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Western Whipbird (Psophodes nigrogularis)

The Western Whipbird is a secretive, ground-dwelling songbird of dense mallee, heath and shrubland in southern Australia. It is listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act and in Western Australia, and is sensitive to clearing, fragmentation, extensive fire and disturbance of dense ground-level vegetation on development sites.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Western Australia, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Breeding season

The following annual pattern combines information from Western Australian, South Australian and Kangaroo Island populations. Timing varies between subspecies, and local survey planning should use the relevant population account.

Survey and clearing decisions should account for the species' low detectability, its use of dense vegetation and the possibility that birds are present without calling during every visit.

  • Breeding: Breeding occurs mainly from July to October, extending to November in the Kangaroo Island population. Laying is concentrated from late July to early September in the western heath population.
  • Young: Nestlings fledge at about 12 days in the western heath population, and fledglings remain dependent for at least two months. Young from later nests may remain dependent into December or January.
  • Movement and dispersal: Adults are generally sedentary and territorial after establishing a home range. Birds can disperse more than a few kilometres through vegetated areas when pressured to move, but cleared vegetation restricts dispersal.
  • Post-fire recolonisation: Recolonisation depends on regeneration of dense cover and food resources. Western Whipbirds usually do not persist in recently burnt areas, although some western populations can recolonise burnt heath after four to seven years.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing or intense disturbance is most likely to harm the species from July to December, when adults may be nesting or caring for dependent fledglings. Suitable habitat remains important year-round because adults hold territories and use dense cover outside the breeding season.

Identification

Western Whipbirds are elusive birds that usually run through dense vegetation rather than fly into view. A distinctive call is often the best evidence of presence, particularly during early morning and late afternoon surveys.

Adults are medium-sized, mostly olive-green to olive-grey birds with a short, triangular erectile crest. They have pale tail tips, greenish tones in the wings, and a black throat bordered by broad white moustache or whisker markings. The sexes are alike in plumage.

Juveniles lack the adult white and black markings on the chin and throat. Birds are about 23.5 cm long, weigh around 45 g and have a wingspan of 24 to 26.5 cm.

Identification: Calls and similar species

The bird is unmistakable within its range when seen well, but it is more often heard than seen. Calls are described for Western Australian populations as grating and creaking whistles, with distinctive song types for the two sexes and occasional antiphonal replies between partners.

The name whipbird can cause confusion with the Eastern Whipbird. Western Whipbirds, including the Kangaroo Island population, do not make the loud whipcrack-like call associated with the Eastern Whipbird.

Identification: Field signs

Look for a bird moving rapidly on the ground or through low, dense shrubs, often singly or in pairs. Flight is strong but usually short and not sustained, and the species generally prefers running through cover.

Nests are bulky domes or shallow cup-like structures with a side entrance, made from twigs, bark, grass and other vegetation. They are placed close to the ground in dense vegetation, generally less than 1 m above ground.

Distribution: States and bioregional range

The species complex occurs in southern Australia, with distinct populations and subspecies in Western Australia and South Australia. Some historical or former records extend into Victoria, but current occurrence is uneven and highly fragmented.

In Western Australia, the western heath population is restricted to a small coastal strip east of Albany, from Two Peoples Bay and Mount Gardiner to about Cape Riche Road, with the South Coast Highway an approximate inland boundary. It occurs in the South Coast region, including coastal dune thickets and low mallee shrubland.

The western mallee population occurs as scattered subpopulations through the southern Wheatbelt and central south coast, including the Fitzgerald River and Stirling Ranges areas. In South Australia, the species occurs on Kangaroo Island and in mallee and heath areas of the south-east and Murray Mallee, depending on the taxon recognised.

The former eastern subspecies was recorded in South Australia and possibly western Victoria. The South Australian Murray Mallee population has become small and patchy, and the species has disappeared from Victoria according to the South Australian fact sheet, although older national survey guidance records possible persistence in heathy mallee in western Victoria.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

Important Western Australian areas include Two Peoples Bay and Mount Gardiner for the western heath population, and Fitzgerald River National Park and Stirling Ranges National Park for the western mallee population.

On Kangaroo Island, records are concentrated in the south and west coastal mallee belt from Cape Borda to Cape du Couedic, extending east to Cape Willoughby. Additional records occur in Flinders Chase National Park, Cape Gantheaume Conservation Park, the Dudley Peninsula, the north coast and isolated eastern localities including Beyeria Conservation Park, Nepean Conservation Park and Point Morrison.

