the lesser bilby ( macrotis leucura ) , also known as the yallara , the lesser rabbit-eared bandicoot or the white-tailed rabbit-eared bandicoot , was a rabbit-like marsupial .

the species was first described by oldfield thomas as peregale leucura in 1887 from a single specimen from a collection of mammals of the british museum .

reaching the size of a young rabbit , this species lived in the deserts of central australia .

since the 1950s – 1960s , it has been believed to be extinct .

lesser bilby

australia once had two species of bilby – the greater bilby ( macrotis lagotis ) and the lesser bilby ( macrotis leucura ) — the lesser bilby is now extinct .
the lesser bilby is now considered to be extinct , the last reported official siting being back in 1931 .
the greater bilby , sometimes depicted as australia ' s easter bunny , belongs to a group of ground - dwelling marsupials known as bandicoots . there were originally two species of bilby - the greater and the lesser bilby , macrotis leucura , but the lesser bilby is thought to have become extinct in the 1950s .
1996 .
lesser bilby
( on - line ) . accessed august 5 , 2000 at urltoken .
threatened species of the northern territory - lesser bilby macrotis leucura ( pavey , c . , 2006j ) [ information sheet ] .
the lesser bilby gained its fame for its omnivorous diet , eating both animals and plants , and its survival in a harsh desert climate . the
lesser bilbies were once hunted by humans for their smooth , silky fur ( wombats 1997 ) .
, a close relative in the bandicoot family , still exists but is now endangered . unlike the greater bilby , known to be a docile creature , the lesser bilby was a temperamental creature , resisting handling by researchers by hissing and biting . sadly , despite its varied diet and its relatively safe habitat , the lesser bilby lost its place in the animal world .
the greater bilby once ranged over most of mainland australia , but the arrival of exotic predators has eliminated greater bilbies from most of their former range . its closest relative , the lesser bilby , is extinct .
the major threat to the bilby is predation by introduced red foxes and feral cats , exacerbated by changed fire regimes . predation by dingoes , and habitat degradation by livestock are lesser threats .
lesser bilbies can be found in woodlands , savannah , shrub grasslands , or deserts that are sparsly vegetated ( bilbies 1983 ) .
the lesser bilby was an inhabitant of australia’s driest deserts , and recorded as a living animal on just a handful occasions between its discovery in 1887 and its being officially declared extinct in the 1950s .
lesser bilbies were once common but populations declined drastically as a result of trapping for pelts , predation by introduced foxes , and competition with introduced rabbits for forage and burrows . lesser bilbies were last collected in 1931 and they are considered extinct ( schneider 1990 ) .
adapted from copley , p . ( 2015 ) proceedings of the greater bilby recovery summit .
at the charleville bilby experience you can see bilbies in person . click here for details .
this profile , on the nt department of natural resources , environment and the arts web site , describes the extinct lesser bilby macrotis leucura , its conservation status , appearance , distribution , ecology , and threatening processes . a list of relevant references is provided . ( pdf file , 287 kb )
the second sunday in september is dedicated to national bilby day , so what better reason to tell you of our work on the greater bilby in the arid recovery reserve . and it just so happens that last week was a busy week on the reserve fitting radio transmitters to bilby tails as part of a
the aboriginal man who caught the lesser bilbies that morning for food was not to blame . the indiginous population caught animals for perhaps more than 50 , 000 thousand years in australia . so what went wrong ?
lisa steindler is not like many other phd students . not many phd students can say that they travel over 1 , 820 km from sydney to be up close and personal with the australian outback , but also a mammal that has faced great challenges . like so many other australian mammals , the greater bilby ( macrotis lagotis ) has faced rapid population decline and severe range contraction associated with predation by cats and foxes . believe it or not , but the greater bilby is actually the lucky one . lucky in that the other species of bilby , the lesser bilby along with 29 other mammal species have gone extinct since european settlement around 250 years ago .
lesser bilbies are terrestrial , nocturnal desert mammals ( schneider 1990 ) . they sleep sitting up , unlike other animals . they squat on their hind legs , tuck their muzzle between their legs , fold their long ears over their eyes , and sleep ( bilbies 1983 ) . due to their poor eye sight , lesser bilbies rely on their keen sense of smell and hearing to capture food . their main predators are introduced foxes and cats , birds of prey , monitor lizards , and predatory marsupials . lesser bilbies are solitary , with a home range occupied only by a female , male , and their young . lesser bilbies are distinguished by their digging abilities , they den in a network of spiral tunnels in sand dunes . these tunnels are about 9 feet in length and 5 feet in depth . the opening of the tunnel is concealed to prevent enemeies from entering the nest ( schneider 1990 ) .
bilby droppings are being used by scientists who have pioneered a new technique to measure stress levels of the endangered marsupial .
the greater bilby is nocturnal . they don’t emerge from their burrows until an hour after dusk and retreat at least an hour before dawn . a full moon , strong wind , and heavy rain can keep a bilby in its burrow all night .
beauty and naivety are a dangerous combination . we already know that the bilby is beautiful ; lisa’s task is to determine the degree of naïveté of the greater bilby . lisa is investigating different behavioural characteristics of the bilby such as their vigilance behaviour when foraging ( how often they look up to check for danger ) and how they respond to the smell and sight of predators .
lesser bilbies are omnivorous , feeding mainly on small insects , fruit , and seeds . their diet consists primarily of ants , termites , beetles , larvae , seeds , fruits , and fungi ( schneider 1990 ) . bilbies do not need to drink water , the water they recieve from the fruit and seeds is sufficient ( wombats 1997 ) . their desert habitat is a harsh one and when food is scarce female lesser bilbies may resort to eating their young to survive ( schneider 1990 ) .
an extinct species of bilby , a rabbit - sized marsupial , macrotis leucura , previously endemic to arid regions of central australia .
among the hot , dry grasslands of western queensland , the greater bilby lives far from the public interest surrounding its conservation . as one of queensland ' s 15 endangered mammals , the greater bilby is the subject of intense conservation efforts . this includes attempts to replace the easter bunny with the easter bilby in queensland , in an effort to make the public aware of this important animal ' s plight .
if you are in western queensland and see a greater bilby in the wild , please report the sighting to the local des office .
. by fitting a transmitter the bilby’s location can be found , so long as you are in a kilometre range . knowing where the bilbies are , in particular their burrow , is very useful for lisa when it comes to setting up her experiments outside the bilby’s home .
lesser bilbies breed between the months of march and may ( bilbies 1983 ) . the gestation period is 21 days . lesser bilbies possess a pouch . young remain in the pouch for 70 to 75 days where they suckle , they are attached to one of the mother ' s nipples during that time . fourteen days after leaving the pouch the young begin to be weaned ( wombats 1997 ) . litter size is typically 1 to 3 newborns ( bilbies 1983 ) . mating occurs again 50 days after a litter is born ( schneider 1990 ) .
a greater bilby feeding hole , the footprints and tail - mark can be seen just below the hole . photo : mellisa mayhew ( des )
the greater bilby gets most of its water from its food rather than from drinking , which means it can survive in habitats without free standing water .
trappers , predators , including the aboriginal population , and territorial competition from rabbits forced the lesser bilby into extinction before it could be fully studied . the last living specimens , about a dozen in number , were collected in cooncherie station in 1932 . the last specimen , a skull bone , was collected near an eagle’s nest in 1967 . dating revealed these bones to be less than 15 years of age , placing the extinction date around 1950 .
