in revegetation areas.

Breeding habitat: Breeding places

Sugar gliders breed in tree hollows and use leaf nests within those hollows. A hollow can shelter several group members and may be used for breeding, sleeping and raising young at different times.

A breeding place is usually a hollow bearing tree containing a leaf nest. The nest may be cup shaped, spherical or bowl shaped, and is made from eucalypt leaves or other fresh leaf material.

The entrance may be high in the trunk or a large limb. Internal features cannot be confirmed safely from the ground alone, so treat a suitable hollow as potentially occupied when other signs are present.

Litter size: Usually 1 to 2 young, commonly twins

Young: Remain in the pouch for about 60 to 70 days, then use the nest while developing

  • Mature living trees with hollows.
  • Standing dead trees with sound, dry hollows.
  • Large limbs with upward or side entrances.
  • Hollows containing fresh leaves, nest material or animal odour.
  • Trees linked to other den and food trees.

Breeding habitat: Breeding timing and young

Mating commonly occurs from August to December. Births have been recorded from June to January, with most births from August to October. Timing can vary with region and conditions.

Young may remain in the nest after leaving the pouch and later forage with the mother. A female with dependent young may use more than one hollow within the group's local area.

Gestation: About 16 to 21 days

Nest dependent period: About 50 days after leaving the pouch

  • Treat occupied hollows as sensitive throughout the year.
  • Do not assume a hollow is empty because no adult is seen at the entrance.
  • Look for repeated adult visits, fresh nest material and juvenile calls.
  • Obtain specialist advice before disturbing a hollow with possible dependent young.

Breeding habitat: Recognising an active breeding place

No single sign confirms breeding. An active place is more likely where several signs occur together, such as fresh green leaves in a hollow, repeated entry and exit, calls from inside, droppings below the tree and animals carrying nesting material.

Stag watching and spotlighting can help confirm repeated use without opening the hollow. Record the tree and hollow precisely so it can be protected during planning and works.

Best evidence: Repeated use by adults plus fresh nest material or young calls

Stag watching: Useful for confirming hollow use before tree removal

  • Conduct dusk to early night observations over more than one suitable night where practicable.
  • Watch the hollow from a quiet position and avoid standing directly below it.
  • Record entry and exit times, number of animals, direction of travel and calls.
  • Inspect the ground and trunk for fresh nest material and droppings.
  • Use a pole camera only where authorised and where it can be done without harming the tree or animals.

Sheltering habitat: Den trees and hollows

During the day, sugar gliders shelter in tree hollows containing leafy nests. Groups may huddle together in cold weather, and one hollow can be used by several animals even when they are not all visible at once.

Prioritise mature trees, standing dead trees and large limbs with cavities. Sugar gliders can use a range of hollow sizes, so do not exclude smaller or less conspicuous trees without checking for signs.

A suitable den tree may have several entrances or hollows at different heights. Map the whole tree and nearby canopy because animals may move between several hollows within their home range.

Day shelter: Leaf nests inside tree hollows

Weather response: Huddling and torpor during cold or wet conditions

  • Hollows with leaf lining or fresh leaves.
  • Entrances protected from direct rain and hot afternoon sun.
  • Trees with branches connected to other trees.
  • Standing dead trees that remain stable and contain cavities.
  • Trees with droppings or calls below the hollow.

Sheltering habitat: Den tree identification on works sites

Before clearing, inspect all hollow bearing trees from the ground and record hollow entrances, likely nest hollows and access routes. Use binoculars during daylight, then confirm activity with spotlighting or stag watching at night.

Do not climb, cut into or block a hollow to check occupancy. A tree with no visible nest can still be an important shelter tree.

Ground inspection: Use binoculars and inspect the trunk, limbs, base and surrounding ground

Night inspection: Spotlighting and stag watching can confirm repeated use

  • Mark den trees on plans and on the ground with a durable, visible tag.
  • Establish a no entry area around the tree during machinery operations.
  • Check for animals or nesting material before pruning, felling or moving the tree.
  • Review the tree after nearby clearing because loss of canopy can expose the hollow to heat, rain and predators.

Sheltering habitat: Safe tree removal and retention

Retain hollow bearing trees wherever practicable. If removal is unavoidable, use a staged approach that gives animals an opportunity to leave and reduces the chance of crushing an animal inside the hollow.