The Murray Mallee population is associated with Billiatt Conservation Park and other remaining mallee patches. The South Australian source identifies Billiatt as probably the most important remaining habitat patch after extensive fire in Ngarkat Conservation Park.

Distribution: Population information

Population estimates are not available for the whole species and vary between subspecies and survey areas. The Kangaroo Island population was estimated at about 1,000 mature individuals in the wild after the 2019 to 2020 bushfires, following a severe decline.

At Two Peoples Bay, the western heath population was estimated at about 100 pairs in 1982. This is a historical estimate and should not be treated as a current population count.

Kangaroo Island extent of occurrence: About 5,300 km²

Kangaroo Island area of occupancy: About 540 km², contracted

Kangaroo Island population after 2019 to 2020 fire: About 1,000 mature individuals

Kangaroo Island fire impact: 51% of the modelled range burnt at high to very high severity, with a further 11% burnt at low to moderate severity

Two Peoples Bay estimate in 1982: About 100 pairs

Habitat: Overall habitat

The Western Whipbird needs dense, continuous shrub cover with a well-developed low layer. Vegetation structure appears more important than the identity of individual plant species, although the preferred community differs between coastal heath, mallee and island populations.

Habitat includes coastal and subcoastal mallee and heath on limestone, dunes and lateritic plateaus. On Kangaroo Island, important habitat includes coastal mallee and heath, subcoastal shrubland and mallee heath across the central and western lateritic plateau.

In Western Australia, the western heath population uses heath-like thickets on coastal dunes and low, dense mallee woodland or shrubland with a dense, stunted understorey. The western mallee population uses open mallee woodland with a dense, tall shrub layer up to 1.5 m high.

Habitat: Vegetation structure

Suitable habitat is typically dense enough for birds to move through cover on the ground. At Two Peoples Bay, preferred thicket was 2 to 3 m high, while nesting occurred in dense heath beside taller thicket.

Eastern populations use dense shrubby understorey about 1.5 to 2 m high beneath an open mallee layer about 2 to 5 m high. Western mallee habitat can have a dense shrub layer up to 1.5 m high, often dominated by Hakea, Lambertia, Dryandra or Banksia.

Habitat: Fire age and site context

Periodic fire can regenerate the shrub layer, but birds generally do not persist in recently burnt areas. Records for related western populations are concentrated in vegetation last burnt 10 to 25 years earlier, and some guidance recommends retaining habitat more than 7 years post-fire until breeding suitability is demonstrated.

Known or likely habitat, including currently unoccupied areas that may become suitable after post-fire regeneration, should be treated as habitat important to survival. No elevation limit is given in the supplied sources.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding method

Western Whipbirds forage mainly on the ground and in low vegetation. They search dense cover and leaf litter for invertebrates, usually alone or with their partner.

The diet is primarily insects. Birds probe leaf litter, dead stumps and branches of eucalypts and shrubs, and glean prey from vegetation.

Recorded prey includes soft-bodied insects, caterpillars, ants and beetles. Spiders and skinks are also reported for eastern populations.

Foraging habitat: Foraging area

Birds forage within established territories or home ranges and are usually sedentary once a territory is occupied. Western heath birds at Two Peoples Bay used overlapping home ranges of 10 to 19 ha, with core areas of 1.5 to 2.4 ha.

Foraging habitat should therefore be assessed beyond the immediate nest area. Clearing small patches of dense shrubland can remove feeding cover and interrupt movement between core areas and the wider home range.

Western heath home range: 10 to 19 ha

Western heath core area: 1.5 to 2.4 ha

Known territorial behaviour: Pairs maintain home ranges from year to year; one pair remained in the same range for six years

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Pairs are monogamous and territorial. Breeding requires dense shrub cover close to the ground, with enough nearby vegetation to provide food and concealment for adults and young.

Breeding has been recorded from July to November. In the western heath population, most recorded clutches were started in August, with some beginning in the second half of July or first half of September.

Both adults brood the eggs and feed the nestlings and fledglings. Fledglings remain dependent for at least two months, although adults stay close to one another.