unlike most members of the bandicoot group to which it belongs , the lesser bilby was a carnivore , and native rodents were recorded among its prey . and unlike the gentle and still surviving common bilby , it had a nasty temperament . finlayson noted it was ‘fierce and intractable , and repulsed the most tactful attempts to handle them by repeated savage snapping bites and harsh hissing sounds’ . it burrowed only in sand dunes , constructing burrows two or three metres deep , closing the entrance with loose sand by day . it was strictly nocturnal , twins were standard , and reproduction may have been non - seasonal .
greater bilbies are omnivores , meaning they feed on a range of foods including seeds , fungi , bulbs , and insects such as grasshoppers , beetles , spiders and termites . when looking for food , the greater bilby digs small holes up to 25 cm deep . these holes are scattered over greater bilby feeding areas .
pavey , c . ( 2006 ) . national recovery plan for the greater bilby macrotis lagotis . northern territory department of natural resources , environment and the arts .
bright , jenny , 1993 .
information on the bilby and its environment
( on - line ) . accessed ( date unknown ) at http .
a powerful digger , the greater bilby makes spiral - shaped burrows up to three metres long and almost two metres deep . the greater bilby burrows to this depth to avoid predators and to keep the burrow at a constant temperature of 23 degrees celsius . the greater bilby remains in its burrow during the day , emerging well after dark to forage for food . a greater bilby may have up to a dozen burrows—some for sleeping in and the others for escaping into from predators . when returning to the burrow after foraging , the greater bilby often back - fills the burrow to prevent predators from entering . the burrow contains no nesting material . a burrow takes a lot of energy to dig but provides important protection , so greater bilbies will often repair and use old burrows . some of these burrows may date back hundreds of years .
in queensland , the impact of predators such as foxes and feral cats has had the greatest effect on greater bilby numbers and continues to be the most serious problem .
their large ears are not for decoration , as they provide sharp hearing . this feature , combined with a strong sense of smell , is important for the greater bilby when looking for food as the greater bilby can ' t see very well . interestingly when they run , they keep their nose down and this contributes to their unusual gait .
the conservation of the greater bilby in queensland requires the provision of adequate habitat without feral cats and foxes , and where the other threats to greater bilbies can be managed .
the southern edge of bilby distribution in the northern territory has contracted north by > 100 km per decade over the past twenty years ( paltridge and eldridge 2009 ) . bilbies are now restricted to areas of the tanami desert where foxes are absent or at very low densities . in contrast , 2012 surveys of the southern edge of the range of the bilby on the ngaanyatjarra lands in western australia revealed no change to the southern extent of bilby distribution in eastern western australia over the past decade ( r . paltridge pers . comm . ) .
the bilby’s big ears help cool its body . the long ears have a lot of surface area which cools the blood passing through the many blood vessels close to the skin’s surface .
the final piece of data collected is behavioural data which is done when the animal is released in the place where it was caught . animals differ in how bold or shy they are , and having one of these qualities may make them better at surviving predation ( the arc project is researching this for bettongs , bilbies and stick - nest rats on the reserve ) . bilby boldness is measured by how long it takes , and how much encouragement it takes ( by giving the bilby gentle nudges every 3 seconds ) , before the bilby leaves the bag .
a large part of the greater bilby ' s mitchell grassland habitat in the channel country is also included in astrebla downs national park , which protects their habitat from grazing by domestic stock .
the lesser bilby was an inhabitant of australia’s driest deserts , and recorded as a living animal on just a handful occasions between its discovery in 1887 and its extinction in the 1950s . it seems to have been moderately abundant on cooncherie station in the summer of 1932 , where hedley herbert finlayson collected a dozen specimens . these were all caught by an aboriginal helper who ‘seldom returned without 2 or 3 after a morning’s work and i suspect many found their way to the cooking fires as well’ . these were , however , the last to be collected alive .
the lesser bilby has been declared extinct . listed as vulnerable under both iucn criteria and australian legislation , the greater bilby now exists in small , fragmented populations over about a fifth of its former range . competition for food and nesting burrows with introduced rabbits and predation by introduced foxes are significant factors in the species’ decline . feral cats have also depleted numbers . intensive cattle and sheep farming have limited available habitat through changes in vegetation cover and damage to the soil structure . a lack of managed burning to reduce ground cover is also implicated in localized extinctions . despite such historical losses , a national recovery plan promises a better future for the bilby . its key targets include managing remaining habitat and monitoring populations , as well as captive breeding and re - establishing bilbies in areas where they occurred previously . at the beginning of the twenty - first century , breeding and release schemes on predator - free islands and special enclosures within protected areas were showing signs of success .
you can also help the greater bilby and other australian wildlife by supporting threatened species projects and caring for our native plants and animals . this will ensure our native animals survive where they belong in the bush .
after the bilby’s transmitter has been attached other important data such as the animal’s body condition is taken by feeling how much fat the bilby has on the rump area . some of the fur is also collected to be sent away for analysis for cortisol levels ( a measure of stress ) . this allows lisa to compare stress levels between bilbies living in the expansion with the cats , and the expansion with no predators .
bilby home ranges shift with food availability and are highly variable in size , examples recorded include 20–50ha ( south - west queensland ) and 110–300ha ( northern territory ) . ‘burrow ranges’ are considerably smaller than home ranges .
last recorded alive in 1931 , the lesser bilby lived in the sandhill deserts of central australia . the greater bilby occupied a wide variety of habitats and may have lived over about 70 % of the australian landmass . in the 1890s , one naturalist noted that “it was not unusual for rabbiters , even in the immediate neighborhood of adelaide ( south australia ) , to take more bilbies than rabbits in their traps . ” today , bilbies are only found in one fifth of their former range and are completely absent from the 386 , 000 mi 2 ( 1 million km2 ) of south australia where they were once so common . the species is still comparatively widespread , with fragmented populations in the tanami desert of the northern territory ; the gibson and great sandy deserts and pilbara and kimberley regions of western australia ; and isolated areas in southwest queensland .
) , also known as the yallara , the lesser rabbit - eared bandicoot , or the white - tailed rabbit - eared bandicoot , was a desert animal native to the center of the australian continent . similar in size to a juvenile rabbit , this animal was a marsupial , meaning females have no placenta and wean their young in an external pouch after birth . unfortunately , this creature has been listed as extinct as early as 1950 .
for many years there were no records of greater bilbies in queensland , and some thought that the species was extinct in the state . surveys by the then queensland national parks and wildlife service ( qnpws ) in diamantina shire between 1981 and 1985 failed to find any greater bilbies , although they did identify suspected greater bilby habitats . in 1988 , further surveys by the qnpws in these suspected habitats and known historic sites , rediscovered the greater bilby in queensland .
the distribution of the bilby in queensland . the colours show the estimated distributions : dark green is for pre european settlement ; mid green is for 1936 ; light green is for 1970 ; and black is for 2000 . image : ehp
at six months the female bilby can breed and usually has one or two young at a time . although it is rare , she can have triplets . in a good season in the wild , bilbies can have up to four litters .
formerly important as food and hunted for its fur by aboriginal tribes , this marsupial has gained an iconic status today as a symbol of australia’s threatened indigenous wildlife . adopted as a mascot by the commonwealth of australia endangered species program , the species has gained wider public awareness thanks to a campaign that began in the 1980s to replace the easter bunny with an easter bilby . every easter , thousands of chocolate bilbies are sold , often with a percentage of the profits channeled back into bilby conservation .
bilbies live in spinifex grasslands and mulga scrublands in the hot , dry , arid and semi - arid areas of australia . previously more widespread , the bilby is now only found in remote parts of western queensland , the northern territory and western australia .
the bilby is omnivorous and its diet includes bulbs , fruit , seeds , fungi , insects , worms , termites , small lizards and spiders . one of its favourite plant foods is the bush onion or yalka which grows in desert sand plains after fires .