A qualified fauna spotter catcher should inspect the tree and supervise the work. Stop work if an animal, dependent young or active nest is found.

Felling principle: Lower hollow sections carefully and allow animals an opportunity to leave

Work control: Fauna spotter catcher present during hollow tree removal

  • Complete a pre felling inspection during the day and a night activity check where suitable.
  • Remove non hollow limbs first where this can be done safely.
  • Use two stage felling for hollow bearing trees, with the tree section containing the hollow lowered carefully rather than dropped where practicable.
  • Leave the hollow section on the ground in a stable, shaded position for a period agreed by the fauna spotter catcher and approval conditions.
  • Recheck the hollow section and surrounding area for animals before final removal.

Sheltering habitat: Nest boxes and replacement shelter

Nest boxes can provide shelter or breeding hollows where natural hollows are scarce. They are not an equal substitute for retaining mature hollow bearing trees.

Place boxes near known records, retained vegetation and canopy links. Protect them from full sun, strong wind and heavy rain, and monitor them for use and maintenance needs.

Nest box role: Supplementary shelter where natural hollows are limited

Best location: Previously occupied habitat with surrounding vegetation and safe canopy access

  • A commonly used sugar glider box has an internal size of about 150 by 200 mm, a depth of 300 mm below the entrance and a 30 mm entrance.
  • Boxes may be installed 2 to 5 m above ground where safe and suitable.
  • Two to five boxes may be needed per local group, depending on habitat and the number of natural hollows retained.
  • Install boxes before hollow loss where practicable, then monitor them rather than assuming they are occupied.

Colonies and breeding places: What a group and shared den look like

Sugar gliders are social and den communally, but their groups are not colonies in the same way as bat roosts or waterbird breeding colonies. In Queensland, they are treated as colonial breeders for management purposes because several animals can share one breeding hollow, so one tree can represent a substantial part of a local group.

A typical social group has 2 to 7 adults, often 5 to 7, with dependent young. Groups may share a tree hollow and a leaf nest, and may use several hollows within a local territory.

The term colony is useful for identifying a shared breeding place, but should not imply a large, dense aggregation. Sugar gliders are usually small family groups spread through connected trees, with group size and den use changing with season and food availability.

Typical social unit: 2 to 7 adults, usually with young

Colony character: Small, social and tree hollow based, not a bat or waterbird style aggregation

  • One main group using one or more nearby den trees.
  • Several adults entering the same hollow at dusk or returning before dawn.
  • Young calling from a nest while adults forage.
  • A network of den, feeding and movement trees rather than one permanent roost.

Colonies and breeding places: Site fidelity and local use

Groups can show fidelity to a territory and to suitable den trees, while changing between hollows as conditions, weather and breeding needs change. A hollow that appears quiet on one night may still be part of the group's den network.

Plan around the group and its connected habitat, not only the single hollow where an animal was seen. Retain nearby hollow trees and canopy links wherever practicable.

Seasonal social pattern: Groups may be larger in winter and disband or change composition in summer

Local network: Several hollows may be used within the group's home range

  • Map all potential den trees within and beside the work area.
  • Repeat night observations if the first survey is inconclusive.
  • Treat neighbouring hollows as connected breeding habitat.
  • Record seasonal changes in use, including winter huddling and summer dispersal.

Colonies and breeding places: Recognising an active colony or breeding place

A shared breeding place is more likely to be active when fresh leaf nests, repeated visits, calls, droppings and several animals are recorded at the same tree. Spotlighting and stag watching are preferred over opening a hollow or relying on a single daytime inspection.

Use a conservative approach when evidence is mixed. Protect the tree while further checks are made, particularly during the breeding period or when young may be dependent.

Strongest field evidence: Repeated group use plus fresh nest material or juvenile calls

Poor evidence: One brief sighting or an empty entrance without other signs

  • Watch from dusk and record animals entering or leaving.
  • Use binoculars to inspect entrances and nearby limbs.
  • Listen for adult and juvenile calls.
  • Look for fresh green leaves inside or below the hollow.
  • Check for multiple animals sharing the same entrance or den tree.