Breeding season: July to November

Typical clutch: Two eggs

Incubation: About 21 days, reported for the western heath population

Fledging: About 12 days after hatching, reported for the western heath population

Post-fledging dependence: At least two months

Age at maturity: Not reported in the supplied documents

Lifespan: Not reported in the supplied documents

Breeding habitat: Nest habitat

Nests are placed close to the ground in dense heath, shrubland or mallee understorey. At Two Peoples Bay, all recorded nests were in dense heath within 4 to 50 m of taller thicket.

For site works, retain dense shrub cover around potential nest locations and avoid assuming that an apparently unoccupied patch is unsuitable without appropriate seasonal surveys. The species is cryptic and may be detected mainly by its call.

Sheltering habitat: Cover and refuge

The species relies on dense vegetation for concealment, movement and refuge. It has no reported dependence on tree hollows, caves, burrows or elevated roosts.

Dense heath, mallee shrubland, thicket and low vegetation provide shelter for adults, fledglings and foraging birds. The species prefers to run through cover and has limited sustained flight, so open cleared ground can restrict movement.

Unburnt patches within or beside recently burnt areas can provide refuge after fire. These patches should be protected from planned burning, back burning, clearing and other disturbance until surrounding vegetation has regenerated sufficiently.

Sheltering habitat: Nest and roost structures

Nests are bulky domes or shallow cup-like structures with a side entrance, built from twigs, bark, grass and other vegetation. They are close to the ground and generally less than 1 m high.

The supplied documents do not report specific roost trees, hollows, burrows, dens, tracks, scats or eyeshine. A lack of these signs should not be used to exclude the species from dense suitable habitat.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

Fire is the most significant broad-scale threat identified for the species. On development sites, direct vegetation removal, fragmentation, disturbance of unburnt refuge patches and increased access for predators can add to the risk.

Clearing mallee, heath, thicket or dense shrubland can remove occupied habitat, nests, foraging cover and movement routes. Roadside vegetation removal and asset protection works can be significant where they reduce dense habitat or isolate remnants.

Fragmentation is particularly concerning for small populations. Western mallee subpopulations have included isolated remnants smaller than 150 ha, and the species has limited dispersal through cleared vegetation.

Threats: Fire and fire management

Large, frequent or high-intensity fire can remove suitable shrub structure across extensive areas, leave few refuges and prevent movement between occupied patches. The 2019 to 2020 Kangaroo Island fires caused a severe population reduction.

Prescribed burning, mechanical vegetation removal, asset protection zones and back burning should be designed with known whipbird locations and unburnt refuge patches in mind. Fire exclusion from most remaining suitable habitat was identified as a priority for the decade following the Kangaroo Island fires.

Threats: Predators, disease and invasive plants

Feral cats may prey on this strongly terrestrial species, particularly after fire when vegetation is open. Feral pigs can trample, dig through and degrade habitat, spread weeds and damage streams.

Phytophthora cinnamomi can cause dieback and alter the structure and plant composition of habitat. Invasive weeds can reduce habitat quality and may alter fire behaviour, hydrology and microclimate. Biosecurity controls should prevent the movement of contaminated soil, mud and plant material between sites.

Threats: Hydrology and roads

The supplied documents do not identify a specific hydrological threshold for Western Whipbirds. Hydrological changes should nevertheless be assessed where they could alter mallee, heath, thicket, drainage-line vegetation or the plant communities that provide dense cover.

Road construction and widening can remove roadside habitat, create cleared gaps and increase access for predators and people. Retain connected native vegetation and avoid disturbing dense habitat during the breeding and dependent-young period where practicable.

Survey methodology: 1. Confirm the taxon and habitat

Confirm which Western Whipbird taxon occurs at the site before selecting survey effort. The western heath, western mallee, eastern and Kangaroo Island forms use dense mallee, heath or thicket, are cryptic, usually sedentary and are detected more reliably by their distinctive calls than by sight.

Use the project location and habitat to determine whether the site may support the western heath form in coastal south-west Western Australia, the western mallee form in the southern wheatbelt and central south coast, the eastern form in south-eastern Australia, or the Kangaroo Island form in South Australia.

Inspect dense, shrubby vegetation before surveying. Relevant habitat includes coastal dune thickets, low dense mallee, mallee heath, limestone and dune vegetation, and mallee with a dense shrub layer up to 1.5 metres tall.

Treat known, likely and temporarily unoccupied habitat as potentially important where the vegetation is expected to recover after fire.

Detection: Timid, elusive and cryptic, usually detected by its distinctive territorial song.