today the greater bilby is found in several locations in western queensland , with the largest remaining population in an area west of the diamantina river , in astrebla downs national park , diamantina national park and some pastoral properties . across the rest of australia , the greater bilby is restricted to parts of the great sandy , gibson and tanami deserts in central australia and the pilbara and west kimberley in western australia . greater bilbies have also been reintroduced to various sites in western australia , south australia and new south wales .
there is ongoing research to better understand how greater bilby populations are changing over time . broad - scale , low level aerial surveys are conducted approximately every 5 - 10 years to assess burrow activity . ground monitoring of burrow status is conducted annually in the diamantina area .
bilbies are sexually dimorphic , with males being larger than females . body length of male bilbies ranges from 365 - 440 mm , female body length ranges from 320 to 390mm ( bright 1993 ) . lesser bilbies have long tails ranging from 115 to 275 mm in length , and a pouch that opens downwards and backwards . the upper surface of the body is a light color , usually gray , and the underparts are white . the tail is white , with a gray line extending to the rear of the body . bilbies also have very long , pointed , rabbit - like ears . a unique characteristic of lesser bilbies are their feet , which bear three stout toes with curved claws , the remaining two toes are very small . their hind feet posses only three toes . the first toe is made up of the fusion of digits 2 and 3 , the second toe ( digit 4 ) is very large , and the last toe ( digit 5 ) is an average size , the first digit is missing ( bilbies 1983 ) .
the greater bilby has several distinctive features that it uses to find and gather its food . it uses its big ears and sharp sense of smell to find food , and it has a long , skinny tongue that it uses to lick up seeds from the ground . however , this feeding style means the greater bilby eats a lot of sand , which can make up to 20 - 90 per cent of its faecal waste ! another feature is that it often eats the exoskeletons of insects , which shine in the light when their scat is broken open .
the greater bilby is a prodigious breeder . they begin to breed when they are six months old and can produce up to eight young a year . female greater bilbies have an very short gestation period of 12 - 14 days and give birth to between one and three young , but usually two .
the addition of artificial water points in the arid zone provides predators with access to permanent water , which allows feral predators to to exploit larger areas for hunting . greater bilby habitat fragmentation is also increasing as a result of indirect competition for food with rabbits and other factors such as changed fire patterns .
this article is in honour of the greater bilby , once common throughout arid australia but now only occupies 20 % of its former range . we hope through the efforts at arid recovery that bilbies will be able to be re - introduced into other areas of arid australia and their numbers will begin to increase .
yallara occurred in sandplain or sand dune deserts , but also occupied mulga acacia aneura and tussock grass country . they sheltered in a burrow but , unlike the bilby , they closed the entrance while in residence . they were strictly nocturnal . limited data on food suggests they were , unlike other bandicoots , mainly carnivorous , eating small mammals , but also seeds and fruit , including of solanum spp . ( johnson 1989 ; flannery and schouten 2001 ) . the presence of sand in stomach contents suggests that , like the bilby , they dug to obtain food . females had eight teats in two rows of four ( johnson 1989 ) .
for daytime shelter , the bilby constructs a deep and long burrow system . being a powerful digger , it is able to make spiral - shaped burrows up to 3 metres long and up to 2 metres deep . predators attempting to dig an animal out often find it very difficult to locate any bilbies who will frantically extend the burrow at the closed end . usually the depth allows safety for the bilby from predators as well as providing daytime protection from the heat . the opening is often against a termite mound or a tussock of grass and is always open . some back filling is done within the burrow as a further protection device .
we know that predators deposit urine and faeces throughout their home range , so lisa is mimicking this to see how bilbies respond . lisa tracks each bilby to their burrow ( using their radiotransmitter ) and then places scat from a cat , dog , rabbit or nothing ( control ) outside their burrow . lisa has had to ask the roxby downs and port augusta locals for lots of cat and dog scats and has had help in collecting rabbit scats from outside the dunes by a whole heap of dedicated volunteers ! the burrow entrance is then filmed using infrared motion detector cameras to see how the bilby responds when it emerges from its burrow .
the greater bilby ( also known as the ‘rabbit eared bandicoot’ ) is the largest member of the bandicoot family . this marsupial ( pouched animal ) measures up to 55cm in body length with a tail of up to 29cm long . adult males weigh up to 2 . 5kg and the females average about 1 . 5kg .
they live in spiralling burrows which they dig up to 2m deep . this depth helps to keep them safe from predators and also to keep them at a constant temperature of 23°c , as bilbies can become heat stressed . a bilby may have as many as 12 burrows , one for sleeping and the others for escaping from predators .
bilbies were common in many different habitats throughout australia until european settlement and occupied more than 70 % of mainland australia . predation , predominantly by european red foxes and feral cats , resulted in bilby populations now only occurring in the isolated arid and semi - arid areas of western australia , northern territory and queensland . it has disappeared from 80 % of its former range .
an endangered burrowing marsupial , the bilby , macrotis lagotis , is characterized by its long , silky blue - grey fur . sometimes called the rabbit - eared bandicoot , it possesses long ears pinkish in colour . the body is compact in size featuring a pointed snout with a long tongue and a tail black and white in colour . their strong forelimbs are adapted with long claws to assist in digging their burrows and uncovering buried food .
and if the losses at the sanctuary weren ' t bad enough , the worldwide economic crisis has also had an impact on bilbies . the save the bilby fund lost one of its major sponsors about the same time that the sanctuary fence was breached when the chocolate retailer darrell lea went belly - up . darrell lea raised about $ 50 , 000 for the fund each year by selling candy bilbies instead of the traditional chocolate rabbits .
the greater bilby is the size of a rabbit , and has a long - pointed nose , silky pale blue - grey fur with a tan belly , big ears and a crested black and white tail . they measure up to 55 cm in body length , and their tail can be up to 29 cm long . males weigh 1 - 2 . 5 kg , while females are lighter and weigh 800 g - 1 . 1 kg .
that ' s not the only good news . manthey told 7 . 30 that he has found a new chocolate manufacturer , melbourne ' s fyna foods , which has rushed new chocolate bilbies to their stores just in time for this year ' s easter season . fyna made an initial $ 10 , 000 donation to the bilby fund at the beginning of march . that still leaves the organization well behind its fund - raising needs—but it ' s a start .
justification : the bilby is evaluated as vulnerable because , although it still has a large extent of occurrence ( eoo ) , it is patchily distributed and has a small area of occupancy ( aoo ) ; the population size is estimated to be fewer than 10 , 000 mature individuals , and it suffers from an ongoing decline estimated to exceed 10 % over the last 3 generations ( 12 years ) that is likely to continue . five translocations , one to an island and four to mainland islands , while providing valuable ‘insurance’ against extinction , may not yet fully offset the continuing decline in the wild . additionally , ‘a taxon may be moved from a category of higher threat to a category of lower threat if none of the criteria of the higher category has been met for five years or more’ ( iucn 2001 ) and even if the growth in numbers in translocated subpopulations offsets the decline in the wild , this has not been the case for > 5 years for the bilby
about the size of a rabbit , with huge ears that earn it the alternative name rabbit - eared bandicoot , the bilby has a very long , thin , pointed snout and an extremely long black tail with a white , crested tip . its fur , bluish gray above and cream to white underneath , is soft and silky . the forelimbs are strong , with three clawed and two unclawed toes used for burrowing . in common with many other marsupials , the hind feet lack a first toe .
bilby feeding grounds are charactized by holes dug 10 - 25cm deep as they search for food . because bilbies have poor vision , they will also use their large ears and sharp sense of smell to track down food , their long sticky tongues helping them lick up seeds from the ground . along with the seeds bilbies will consume a certain amount of sand that then becomes part of their faecal waste . besides sand , their scats can also contain insect exoskeletons which can be easily seen when the scat is broken open .