Colonies and breeding places: Queensland management context

Queensland treats sugar gliders as least concern colonial breeders in approved management arrangements because several animals may share a breeding hollow. Tampering with the breeding place of a least concern colonial breeder requires a high risk species management program under the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020, rather than the low risk program used for other least concern animals.

Project managers should confirm the current approval pathway with the Queensland regulator before clearing or damaging a suspected breeding place. A fauna spotter catcher should be involved in den tree assessment, staged felling and any relocation or nest box works.

Queensland classification: Least concern colonial breeder

Reason for special care: Several animals can share one breeding hollow

  • Confirm whether the tree is a breeding place before work starts.
  • Retain the tree where practicable.
  • Apply the approved high risk species management program where required.
  • Document inspections, night observations, tree tags, exclusion areas and outcomes.

Threats: Hollow loss and tree clearing

Sugar gliders are not listed as threatened in Australia, but local groups can be affected quickly by hollow loss, fragmentation and disturbance. Development controls should focus on keeping den trees, food plants, canopy links and safe night time movement routes.

Removing mature living trees, large limbs and standing dead trees removes shelter and breeding places. A single hollow tree may support several adults and young, so the local effect can be greater than the number of animals seen during a survey.

Retain hollow bearing trees and avoid damaging roots, trunks and canopy during earthworks. If removal cannot be avoided, use an approved staged felling method and provide replacement shelter where appropriate.

Primary development risk: Loss or disturbance of hollow bearing den trees

Preferred control: Retain the tree and its canopy connections

  • Avoid clearing known or suspected den trees.
  • Protect retained trees from machinery, spoil, trenching and compaction.
  • Do not fell a hollow tree without a pre felling inspection.
  • Use two stage felling and fauna supervision where removal is approved.

Threats: Fragmentation and movement barriers

Roads, wide cleared gaps, fences and loss of canopy can separate den trees from food trees. Sugar gliders can glide between trees, but a large gap may force them to the ground or prevent movement altogether.

Retain canopy links and use glider poles or other approved crossing structures where a gap cannot be avoided. Keep the structures connected to suitable trees and monitor their use.

Movement risk: Ground exposure, vehicle strike and loss of access between den and food trees

  • Maintain tree lines and vegetated corridors.
  • Reduce the width of unavoidable canopy gaps where practicable.
  • Install glider poles at known movement routes where approved.
  • Manage traffic near retained habitat and avoid creating new high speed conflict points.

Threats: Predators and domestic animals

Cats, foxes and dogs can kill sugar gliders, especially when habitat is fragmented or an animal is forced to the ground. Construction compounds can increase risk through open trenches, unsecured materials and domestic dogs brought to site.

Keep work areas secure and remove hazards that could trap or expose gliders. Prevent domestic animals from entering retained habitat.

Main predator concerns: Cats, foxes, dogs, owls, goannas, snakes and quolls

Site response: Secure the work area and reduce ground level exposure

  • Control access by cats and dogs.
  • Cover or fence open pits and trenches overnight.
  • Remove temporary ropes, netting and other entanglement hazards.
  • Keep rescued or displaced animals away from domestic animals during care.

Threats: Noise, lighting and weather exposure

Night lighting, vibration and repeated machinery activity can disrupt den use and foraging. Removing surrounding canopy can expose a hollow to heat, wind and rain, even when the tree itself is retained.

Use shielded lighting, retain shade and canopy around den trees, and stage noisy works away from active breeding places where practicable.

Disturbance concern: Loss of shelter, altered night activity and reduced access to food

  • Direct lights away from hollow entrances and canopy routes.
  • Avoid prolonged night work beside active den trees.
  • Retain surrounding vegetation to buffer wind, heat and rain.
  • Stop work and obtain fauna advice if an animal is found in a tree, hollow or work area.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Sugar gliders are nocturnal, arboreal and hollow dependent. Surveys work best when they combine habitat inspection with night searches, because a quiet hollow does not show whether it is occupied.

Map hollow bearing trees, connected canopy, acacia rich understorey, mature eucalypts, remnant vegetation and proposed clearing limits.

Review wildlife records, previous tree inspections, nest box records and reports of glider calls or domestic animal attacks.