Typical movement: Territorial and probably sedentary, with poor dispersal across cleared vegetation.

Survey methodology: 2. Call detection and playback

For the western heath, conduct broadcast surveys for 10 hours over 4 days, with the effort concentrated in suitable habitat and the breeding season.

For the western mallee and eastern forms, conduct broadcast surveys for 10 hours over 4 days, especially during the breeding season.

Use early morning or late afternoon for transect and point work. Use playback carefully because response can vary, particularly at low population density.

Record the exact position, time, weather, observer, call direction, response distance and whether the call was spontaneous or followed playback.

Western heath broadcast effort: 10 hours over 4 days.

Western mallee and eastern broadcast effort: 10 hours over 4 days.

Best period: Breeding season, generally July to October, with western heath eggs recorded from July to early September.

Survey methodology: 3. Transect, point and area searches

For the western heath, complete either 12 hours of area searches over 6 days or 12 hours of line transect surveys over 6 days.

For the western mallee and eastern forms, complete 12 hours of area searches or transect surveys over 6 days.

Use fixed points or transect sections in suitable dense vegetation, and allow observers to listen rather than relying on visual detection while moving.

Where more than one observer is available, space observers through suitable habitat rather than concentrating them at one location. For the western heath, the guideline gives an average home range of 12.6 hectares and core areas of 1.5 to 2.4 hectares, so survey coverage should include the full patch and adjoining dense habitat where practicable.

Western heath area or line transects: 12 hours over 6 days.

Western mallee and eastern area or transect surveys: 12 hours over 6 days.

Western heath home range: Average 12.6 hectares, with core areas of 1.5 to 2.4 hectares.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

Use the applicable taxon-specific effort above unless the relevant environment department accepts a documented alternative survey design.

Survey all suitable habitat within the disturbance footprint and connected suitable habitat that may be affected by access tracks, machinery movement, fire management or edge effects.

Repeat surveys when fire, season, weather or dense vegetation is likely to reduce detection, and explain any departure from the guideline effort in the report.

Submit verified sightings, calls and evidence of breeding to the relevant state wildlife database, and provide records to the project environmental officer and the relevant threatened species authority.

Report survey dates, effort, method, observers, weather, fire age, vegetation structure, coordinates, detection results and the taxon identification basis.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Treat dense mallee, heath and thicket as potential Western Whipbird habitat until survey and habitat assessment show otherwise. The species nests and forages close to the ground, has limited dispersal and can be affected by clearing, fragmentation, predators and poorly planned fire.

  • Avoid clearing coastal and subcoastal mallee, heath on limestone or dunes, dense mallee heath, and mallee with a continuous dense shrub layer.
  • Retain the largest possible patches of suitable vegetation, including unburnt refuge patches and dense vegetation beside recently burnt areas.
  • Maintain connected vegetated routes between retained patches because Western Whipbirds have limited sustained flight and may not cross cleared areas readily.
  • Keep the net amount of suitable habitat at least stable, and avoid actions that remove or fragment habitat that may become suitable again as it regenerates.
  • Do not remove dense low shrubs, litter, stumps or fallen branches without first assessing their value for foraging, nesting and shelter.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and environmental controls

Commonwealth status: The Western Whipbird is listed under the EPBC Act, with taxon-specific categories including Endangered and Vulnerable in the cited documents.

Western heath status in WA: Endangered under the cited WA recovery plan.

  • Check whether the proposed action is likely to significantly affect the nationally listed Western Whipbird and refer it under the EPBC Act where required.
  • Check the current state listing, permit and wildlife handling requirements for the project jurisdiction before works begin.
  • Obtain written approval for any fauna capture, handling, temporary holding or relocation, and ensure the fauna spotter catcher holds the required authority.
  • Include weed spread, Phytophthora cinnamomi, feral cats, feral pigs, vegetation clearing and fire in the project risk assessment.

Before habitat disturbance: Plan the works

  • Schedule clearing outside the main breeding period where practicable, noting that breeding is generally July to October and western heath eggs have been recorded from July to early September.
  • Stage the work so retained habitat, movement routes and unburnt refuges remain available while adjacent areas are cleared or constructed.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies survey effort, exclusion areas, daily pre-start checks, spotter catcher authority, stop-work triggers, release sites, injury response and reporting.
  • Avoid prescribed burning, back burning, mechanical vegetation removal and widened asset protection zones in or beside occupied or recovering habitat unless the threatened species impacts have been assessed and authorised.
  • Give fire and construction crews current maps of records, habitat patches, exclusion zones and access routes.

