Malleefowl Leipoa ocellata
Length 60 cm; weight 1.5–2.5 kg.
A solitary species, the Malleefowl is a terrestrial bird which is usually seen walking slowly along the ground, picking at items of food, such as flowers, seeds and insects from among the leaf litter, sometimes scratching at the ground with its feet to uncover food. As its name suggests, the Malleefowl inhabits semi-arid mallee habitats, especially those dominated by multi-stemmed mallee eucalypts. The Malleefowl lays its eggs in a nest formed in a crater in a mound of leaf litter and soil raked in from the surrounding area with the birds’ feet. As the organic matter rots down, it generates heat which incubates the eggs, and the parents scrape material onto or off the mound to open or close the mound to regulate its temperature; the male checks the temperature of the mound by probing it with his bill. When they hatch, the chicks can leave the mound unaided.
HABITAT
Malleefowl usually occur in mallee eucalypt woodlands with a dense but discontinuous canopy and varied shrubby understorey. They also very occasionally occur in other types of dry eucalypt forests. The key to their presence is the period since the habitat was last burnt, with habitat that has not been burnt for 40–60 years preferred; frequently burnt areas are unsuitable and do not support populations of Malleefowl.
DISTRIBUTION
Endemic to semi-arid sections of southern mainland Australia.
STATUS
- Endangered in New South Wales
- Endangered in Victoria
- Vulnerable in South Australia
- Critically Endangered in Northern Territory
- Rare or likely to become extinct in Western Australia
- Vulnerable in EPBC Act
THREATS
The species is particularly threatened by fragmentation of much of its habitat by agricultural development, which fragments Malleefowl populations. Once the populations become fragmented, they are increasingly threatened by catastrophic events such as bushfires, while in the arid interior of Australia, the homogenisation of the habitat caused by the cessation of traditional mosaic burning practices. In addition, adults, chicks and eggs are vulnerable to predation by introduced predators, especially foxes, and, in small isolated populations, the effects may be significant and may lead to local extinctions. Chicks may starve in areas where the habitat has been overgrazed by introduced herbivores, especially goats or rabbits, or where there are artificially high densities of kangaroos.
MOVEMENTS
The Malleefowl is sedentary. |
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