Treat groups of up to seven adults and their young as a useful guide to local social groups. Group size varies with season and food availability. Sugar gliders are social, but their colonies are not large, dense roosts like bat colonies or waterbird breeding colonies.

Typical social group: About 2 to 7 adults, commonly with dependent young

Known home range information: About 0.5 to 7.1 hectares, with 0.5 to 3.8 hectares recorded in one Brisbane account

Activity period: Mainly nocturnal

  • Identify trees that could provide hollows, including standing live trees, dead trees and large limbs with cavities.
  • Map likely movement routes between trees and any canopy gaps that may require glider poles or retained links.
  • Check whether the project may affect a Queensland breeding place used by a least concern colonial breeder.

Survey methodology: 2. Night spotlighting and call searches

Search from dusk into the first part of the night, when animals leave hollows and begin feeding. Repeat searches on more than one suitable night where the risk of clearing is high.

Use a quiet, slowly moving spotlight from the ground and scan trunks, branches, canopy edges and likely glide paths. Sugar gliders have little reflective eyeshine, so do not rely on eye shine alone.

Listen for yapping, barking, hissing and the rolling starter motor or crabbing call. Record animals that are seen, heard or detected moving between trees.

  • Avoid strong wind, heavy rain, very cold conditions and intense nearby lighting where possible.
  • Use red light or the lowest practical light intensity when it allows safe detection.
  • Do not approach a hollow closely enough to block an animal's exit route.
  • Record date, start and finish time, weather, moon or ambient light conditions, observers, search area and search method.

Survey methodology: 3. Stag watching and hollow checks

Watch hollow bearing trees from a concealed position around dusk and again before dawn where practicable. Focus on trees with entrances that could accommodate a small glider and trees connected to other canopy.

Look for animals entering or leaving, repeated use of the same hollow, calls from within the tree, fresh leaf material and droppings below an entrance.

A hollow with a leaf nest, a visible animal, fresh droppings or repeated entry and exit should be treated as an active den or breeding place until assessed by an authorised ecologist or wildlife officer.

  • Mark each den tree without damaging the trunk or blocking the entrance.
  • Inspect cavities from the ground first. Use a pole camera only where it can be done safely and under the relevant approval.
  • Do not plug, smoke, flood, shine high intensity light into or place a hand inside a hollow.
  • Record tree location, species if known, height, condition, hollow entrance height and direction, evidence of use, photographs and relationship to the proposed disturbance.

Survey methodology: 4. Survey interpretation

A negative night search does not prove that a hollow is unused. Animals may be torpid, sheltering from cold or wet weather, foraging elsewhere or using a different hollow within their home range.

Give greater weight to repeated detections, den tree observations and evidence of dependent young than to a single absence.

Where the project could remove several hollow bearing trees, obtain advice from a suitably experienced ecologist and allow enough time for repeat searches and tree specific decisions.

  • Classify each tree as no evidence, potential den, confirmed use or active breeding place.
  • Map groups of trees that may support the same social group rather than assessing each tree in isolation.
  • Keep survey records with the clearing plan and provide them to the spotter catcher before work starts.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Approvals and permits

Avoid hollow loss wherever practicable. Sugar gliders can use nest boxes, but artificial structures do not replace mature hollow bearing trees and should be part of a wider retention and rehabilitation plan.

Screen the action under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Make a referral if the project may significantly affect a matter of national environmental significance, or obtain documented advice that a referral is not required.

In Queensland, confirm whether the work affects a breeding place of a least concern colonial breeder. A high risk species management program may be required under the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020. Do not rely on the low risk process for other least concern animals.

Obtain all required state or territory wildlife approvals before capture, handling, relocation, nest box installation or tree removal. A permit is required to care for injured or rescued wildlife.

  • Nominate the approval holder and the person responsible for compliance on site.
  • Check project conditions, local council requirements and any threatened species or wildlife management plans.
  • Keep copies of permits, the approved SMP, fauna protocols and emergency contacts at the site office and in the spotter catcher's vehicle.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Avoidance and work design

Retain hollow bearing trees, connected canopy and mature food trees wherever possible. Avoid removing a group of den trees from the same local area at one time.

Keep work areas, stockpiles, access tracks, lighting and machinery away from retained den trees. Set site specific exclusion zones after tree inspection and approval review rather than applying an untested generic distance.