in a different set of experiments lisa has also been testing whether bilbies recognise a cat as a predator by placing a taxidermy model of a cat , rabbit or bucket ( control ) outside their burrows . if the bilbies recognise these odours or models as a predator threat they should show fear which can be measured by how vigilant they are . when lisa gets back to sydney she will watch the videos and score how long each bilby spends relaxed or vigilant and compare this to the scat or model that was outside their burrow .
to help save the greater bilbies from the same fate , the save the bilby fund built the queensland sanctuary back in 2001 . the initial construction trapped a large number of predators inside the fence—something they expected to happen—so the organization spent the next few years clearing them out to ensure that the new habitat would be safe , although numerous predators remained outside its gates . the first four bilbies were placed in the sanctuary in 2005 , where they quickly started breeding . within a few years that number had increased to more than 100 .
unfortunately , the sanctuary is located in a relatively remote region of currawinya national park . flooding in the park not only makes the sanctuary occasionally unreachable by humans , it also apparently damaged the fence last june , allowing several cats to make their way into the enclosure , with devastating results .
we estimated we could have had around 150 newborn bilbies inside that fence , and [ the cats have ] cleared the lot out ,
frank manthey , co - founder of the save the bilby fund , told the australian network news show 7 . 30 .
thankfully lisa is well versed in life in the semi - arid and arid zone , with stints as an intern , volunteer , and employee across reserves / sanctuaries such as scotia wildlife sanctuary and newhaven sanctuary to name a few . while at arid recovery , lisa has undertaken a number of different experiments , which all require a variety of skills . this year’s research kicked off with catching 30 bilbies across the main expansion , first expansion and red lake expansion and fitting them with radio - transmitters attached to their tails . the arc project and arid recovery intern ruth shepherd wrote an excellent summary on how to catch a bilby here .
bilbies are a solitary species , sheltering in burrows , which may be up to 3 m deep and often descend in a spiral . burrows are usually isolated , but may be complex and there may be many within a relatively small area ; an individual bilby may dig more than 12 burrows within its home range . bilbies are nocturnal and burrows are occupied during daylight and intermittently during the night . an omnivore , the bilby eats a variety of plant and animal materials , including grass and sedge seeds , bulbs particularly from bush onion cyperus bulbosus , and invertebrates , especially termites , but also ants , spiders , beetles and insect larvae ( southgate 1990b ; navinth et al . 2009 ) . most food is obtained by digging . mature males range more widely than females and have been recorded occupying burrows over 5 km apart on consecutive days ( southgate and possingham 1995 ; mcrae 2004 ) . estimates of short - term home range sizes in the northern territory varied from 1 . 1 to 3 km 2 ( southgate and paltridge 1998 ) . mean home range sizes recorded from wild populations in queensland are 51 ha for males and 20 ha for females . burrow ranges are considerably smaller at 15 . 3 ha for males and 3 ha for females ( mcrae 2004 ) .
the range of the bilby has declined northwards and the decline is continuing . wild subpopulations are now restricted predominantly to the tanami desert ( northern territory ) , the gibson , little sandy and great sandy deserts ( western australia ) , parts of the pilbara ( western australia ) and an outlying series of disjunct subpopulations associated with both sides of the diamantina river channels within the stony and clay chenopod plains approximately between boulia and birdsville ( south - western queensland ) ( johnson 2008 , gibson et al . 1990 ) . historically , the area occupied by bilbies in queensland has declined by > 95 % ( mcrae 2004 ) and there has been a recent further significant decline .
the bilby formerly occurred over 70 % of arid and semi - arid mainland australia south of latitude 18°s . it appears to have become extinct in new south wales and southern south australia around the 1940s ( copley et al . 2003 ) or more likely , from aboriginal knowledge , at least the 1950s ( p . copley pers . comm . ) . it disappeared from the flinders ranges in the 1920s ( tunbridge 1991 ) and from northern south australia in the 1930s . the species declined dramatically in south - western australia in the 1920s and 1930s , although it may have persisted until the 1970s or even the 1980s ( abbott 2001 ) . it occurs patchily on the dampier peninsula , western australia .
emerging from its burrow about an hour after sunset , the bilby is wholly nocturnal , returning well before dawn . it searches for food by using its powerful front feet with long claws to dig numerous small conical holes in the ground up to 4 in ( 10 cm ) deep . the long thin tongue is used to lick up much of the food—between 29 and 90 % of its feces consists of earth . the senses of smell and hearing are both crucial in food detection . this marsupial is omnivorous , with a diet that includes seeds , roots , insects , bulbs , fruit , and fungi . research shows that individual colonies tend to favor one or two food items over all others , probably in response to their abundance within a particular habitat . thus in the tanami desert , bilbies consume termites and lepidoptera larvae ; in queensland , seeds , bulbs , and acacia root - feeding grubs predominate at different locations . bilbies do not appear to drink water ; instead , they gain the moisture they need from their food .
the polyestrous females are physiologically capable of producing litters at any time of the year , although in some areas rainfall and food availability are limiting factors . bilbies are polygynous . after mating with a socially dominant male , the female undergoes a gestation of just 14 days , then gives birth to one to three young . no more than a centimeter in length , the newborn young crawl into the backward - facing pouch , where they will remain suckling on a choice of eight teats for the next 80 days . even after leaving the pouch , the young will stay in the burrow for a further fortnight . the mother continues to suckle them , while at the same time making nocturnal sorties into the open for food . although the young then leave the burrow and begin feeding on solid food , they often continue to share their mother’s burrows for a short while after gaining independence . the young females attain sexual maturity at five months . male maturity is unknown . the longevity record for a captive greater bilby macrotis lagotis is seven years and two months .
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justification : listed as extinct because western desert aborigines reported that the yallara died out in the 1960s ( burbidge et al . 1988 ) . the last specimen was from near koonchera dune ( cooncherie ) in north - eastern south australia in 1931 ( johnson 2008 ) . a skull of unknown age was found in 1967 in a nest of a wedge - tailed eagle aquila audax south - east of alice springs near the edge of the simpson desert ( johnson 2008 ) .
this species is extinct . population size is unknown , but it was probably fairly abundant , especially during good seasons . aboriginal people have stated that it survived in the western deserts until c . 1960 ( burbidge et al . 1988 ) and the skull found in 1967 in a nest of a wedge - tailed eagle aquila audax south - east of alice springs near the edge of the simpson desert found in 1967 was estimated to be < 15 years old .
predation from introduced feral cats and red foxes is considered to be the major cause of extinction , probably exacerbated by changes in fire regime .
to make use of this information , please check the < terms of use > .
evidence reported by marcus lucero for item extinctvanishing00harprich on november 29 , 2006 : no visible notice of copyright ; stated date is 1945 .
there are no reviews yet . be the first one to write a review .
the last recorded specimen consists of a skull picked up below a wedgetailed eagle’s nest by p . hanisch at steele gap in the simpson desert , northern territory , in 1967 . the bone was still relatively fresh , and was estimated to be less than fifteen years old .
angela singh ( author ) , west windsor - plainsboro high school , joan rasmussen ( editor ) , west windsor - plainsboro high school .
living in australia , new zealand , tasmania , new guinea and associated islands .
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror - image halves . animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides , as well as anterior and posterior ends . synapomorphy of the bilateria .