Before habitat disturbance: Prepare the site

  • Complete the required pre-clearance survey using call detection and transect or area searches in suitable habitat.
  • Mark retained habitat, no-go areas, access tracks, release areas and any dense shrub patches that must not be driven over or used for equipment storage.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can prevent machinery entry without creating a barrier to bird movement between retained vegetation patches.
  • Remove unnecessary materials, food and waste that could attract feral predators, and apply approved hygiene controls to reduce the spread of Phytophthora cinnamomi and weeds.
  • Brief all operators that a small olive-green bird, a call, a nest close to the ground or movement through dense shrubs requires an immediate stop and assessment.

During habitat disturbance: Daily work controls

The fauna spotter catcher should work as part of the clearing crew, not after machinery has entered the habitat. Controls must account for a bird that runs through dense vegetation, nests close to the ground and may be difficult to see.

  • Inspect the work area before each shift, including the clearing edge, access route, stockpile area and any habitat retained from the previous day.
  • Maintain the approved exclusion zones and keep machinery, vehicles and personnel out of retained dense shrubland unless access is authorised.
  • Clear progressively in a direction that allows animals to move towards retained suitable habitat, while preventing movement into roads, active work areas or isolated vegetation patches.
  • Use a dedicated spotter catcher where required by the approval or fauna management plan, with clear communication between the spotter, machine operator and supervisor.
  • Stop work during conditions that prevent reliable detection, such as poor visibility, excessive dust, heavy rain or unsafe noise levels, and record the reason.

During habitat disturbance: Spotter catcher and machinery

  • Position the spotter catcher where the next section of dense vegetation, ground litter and low shrubs can be inspected before machinery disturbs it.
  • Use agreed hand, radio or stop signals, and require the operator to stop immediately when the spotter catcher signals a fauna check.
  • Do not allow the machine to rake, mulch or push vegetation into adjoining retained habitat before the spotter catcher has checked the area.
  • Inspect the ground and dense shrub bases for low nests, fledglings, adults, carcasses and signs of recent use before each new clearing section.
  • Do not rely on absence of a visual detection as evidence that the habitat is unoccupied, because the species is cryptic and usually heard rather than seen.

During habitat disturbance: Fauna handling and habitat features

  • Treat a shallow nest or nest-like structure close to the ground in dense vegetation as potentially belonging to the species until identified by an appropriately qualified person.
  • Do not handle an adult, nestling or fledgling unless the authorised fauna handler considers handling necessary and permitted under the approval and state requirements.
  • If a bird is found, stop nearby work, keep people and machinery back, reduce noise and allow it to move into nearby retained suitable habitat where safe.
  • Only relocate an animal when required to prevent harm, and place it in nearby retained habitat with dense cover that is appropriate for the identified taxon and approved release plan.
  • Record the location, condition, identification, action taken, release site and time for every animal handled or moved.
  • Treat logs, stumps, leaf litter and dense low vegetation as relevant shelter and foraging structure even though this species is not described as a hollow-dependent bird.
  • Take injured birds to an authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian as soon as practicable, following the project approval and state wildlife requirements.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work immediately if a Western Whipbird is seen, heard repeatedly from the active area, found nesting, trapped, injured or unable to move safely away from machinery.
  • Stop work if clearing enters an unapproved retained patch, refuge, movement route or mapped habitat exclusion area.
  • Stop work if fire, smoke, heat, dust, machinery vibration or other activity is causing birds to remain exposed in open ground or preventing safe movement.
  • Notify the fauna spotter catcher supervisor, project environmental officer and relevant approval contact before restarting work where the fauna management plan requires notification.
  • Keep daily records of inspections, weather, work area, machinery, personnel, detections, handling, injuries, stop-work events, photographs and GPS locations.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work must verify that no animals, nests or usable habitat structures were left within the disturbed area and that retained habitat remains connected and protected.