Avoid night clearing. Schedule noisy or tree disturbing work for daylight, while allowing enough time for a pre-clearance check before machinery enters the work area.

  • Fence and sign no go areas around retained trees and mapped habitat.
  • Retain canopy links or install glider poles where the design creates a gap between retained trees.
  • Reduce unnecessary light spill near hollows, glide paths and retained vegetation.
  • Do not assume there is a migration season that allows all disturbance. Sugar gliders have no regular migration period. Plan around local breeding evidence and dependent young instead.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Pre-clearance inspection and crew induction

Complete a final inspection close to clearing, including all hollow bearing trees, likely den trees, nest boxes and ground areas beneath trees. Repeat the inspection if there has been a substantial delay or a change in the clearing footprint.

The ecologist or authorised spotter catcher should brief the crew on sugar glider appearance, nocturnal behaviour, calls, den trees, exclusion zones and the stop work process.

Explain that sugar gliders rarely come to the ground voluntarily. A glider on the ground, in a tree being felled or exposed during demolition needs immediate protection.

  • Mark trees with confirmed or potential hollows using a consistent system that is visible to machinery operators.
  • Check for a cup shaped or bowl shaped nest made from green or fresh eucalypt leaves inside a hollow.
  • Confirm that all workers know who can direct a stop work and who can authorise recommencement.
  • Keep a dark, quiet holding container, clean cloth bags or a ventilated transport box available for emergencies, but do not allow untrained workers to handle animals.

Before habitat disturbance: 4. Den trees, nest boxes and staged felling

Where a hollow bearing tree cannot be retained, use a two stage method under the approved fauna procedure. First remove non hollow limbs and lower the hollow section or whole tree in a controlled manner. Then leave the hollow section undisturbed for the period specified by the ecologist or approval before final processing.

Use a spotter catcher to inspect the fallen hollow section and any exposed nest. Do not fell a tree with an active breeding place unless the approved method specifically authorises it and the animal welfare risks have been addressed.

Install nest boxes before hollow removal where they suit the local habitat and approval conditions. A Brisbane guideline describes boxes with an internal size of 150 by 200 mm, a depth of 300 mm below the entrance, a 30 mm entrance and placement 2 to 5 m above ground. Use locally approved designs where different requirements apply.

  • Place two to five boxes per colony where local assessment supports that number, rather than installing boxes indiscriminately.
  • Position boxes away from full hot sun and excessive wind or rain, with surrounding vegetation and safe access for monitoring.
  • Do not treat nest boxes as an equal substitute for retaining natural hollows.
  • Use artificial nest sites only when their design, placement and maintenance have been reviewed for sugar gliders, not bat boxes or other structures with unsuitable entrances.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Sequential clearing

Clearing must be slow enough for animals to escape and for the fauna team to inspect each tree. The authorised spotter catcher has the authority to stop work whenever an animal, den, nest or unexpected risk is found.

Clear ground vegetation and non habitat areas first, then work progressively toward hollow bearing trees. Maintain a clear, supervised sequence so the spotter catcher can inspect the next tree before machinery moves.

Use a two stage process for hollow bearing trees where removal is approved. Lower hollow sections carefully, avoid crushing them and keep workers clear of possible exits.

Pause between stages when directed by the ecologist. Allow animals an opportunity to leave before the hollow is handled or transported.

  • Use machinery at low speed near retained trees and felled hollow sections.
  • Keep dogs, domestic animals and unnecessary personnel out of the clearing area.
  • Do not cut or split a hollow until it has been inspected and released by the fauna team.
  • Stop work if a tree behaves unpredictably, a hollow opens, a nest is exposed or an animal is seen.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Handling and active breeding places

Only authorised and trained fauna personnel may capture, handle, restrain or relocate a sugar glider. Workers must not chase an animal through the canopy or attempt to remove it from a hollow.

If an active breeding place, communal den or group is found, stop work and protect the tree and surrounding area. Keep machinery, people, bright lights and noise away until the approved fauna procedure has been reviewed.

Treat a hollow shared by several animals as a breeding place even if only one animal is visible. Sugar gliders share nests and hollows, and dependent young may remain hidden.