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature . endothermy is a synapomorphy of the mammalia , although it may have arisen in a ( now extinct ) synapsid ancestor ; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities . convergent in birds .
the area in which the animal is naturally found , the region in which it is endemic .
a terrestrial biome . savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy . extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical africa and south america , and in australia .
a grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees , a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest . see also tropical savanna and grassland biome .
a terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes ( > 23 . 5° n or s latitude ) . vegetation is made up mostly of grasses , the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available . fire and grazing are important in the long - term maintenance of grasslands .
to cite this page : singh , a . 2001 .
macrotis leucura
( on - line ) , animal diversity web . accessed july 09 , 2018 at urltoken
disclaimer : the animal diversity web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students . adw doesn ' t cover all species in the world , nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe . though we edit our accounts for accuracy , we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts . while adw staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable , we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control .
this material is based upon work supported by the national science foundation grants drl 0089283 , drl 0628151 , due 0633095 , drl 0918590 , and due 1122742 . additional support has come from the marisla foundation , um college of literature , science , and the arts , museum of zoology , and information and technology services .
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for information to assist regulatory considerations , refer to policy statements and guidelines , the conservation advice , the listing advice and / or the recovery plan .
listed as extinct ( global status : iucn red list of threatened species : 2017 . 1 list )
australian biological resources study , ed . ( 2013 ) . australian faunal directory . australian biological resources study . available from : urltoken .
commonwealth of australia ( 2000 ) . declaration under s178 , s181 , and s183 of the environment protection and biodiversity conservation act 1999 - list of threatened species , list of threatened ecological communities and list of threatening processes . f2005b02653 . canberra : federal register of legislative instruments . available from : urltoken . in effect under the epbc act from 16 - jul - 2000 .
department of the environment and heritage ( 2006pu ) . macrotis leucura in species profile and threats ( sprat ) database . canberra : deh . available from : urltoken .
epbc act email updates can be received via the communities for communities newsletter and the epbc act newsletter .
this database is designed to provide statutory , biological and ecological information on species and ecological communities , migratory species , marine species , and species and species products subject to international trade and commercial use protected under the environment protection and biodiversity conservation act 1999 ( the epbc act ) . it has been compiled from a range of sources including listing advice , recovery plans , published literature and individual experts . while reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information , no guarantee is given , nor responsibility taken , by the commonwealth for its accuracy , currency or completeness . the commonwealth does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of , or reliance on , the information contained in this database . the information contained in this database does not necessarily represent the views of the commonwealth . this database is not intended to be a complete source of information on the matters it deals with . individuals and organisations should consider all the available information , including that available from other sources , in deciding whether there is a need to make a referral or apply for a permit or exemption under the epbc act .
citation : department of the environment ( 2018 ) . macrotis leucura in species profile and threats database , department of the environment , canberra . available from : urltoken . accessed tue , 10 jul 2018 05 : 23 : 27 + 1000 .
if you have images for this taxon that you would like to share with atlas of living australia , please upload using the upload tools .
finlayson , h . h . 1935 ,
on mammals from the lake eyre basin . part ii - the peramelidae
, transactions of the royal society of south australia , vol . 59 , pp . 227 - 236
finlayson , h . h . 1932 ,
preliminary descriptions of two new mammals from south australia . 1 . thalacomys minor var . miselius ( subsp . nov . ) . 2 . pseudomys ( gyomys ) apodemoides ( sp . nov . )
, transactions of the royal society of south australia , vol . 56 , pp . 168 - 171
spencer , b . 1897 ,
description of two new species of marsupials from central australia
, proceedings of the royal society of victoria , ser . ns , vol . 9 , pp . 5 - 11
thomas , o . 1887 ,
description of a second species of rabbit - bandicoot ( peragale )
, annals and magazine of natural history , ser . 5 , vol . 19 , pp . 397 - 399
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . taxon : cabbcc4b - 3907 - 4f77 - a817 - eb43f8744564
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . taxon : 284d8e3c - 2ffe - 4c46 - a6f7 - 74d8c78dc9a9
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . name : 314445
explore species occurrence records in the context of their environment . find records and model species distributions . export reports , maps and data .
find out how you can contribute to a citizen science project in your area , or explore one of the many citizen science projects supported by the ala .
did you see something ? photograph something ? contribute your sighting to the atlas of living australia .
the atlas of living australia acknowledges australia ' s traditional owners and pays respect to the past and present elders of the nation ' s aboriginal and torres strait islander communities . we honour and celebrate the spiritual , cultural and customary connections of traditional owners to country and the biodiversity that forms part of that country .
males : body length : 30 - 55cm , tail : 20 - 29cm , females : body length ; 29 - 39cm , tail : 20 - 28cm .
once common throughout the arid and semi - arid regions of the australian mainland , european settlement has brought about changes in their habitat . the populations are now found within the tanami desert of the northern territory ; in the great sandy and gibson deserts ; parts of the pilbara and kimberley ( near broome ) regions of western australia ; and the clayey and stony soils of the mitchell grasslands of southwest queensland .
bilbies are found in a range of habitats from arid rocky soils with little ground cover to semi - arid shrublands and woodlands . they also known to inhabit spinifex and tussock grassland regions .
sheltering in their burrows to avoid the heat of the day , bilbies emerge after dark to forage for food . they can be seen scampering about sniffing for food which they dig out with their forefeet . being omnivores , they will feed on a range of foods including insects ( especially termites ) and their larvae , seeds and fungi , bulbs and fruit .
water is not crucial to their diet as they are able to obtain enough moisture from their food . this is what makes their survival in arid regions so successful .
burrows can be shared by males , females and their young which they will use , repair and re - use over many years .
female bilbies have backward facing pouches like koalas and wombats so that dirt does not enter the pouch while they are digging .
the life span of bilbies in the wild is about 7 years and they are able to breed from 6 months of age .
breeding season is usually between march and may but in captivity they will breed all year round . the pouch usually accommodates 2 young . as the gestation period is 14 days , female bilbies can give birth up to 4 times a year , producing up to 8 young . the young are attached to one of eight teats in the pouch , detaching from the teats around 11 to 12 weeks and become weaned by 13 to 15 weeks . the young will then live in the burrow for another couple of weeks , being fed by the mother ' s night time food foraging activities . by 5 months the female bilbies become sexually mature and be able to begin breeding .


the great knot ( calidris tenuirostris ) is a small wader .

it is the largest of the calidrid species .

the genus name is from ancient greek kalidris or skalidris , a term used by aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds .

the specific tenuirostris is from latin tenuis " slender " and rostrum " bill " .

great knot

eastern knot , japanese knot , slender - billed knot , stripe - crowned knot , great sandpiper , large knot .
this bird is also known as the great sandpiper , the asiatic knot , and the eastern greater knot .
other names : slender - billed knot ; stripe - crowned knot ; eastern knot ; large sandpiper ; great sandpiper ( higgins & davies 1996 ) .
management documents relevant to the great knot are at the start of the profile .
the great knot was first described by the american physician and naturalist thomas horsfield .
birdlife international ( 2009a ) . great knot calidris tenuirostris factsheet . available from : urltoken .
the great knot is classified as vulnerable ( vu ) on the iucn red list ( 1 ) .
brown , b . ( 1980 ) . a great knot in manukau harbour . notornis . 27 : 91 .
the great knot is similar to the red knot ( calidris canutus ) , but with markedly different breeding plumage and is larger and bulkier with a longer bill . the great knot is known to roost in dense flocks of thousands in association with other waders including the red knot and godwits ( limosa spp . ) ( higgins & davies 1996 ) .
great knot threatened species information ( nsw national parks and wildlife service ( nsw npws ) , 1999cd ) [ information sheet ] .
great knot - profile ( nsw department of environment , climate change and water ( nsw deccw ) , 2005nw ) [ internet ] .
threatened species of the northern territory - great knot , calidris tenuirostris ( ward , s . , 2012c ) [ information sheet ] .
threatened species unit ( 1999 ) threatened species information : great knot . nsw national parks and wildlife service , hurstville , new south wales .
lateral view of a red knot in breeding plumage , front , together with a great knot in breeding plumage , right , a second great knot in non - breeding plumage , centre , and two greater sand plovers in non - breeding plumage in the background ( photo courtesy of b . hensen ) [ east point , darwin , nt , march 2013 ]
there are a number of threats that affect all migratory waders , including the great knot , that occur in the east asian - australasian flyway .
great knot leave our shores during march and april for their breeding grounds in far northern siberia . they return to us in august and september .