  • Inspect the cleared footprint, edge, stockpiles, access tracks and retained habitat boundary at the end of each clearing stage.
  • Search for injured, dead, displaced or calling birds and for nests, fledglings or dense shrub patches unintentionally damaged by machinery.
  • Confirm that exclusion fencing, signage and no-go markers remain in place and that machinery has not entered retained habitat.
  • Record all findings, including nil findings, with coordinates, photographs, date, observer and follow-up action.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring retained and recovering habitat

Kangaroo Island fire response: The cited advice recommends surveys of fire-affected areas and monitoring the recovery of habitat and birds.

  • Monitor retained habitat and any nearby recovering burnt habitat for Western Whipbird presence, using the taxon-specific call, broadcast and transect methods where monitoring is required.
  • Track population presence, breeding success, mature individuals, habitat condition, fire age, connectivity and the effectiveness of predator, weed and disease controls.
  • For Kangaroo Island projects, give particular attention to fire-affected areas and the rate at which habitat and birds return to burnt areas.
  • Increase monitoring or revise controls if records show declining use, further fragmentation, failed breeding or repeated predator activity.

After habitat disturbance: Reporting and ongoing controls

  • Submit required records to the relevant state wildlife database and Commonwealth project reporting system, and update the EPBC or state approval holder.
  • Report any exceedance of the approved clearing area, unplanned habitat damage, injury, mortality or relocation event to the relevant authority within the approval timeframe.
  • Maintain weed, Phytophthora cinnamomi, feral cat and feral pig controls for the period specified in the approval or fauna management plan.
  • Apply an approved offset or other compensatory measure where unavoidable residual impacts remain and the approval requires it.

Rehabilitation actions: Rebuild suitable structure

Rehabilitation should rebuild dense, connected shrub habitat rather than simply replace canopy cover. Western Whipbirds need suitable vegetation structure for ground foraging, nesting, shelter and movement, and the required structure differs between coastal heath, mallee heath and mallee woodland sites.

Western mallee shrub layer: Up to 1.5 metres tall.

Western heath nesting setting: Dense, low heath 4 to 50 metres from taller thickets at Two Peoples Bay.

  • Use locally appropriate native mallee, heath and shrub species from the relevant vegetation community, with the aim of recreating dense low and mid-storey cover rather than planting isolated trees.
  • At western heath sites, restore coastal dune thicket, low dense mallee and dense stunted shrub understorey.
  • At western mallee sites, restore open mallee with a dense shrub layer up to about 1.5 metres tall, using locally appropriate Hakea, Lambertia, Banksia or related native species where they belong to the site community.
  • At Kangaroo Island sites, restore coastal and subcoastal mallee and heath on limestone and dunes, and mallee heath on the lateritic plateau where relevant.
  • Retain or reinstate leaf litter, fallen branches, stumps and other ground cover that support insect foraging and shelter.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage fire, weeds, disease and predators

Reported recovery interval: Some Western Whipbird habitat may be recolonised after 4 to 7 years, while long intervals of at least 30 years and preferably 50 years have also been recommended for suitable habitat.

Post-fire risk: Feral cats may have greater effects immediately after fire when dense cover has been removed.

  • Develop a fire plan that protects unburnt refuge patches and avoids frequent, large or high-intensity burns across the same connected habitat.
  • Do not burn recovering habitat or unburnt patches beside recent fire until the habitat has recovered sufficiently to support the species, unless an approved ecological fire plan demonstrates otherwise.
  • Use adaptive fire management because the optimal fire regime is not known, while recognising that the species generally requires long intervals without fire and may recolonise some burnt heath after 4 to 7 years.
  • Control invasive weeds, including fire-adapted weeds that can change shrub structure, fuel loads and habitat quality.
  • Apply approved Phytophthora cinnamomi hygiene and treatment measures, and control feral cats and feral pigs where monitoring shows a risk to birds or habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Measure rehabilitation success

  • Monitor vegetation density, shrub height, native plant recruitment, weed cover, disease indicators, fire history and connectivity at fixed photo points or mapped plots.
  • Use the taxon-specific call and transect methods to test whether Western Whipbirds return, establish territories, breed and use the rehabilitated habitat.
  • Set success measures that include suitable dense shrub structure, no expanding weed or Phytophthora cinnamomi problem, protected refuge habitat and verified bird use over more than one survey period.
  • Review the rehabilitation design if birds do not return after suitable habitat has developed, and investigate fire age, food availability, predation, connectivity and nearby disturbance before changing the planting treatment.
  • Submit monitoring results and verified records to the relevant state wildlife database and include them in the project environmental report.

Sources