  • Record the location, tree condition, number of animals, presence of young, nest material, behaviour and likely escape route.
  • Contact the approval holder, project ecologist and relevant wildlife authority when the finding may change the approved method.
  • Do not move a den, nest or hollow to another location without authorisation.
  • Use a secure, dark and ventilated container only when capture is necessary for welfare or safety.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Injured, trapped or displaced animals

Stop work and secure the area if a sugar glider is injured, trapped, grounded or exposed during felling. Keep the animal warm, quiet and away from pets, people and machinery.

Contact the project ecologist and an authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian. Wildlife carers require the relevant permit to care for injured or rescued wildlife.

Do not offer food or water unless directed by the attending carer or veterinarian. Do not release an animal at an unapproved location.

  • Use a clean cloth bag or secure ventilated box only if the authorised handler directs capture.
  • Record the animal's condition, injuries, tree or location of discovery, time, finder, handler and transfer destination.
  • If a pouch young or dependent young is found, search the mother and the den under authorised direction. Keep young with the mother whenever safe and lawful.
  • Keep a clear chain of custody from discovery to treatment, rehabilitation or approved release.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Site records and stop work control

The spotter catcher should keep a daily fauna log. Record every inspection, stop work event, animal observation, handling event, nest, hollow and release of a tree.

Use photographs and GPS locations where this can be done without delaying animal welfare or increasing disturbance.

The spotter catcher should sign off each work area before clearing resumes.

  • Record date, time, weather, crew, machinery, tree number, action taken and person giving approval to recommence.
  • Document any departure from the approved SMP or fauna management plan and report it promptly.
  • Keep records of nest boxes installed, hollow sections retained, animals relocated and incidents involving injury or mortality.
  • Brief the incoming shift before work continues.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Immediate post clearance checks

Post clearance checks confirm that no animal, nest or hollow section has been overlooked. They also show whether the controls worked and whether the remaining habitat is being used.

Inspect the cleared area, felled hollow sections, retained trees and access edges after machinery leaves. Check cavities, leaf nests, fallen branches and ground beneath removed trees.

Complete a final night check where the clearing risk was high or where a den tree was disturbed. Look for displaced animals, calls and animals attempting to reach retained canopy.

Do not declare an area complete until the fauna team has checked all identified den trees and hollow sections.

  • Search around retained trees for injured or grounded gliders.
  • Confirm that exclusion fencing and retained habitat have not been damaged.
  • Check that nest boxes remain secure and have not been blocked or exposed.
  • Photograph completed areas and update the clearing map.

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

Release a healthy animal only under the direction of the authorised wildlife professional and in suitable connected habitat approved for the project. Avoid releasing animals into isolated vegetation or into another established group without advice.

Where an animal has been held for treatment, record the carer, treatment outcome, release location and release date. Do not assume that a short movement is harmless for a territorial social animal.

Monitor relocated or displaced animals when the approval or project risk assessment requires it. Use repeat spotlighting, call searches, den observations or nest box checks as appropriate.

  • Keep release sites away from roads, domestic animals, intense lighting and active construction.
  • Record whether the animal was an adult, juvenile, female with young or unknown.
  • Report failed release, mortality, repeated ground sightings or aggression from another group to the project ecologist.
  • Do not open a nest box or disturb a den during monitoring unless the method has been approved.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Compliance reporting

Provide the client, approval holder and relevant authority with the fauna clearance report required by the permit or SMP. Make the report clear enough for another ecologist to audit the work.

Include the final tree schedule, survey conditions, detections, active breeding places, stop work events, injuries, mortalities, relocations, nest boxes and photographs.

Report any breach, unapproved clearing or injury immediately under the project incident procedure. Do not wait for the end of the monthly or construction report.

  • Compare cleared trees with the approved design and mapped exclusion zones.
  • State which controls were used and whether any control failed.
  • Attach wildlife carer or veterinarian records where lawful and relevant.
  • Store records in the project environmental management system for future works in the same area.

After habitat disturbance: 4. Incident review

Review each animal incident with the spotter catcher, supervisor and project ecologist. Look for changes to work sequence, machinery access, lighting, induction or tree marking that would reduce future risk.

Update the fauna management plan when a new den type, active breeding place or unexpected behaviour is recorded.

Share lessons with the next work crew before further clearing starts.