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very light brown bird . flushed within 10 metres , great views . ebird checklist
tomkovich , p . ( 1996 ) a third report on the biology of the great knot calidris tenuirostris on the breeding grounds . the stilt , 28 : 43 - 45 .
red knot : this bird is smaller , the bill about the length of the head whilst the great knot’s bill is one and a half times the length of the head . the markings on the flanks are less bulky . there is no mistaking the two in breeding plumage .
after breeding , the great knot departs the breeding grounds and begins its migration south to warmer wintering grounds , which it normally arrives at between august and october ( 6 ) . often travelling in mixed flocks with other knot and turnstone species ( arenaria ) , the great knot relies on stop - over sites during the long journey , where it can feed and restore its energy , enabling the bird to continue with its migration ( 6 ) ( 8 ) .
frontal view of a great knot in non - breeding plumage ( photo courtesy of j . greaves ) [ alfred cove , swan river , perth , wa , in january 2017 ]
during the non - breeding season , most of the great knot population occurs in australia ; though small numbers are also known to winter from burma and bangladesh , west to the bay of bengal , and occasionally to the persian gulf . the extent of occurrence of the great knot is estimated to be in the order of 1 490 000 km² ( birdlife international 2009a ) .
the environmental and cultural significance of the great barrier reef and torres strait regions is recognised around the world . mandatory coastal pilotage in key areasthe great barrier reef . . .
the knot forages for food by methodically thrusting its bill deep into the mud searching for invertebrates and crustaceans .
tomkovich , p . s . ( 1996 ) . a third report on the biology of the great knot , calidris tenuirostris , on the breeding grounds . stilt . 28 : 43 - 45 .
tomkovich , p . s . ( 1997 ) . breeding distribution , migrations and conservation status of the great knot calidris tenuirostris in russia . emu . 97 ( 4 ) : 265 - 282 .
h . mouritsen reports spotting 4 great knots near darwin , nt , in october 2015 .
( great barrier reef marine park authority ( gbrmpa ) , 2011 ) [ admin guideline ] .
the great knot breeds in north - eastern siberia ( russia ) and winters along the coastlines of southeast asia , australia , india , bangladesh , pakistan and the eastern shores of the arabian peninsula ( 6 ) .
the great knot is the largest of the calidrid species . it breeds in the arctic , in north eastern siberia and migrates to southern asia , the phillipines and northern australia . a few reach new zealand every year .
gerasimov , yu . n . , & n . n . gerasimov ( 2000 ) . information on the northward migration of great knot , calidris tenuirostris , in kamchatka , russia . stilt . 36 : 35 - 38 .
great knots have a preference for tidal sands and mudflats . they are often found together with red knots .
lateral view of a great knot with two green bands ; click on image to see the surrounding mob of bar - tailed godwits ( photo courtesy of m . eaton ) [ toorbul wader roost , brisbane , qld , january 2018 ]
barter , m . ( 1986 ) . great knots partly undone . stilt . 9 : 5 - 20 .
m . eaton reports finding great knots at the toorbul wader roost , brisbane , qld , in january 2018 .
great knots are gregarious and are often found in mixed flocks . the species has also been reported to eat seeds , berries and insects at its breeding grounds in siberia . great knots breed on mountaintops in eastern siberia , and also in korea and china . in non - breeding areas the great knot is mostly found in coastal habitats that comprise large areas of bare or sparsely vegetated intertidal mudflats or sandflats . they are rarely found on inland wetlands and do not favour sandy beaches .
during the breeding season , adult great knots feed on berries from plants such as empetrum , dryas and vaccinium species , and the kernels of dwarf pine , while young great knots feed exclusively on insects and spiders . during the winter , when inhabiting coastal areas , and when stopping over on its lengthy migration , the great knot may also consume a variety of other animals , such as bivalves , gastropods , sea cucumbers , crabs and shrimps ( 6 ) ( 7 ) , and can be seen methodically thrusting its bill deep into the mud to search for these coastal invertebrates ( 4 ) . when migrating , large flocks of up to several thousand individuals may forage together , while at the wintering site , the great knot typically forages in small groups ( 6 ) .
antonov , a . & f . huettmann ( 2004 ) . on the southward migration of great knot in the western sea of okhotsk : results and conclusions from coordinated surveys of northern sakhalin island and schastia bay , 2002 . stilt . 45 : 14 - 20 .
c . hayne reports seeing 5 knots , including at least one great knot in non - breeding plumage , together with several other species of waders , resting on a sandbank on the shore of lake chickiba , ballina , nsw , in december 2012 to january 2013 .
during the breeding season , the great knot is found on high altitude plateaus between 300 and 1 , 600 metres above sea level , particularly on gravelly areas covered with lichen and patches of herbs and heather ( 6 ) . in winter , the great knot inhabits a variety of sheltered coastal habitats , including mudflats , bays , harbours , estuaries and lagoons with intertidal flats and creeks , and sandy spits ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 6 ) , and it roosts in sheltered areas which are not disturbed by tides ( 6 ) .
b . hensen reports spotting great knots at both lee point and east point , darwin , nt , semi - regularly .
the great knot ( calidris tenuirostris ) is a long distance migratory shorebird , with a rather plump body and a stout , straight bill ( 4 ) . for most of the year , the great knot has streaky , greyish - brown feathers on its upperparts and head , and white underparts ( 5 ) . during flight , a white stripe on the wings and a small , whitish patch on the rump can be seen ( 5 ) . during the breeding season , it develops reddish - brown streaks on its back , and black streaks on the head and breast ( 5 ) . the bill is black , the irises are brown , and the legs and feet are dark grey to olive green ( 4 ) . while usually silent , the great knot may occasionally call with a ‘ prrt’ sound ( 2 ) .
great knot : this species breeds in the subarctic and montane tundra habitats of northeastern siberia . it is migratory and winters along the coast of southeast asia and australia . it has very rarely observed on west coast of alaska during its spring migration , and has also been recorded locally in western europe .
the great knot has been identified as a conservation value in the north - west ( dsewpac 2012y ) marine region . see schedule 2 of the north - west marine bioregional plan ( dsewpac 2012y ) for regional advice . maps of biologically important areas have been developed for great knot in the north - west ( dsewpac 2012y ) marine region and may provide additional relevant information . go to the conservation values atlas to view the locations of these biologically important areas . the
species group report card - seabirds & migratory shorebirds
for the north - west ( dsewpac 2012y ) marine region provides additional information .
with people and great knots sharing an appetite for shellfish , the great knot could have been a symbol of harmony between humans and wildlife . instead , it is now emblemic of the decline of global bird migration . the destruction of the knots’ most important stop - over site in korea has not only caused the species’ population to nose - dive by nearly a third , it has deprived 20 , 000 people of their livelihoods ( shellfish ) .
the great knot is a medium - sized shorebird with a straight , slender bill of medium length and a heavily streaked head and neck . in australia , they are usually seen in non - breeding plumage , with grey upperparts with pale scalloping , and white underparts with heavy streaking on the neck , grading to spots on the breast . in breeding plumage , great knots have a black band across the chest , and black , white and reddish speckles on the upperparts .
marpol discharge standards apply in australia’s particularly sensitive sea area ( great barrier reef , torres strait and coral sea ) , noting the nearest land boundary .
the great knot begins reproducing at around two years of age ( 7 ) . breeding takes place between late may and late july ( 6 ) , when the female typically lays four eggs ( 7 ) . the eggs generally hatch between mid - june and mid - july after an incubation period of about 22 days ( 7 ) .
j . greaves spotted a small mixed flock of great knots and red knots at alfred cove , swan river , perth , wa , in january 2017 .
large flock of great knots in non - breeding plumage ( photo courtesy of b . hensen ) [ lee point , darwin , nt , january 2016 ]
the great knot has a large breeding range of nearly 1 . 5 million square kilometers . it breeds in montane tundra in northeastern russia , and winters in tidal mud flats and similar coastal habitats in parts of the middle east and southern asia , the philippines , indonesia , and australia . it has also been recorded as a vagrant in alaska , and has an estimated population of 292 , 000 - 295 , 000 individuals . this species is in decline and threatened by destruction of important tidal mud flats used during migration and on its wintering grounds . because of the sharp , recent decline in population and continued destruction of vital habitats , the great knot has a conservation rating of endangered .
there is a detailed summary of all that is known of the great knot in higgins and davies ( 1996 ) , and international summaries in del hoyo and colleagues ( 1996 ) . there are also general discussions and summaries of the ecology , conservation and threats of this species and other shorebirds in barter ( 2002 ) and watkins ( 1993 ) .
small flock of great knots in flight ( photo courtesy of j . greaves ) [ alfred cove , swan river , perth , wa , in january 2017 ]
in all cases check with local authorities as local regulations may apply . within the great barrier reef marine park , as far as practicable from reefs and islands .
disturbance from construction , recreation , shellfish harvesting , fishing and aquaculture is likely to increase significantly in the future ( barter 2005b ; barter et al . 2005 ; davidson & rothwell 1993 ; rogers 2001 ) . hunting is still a very serious problem for waders in china , and the great knot is sometimes caught ( ming et al . 1998 ) .
the great knot shows a high fidelity to breeding sites ( del hoyo et al . 1996 ) and is monogamous ( battley et al . 2004 ) . nests are on flat to gently sloping ground of broken rocks , often lichen covered . sites are usually highly exposed , with the only covering vegetation being sparse , dwarf shrubs ( snow & perrins 1998 ) .
the great knot breeds in alpine and sub - alpine vegetation in north - east siberia and the far north - east of russia . nesting colonies are usually at or above upper tree lines , at altitudes below 1000 m above sea level ( asl ) in the east and usually above 1000 m asl in the western half of the breeding range ( tomkovich 1997 ) .
27 cm . , 160 g . , like red knot but larger , heavier longer black bill and white rump , breeding adult has heavily streaked black head and neck , breast heavily blotched redish brown .
lateral view of great knots in non - breeding plumage ( photo courtesy of j . greaves ) [ alfred cove , swan river , perth , wa , in january 2017 ]
flock of mostly great knots in flight , together with a few red knots ( photo courtesy of b . hensen ) [ east point , darwin , nt , december 2015 ]
the red knot is slightly smaller with a shorter , more slender bill and a more prominent eyebrow , smaller spots on the underparts , and shorter wings . the curlew sandpiper is smaller and has a downcurved bill .
great knots coming in to land ; note that the bird just below the centre is banded ( photo courtesy of b . hensen ) [ east point , darwin , nt , december 2015 ]
the great knot is the largest of the calidrid birds and grows to 26–28 cm long , with a wingspan of approximately 58 cm . females are slightly larger than males . the bill is black , and slightly downward curved and tinged green at the tip . the eye is brown , legs and feet dark greenish - grey . the bird has noticeable breeding , non - breeding and juvenile plumages ( higgins & davies 1996 ) .
in australasia , the species typically prefers sheltered coastal habitats , with large intertidal mudflats or sandflats . this includes inlets , bays , harbours , estuaries and lagoons . they are occasionally found on exposed reefs or rock platforms , shorelines with mangrove vegetation , ponds in saltworks , at swamps near the coast , saltlakes and non - tidal lagoons . the great knot rarely occurs on inland lakes and swamps ( higgins & davies 1996 ) .
it may be possible to rehabilitate some degraded wetlands ( morris 2002 ) and it may also be possible to create artificial wader feeding or roosting sites to replace those destroyed by development ( harding et al . 1999 ; straw 1999 ) . however , it may not be possible to create feeding habitat for the great knot , due to the very specific species and sizes of shellfish they require ( minton 2002 pers . comm . ) .
a number of sites have exhibited great knot declines , including a 24 % decline at eighty - mile beach between 2000–2008 ( garnett et al . 2011 ; rogers et al . 2009 ) , a 6 % decline per year at moreton bay between 1998–2008 ( fuller et al . 2009 ; garnett et al . 2011 ) and a 34 % decline accross 49 sites between 1983–2007 ( awsg database cited in garnett et al . 2011 ) .
great knots occur around coastal areas in many parts of australia during the southern summer . they breed in eastern siberia , and when on migration they occur throughout coastal regions of eastern and south east asia .
lateral view of great knots ; click on image to see the surrounding mob of bar - tailed godwits ( photo courtesy of m . eaton ) [ toorbul wader roost , brisbane , qld , january 2018 ]
flock of mostly great knots in flight , together with a few red knots and two black - tailed godwits ( photo courtesy of b . hensen ) [ east point , darwin , nt , march 2013 ]
note : 15 parts per million discharges can be anywhere at sea ( not within port limits ) including the great barrier reef marine park and marine protected areas . vessel must not be stationary when undertaking discharge .
although not considered endangered , populations of the red knot in eastern north america have been steeply falling because of over harvesting of the horseshoe crab ; the eggs of which serve as their main food source during a critical migration stop - over in the delaware bay .
the great knot passes through south - east siberia , and along the coasts of the sea of okhotsk , southern ussuriland ( from early august to early september ) , sea of japan , south korea ( late august to mid october ) , east china sea ( late july to late october , but mostly august to september ) , taiwan ( september - october ) and hong kong ( late august - november ) ( barter 2002 ; higgins & davies 1996 ; tomkovich 1997 ) .
typically , the great knot roosts in large groups in open areas , often at the waters edge or in shallow water close to feeding grounds ( higgins & davies 1996 ; rogers 2001 ) . it is known that in hot conditions , waders prefer to roost where a damp substrate lowers the local temperature ( rogers 1999b ) . a group of approximately 8610 birds have been recorded roosting at an inland claypan near roebuck bay in north - west western australia ( collins et al . 2001 ) .
the loss of important stop - over sites , and resultant population decline , has led to the great knot recently being declared at risk of extinction ( 6 ) . there are limited conservation measures currently in place , such as a monitoring scheme in australia , but further actions have been proposed ; these include preventing the reclamation of critical stop - over sites , restoring those sites that have already been reclaimed , and implementing legal protection in all the countries in which it is found ( 6 ) .
the main threat to the great knot is the degradation and loss of its habitat , as a result of pollution , reduced river flows , and human disturbance , particularly in the yellow sea region which is an important stop - over area for this species during its migration ( 6 ) . some important stop - over sites have already been eliminated ( 6 ) , such as in south korea , where the reclamation of 40 , 000 hectares of tidal flats at saemangeum is thought to have reduced the global population of great knots by up to 20 percent ( 9 ) . other stop - over sites are threatened by the construction of tidal barrages and power plants , and the expansion of industrial and urban areas ( 6 ) .