  • Check whether the timing of work exposed dependent young or animals in torpor.
  • Check whether tree marking and exclusion fencing were visible from machinery.
  • Check whether nest boxes or retained habitat were placed where animals could use them.
  • Record corrective actions, responsible persons and due dates.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should restore connected, hollow bearing habitat and the food plants used by sugar gliders. Artificial structures can help where hollow loss cannot be avoided, but they need suitable placement and ongoing checks.

Retain and protect mature eucalypts, acacias, dead standing trees and fallen timber where safe. Plan for replacement hollow development over the long term, not only for immediate revegetation cover.

Replant locally appropriate woodland or forest species that provide gum, sap, nectar, pollen, insects and shelter. Include acacia where it is a natural component of the local habitat.

Create connected vegetation between retained remnants. Where a temporary gap remains, assess glider poles or other approved crossing structures.

  • Protect revegetated areas from browsing, fire damage, machinery and unauthorised access.
  • Use local provenance plants where required by the rehabilitation plan.
  • Retain leaf litter, logs and natural climbing structures where they do not create a safety hazard.
  • Avoid planting in a way that blocks den entrances or creates unsafe access to roads.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Install and maintain nest boxes

Install nest boxes only where natural hollows are limited and sugar gliders are present or habitat restoration is expected to support them. Use a design approved for local conditions.

A commonly used sugar glider box has an internal size of 150 by 200 mm, a depth of 300 mm below the entrance and a 30 mm entrance. Place it 2 to 5 m above ground where safe and suitable.

Use two to five boxes per colony where local assessment supports that arrangement. Place boxes near vegetation, away from full hot sun and sheltered from excessive wind and rain.

  • Use untreated, durable materials and provide a rough internal surface or other approved feature that allows animals to climb.
  • Secure boxes so they do not swing excessively or damage the host tree as it grows.
  • Number each box and map its location.
  • Inspect boxes under an approved method, preferably at a time that minimises disturbance. Repair, replace or remove unsafe boxes.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Do not use unsuitable artificial structures

Do not install bat boxes, bird boxes or artificial roost structures as a substitute for a sugar glider nest box unless the structure has been assessed for sugar glider use.

Sugar gliders share leaf nests in tree hollows. A structure designed for bats, waterbirds or cave roosting species may have unsuitable dimensions, entrance design, temperature or access.

Where a project needs artificial hollows for more than one species, use separate designs and maintain them as separate assets.

  • Check entrance size, internal depth, drainage, ventilation, shade and climbing access before installation.
  • Keep artificial structures away from high traffic areas, intense lighting and domestic animal access.
  • Do not move an occupied structure without approval and wildlife advice.
  • Record the intended species and management purpose for every artificial structure.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Weeds, water and lighting

Control weeds that suppress acacia, eucalypt regeneration or dense native understorey. Stage weed removal so that shelter and movement routes remain available.

Provide clean water only where it is part of the approved rehabilitation design and can be maintained safely. Prevent drowning and contamination, and do not create ground level food or water points that increase predation risk.

Limit artificial light near retained habitat, den trees, nest boxes and canopy links. Use shielding, timers and the lowest practical intensity.

  • Inspect revegetation after rain, drought, fire and major construction stages.
  • Keep domestic animals and feral predator attractants away from rehabilitation areas.
  • Do not leave food on the ground for sugar gliders.
  • Repair erosion and restore canopy connections before removing temporary exclusion fencing.

Rehabilitation actions: 5. Long term monitoring

Monitor restored habitat, retained hollows and nest boxes over the period required by the approval or rehabilitation plan. Sugar gliders may use different hollows as food and group conditions change.

Use repeat night spotlighting, call searches, stag watching, nest box inspections and records of fresh leaf nests or droppings. Apply the same method and search area each time so results can be compared.

Review monitoring results with the project ecologist and change planting, lighting, predator control or box placement if the habitat is not being used.

  • Record date, time, weather, observers, effort, detections, calls, den use, nest box condition and evidence of young.
  • Map confirmed use and any new hollow bearing trees as they develop.
  • Monitor for ground sightings, road mortality, domestic animal attack and repeated disturbance.
  • Retain monitoring records with the project environmental management system and use them to plan future clearing.

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