van gils , j . , wiersma , p . , kirwan , g . m . & sharpe , c . j . ( 2018 ) . great knot ( calidris tenuirostris ) . in : del hoyo , j . , elliott , a . , sargatal , j . , christie , d . a . & de juana , e . ( eds . ) . handbook of the birds of the world alive . lynx edicions , barcelona . ( retrieved from urltoken on 9 july 2018 ) .
great knots do not breed in australia . instead , they nest in siberia during the northern summer , where they lay up to four eggs . both sexes incubate the eggs , but only the male accompanies the broods of young .
single hudsonian godwit with small flock of bar - tailed godwits and red knot seen on restricted access land - subtly upswept bill , bulging eyebrow in front of eye and dark underwing seen . keep an eye out for this bird on mud islands or other potential godwit roosting sites .
the great knot breeds in north - east siberia but the breeding distribution is poorly known . the species has been recorded from the mouth of the kolyma river and the gorelovy mountains ( possibly from verkhoyanskii ranges ) , and from the eastern anadyr and koryatsky ranges ( higgins & davies 1996 ) . tomkovich ( 1997 ) identified the bays and estuaries of the north - east and north - west parts of the sea of okhotsk and northern sakhalin island ( russia ) as important staging areas for the species southward migration .
the great knot usually lays four eggs , though sometimes three , from late may to late june . incubation takes around 21 days , and the female parent departs the breeding grounds after the eggs hatch , leaving the male to tend to the chicks ( del hoyo et al . 1996 ) . around 47 % –57 % of chicks survive to fledge , and fledging takes approximately 20–25 days . young are independent a few days after fledging . around 2 . 3–2 . 8 fledglings are raised per brood ( tomkovich 1996 ) .
the great knot is probably more vulnerable to reclamation activities than most other waders , due to the very specific species and sizes of shellfish that they eat ( minton 2002 pers . comm . ) . wetland degradation in the yellow sea is a particluar threat as 80 % of the population stages on the northward migration ( garnett et al . 2011 ) . about 90 000 individuals disappeared following the reclamation of tidal flats in the south korean yellow sea in 2006 ( garnett et al . 2011 ; moores et al . 2008 ) .
previously reported sipo ( 1n ) present at high tide roost at point . also present were asian gull - billed tern ( 2 ) and single black - tailed godwit ( rare in westernport ) . good numbers of overwintering eastern curlew , bar - tailed godwit and red knot also recorded .
in australia , great knots inhabit intertidal mudflats and sandflats in sheltered coasts , including bays harbours and estuaries . they forage on the moist mud , and they often roost on beaches or in nearby low vegetation , such as mangroves or dune vegetation .
during the non - breeding season , the great knot is paler and greyer above and on the breast . the breast is more finely streaked than spotted , flanks become sparsely streaked and the undertail is white . the head and upper parts have clear streaks of blackish - grey ; most evident on crown and hindneck . scapulars , wing coverts and mantle feathers are grey - brown with black - brown shaft streaks and edged in white giving a scalloped appearance ( geering et al . 2007 ; hayman et al . 1986 ; higgins & davies 1996 ) .
smaller numbers leave southern australia from february and may move through south australia and eastern queensland ( higgins & davies 1996 ) . thousands have been recorded in south - east irian jaya in february - april . the great knot is also recorded from bali in march ; sumatra in march - april ; and olango island , philippines in february - may . some also move through vietnam , hong kong and taiwan ( higgins & davies 1996 ) . many move through the kamchatka peninsula , eastern siberia , on the northern migration ( gerasimov & gerasimov 2000 ) .
near - lateral view of two great knots in non - breeding plumage , left , together with two red knots , also in non - breeding plumage ( photo courtesy of b . hensen ) [ lee point , darwin , nt , july 2017 ]
the great knot is migratory , moving south from russia to non - breeding areas in australia . it is thought that most adults congregate in the western and southern sea of okhotsk , then fly direct to northern australia , while some others move south to korea before flying direct to australia from there ( antonov & huettmann 2004 ; higgins & davies 1996 ) . birds found on other asian coasts are most likely juveniles ( minton 2002 pers . comm . ) . birds show strong fidelity to non - breeding sites as well as breeding sites ( higgins & davies 1996 ) .
marpol contains the term ' from the nearest land ' . the nearest land boundary off the north eastern coast of australia extends around the outer edge of the great barrier reef and part of the torres strait region . within this area no discharges are generally allowed .
stricter requirements may apply to vessels when in australian ports , state or territory waters or the great barrier reef marine park . this should be checked with the relevant port , state , territory , or commonwealth authorities ( gbrmpa ) prior to discharge in these areas .
small flock of great knots with two red knots - the bird in the middle with its bill under water and the one on the far right ( photo courtesy of j . greaves ) [ alfred cove , swan river , perth , wa , in january 2017 ]
small flock of great knots with one red knots - the bird in front , with a bill that is as long as the size of the head ( photo courtesy of j . greaves ) [ alfred cove , swan river , perth , wa , in january 2017 ]
after arriving in australia , most birds probably remain at or close to their arrival destinations throughout the non - breeding season , and those few that move to southern australia probably do so in a single flight from northern australia ( minton 2002 pers . comm . ) . some birds do move from north - west australia by november with some arriving at the gulf of carpentaria in september - december and some arriving on the east coast september - november . a few birds may move through inland queensland , nsw and victoria from september - february ( higgins & davies 1996 ) . usually great knots arrive in south australia , victoria and tasmania from october - november ( lane 1987 ; thomas 1970b ) . some appear to move from north - west to south - west australia along the western coast , sometimes moving into south - west australia in october . at eyre bird observatory , the great knot generally arrives late august - december .
lateral view of a number of great knots in both breeding plumage ( dark chest ) and non - breeding plumage , together with a few red knots , one of which in near - breeding plumage ( photo courtesy of b . hensen ) [ east point , darwin , nt , march 2013 ]
during migration common resting areas include east china , korea and japan . the yellow sea supports about 80 % of the east asian - australasian flyway ( the flyway ) great knot population on its northward migration . fifteen sites of international importance for the northward migration have been identified there , compared to nine for the southern migration . the area provides a rich feeding source for the birds prior to their flight to russian breeding grounds which may be still covered in ice and snow making foraging difficult ( bamford et al . 2008 ) . in addition , the dongjin and mangyeung estuaries ( south korea ) are important during both north and south migrations ( barter 2002 ) .
26 - 28 cm , largest calidris . breast and flanks heavily spotted black , scapulars with large chestnut spots and blackish tips . non - breeding adult with paler grey upperparts and breast ( van gils et al . 2015 ) . similar spp . longer bill than surfbird aphriza virgata and similar shape to red knot c . canutus but larger and with longer bill .
great knots mostly eat bivalve molluscs , as well as snails , worms , crustaceans and , very occasionally , sea - cucumbers . they feed by rapidly jabbing their bill into the soft mud of intertidal mudflats , especially along the water’s edge , taking prey from the surface of the mud or just below it .
battley , p . f . , t . piersa , d . i . rogers , a . dekinga , b . spaans & j . a . van gils ( 2004 ) . do body condition and plumage during fuelling predict northwards departure dates of great knots calidris teuirostris from north - west australia ? . ibis . 146 : 46 - 60 .
battley . p . f . , dietz , m . w . , piersma , t . , dekinga , a . , tang , s . and hulsman , k . ( 2001 ) is long - distance bird flight equivalent to a high energy fast ? body composition changes in freely migrating and captive fasting great knots . physiological and biochemical zoology , 74 ( 3 ) : 435 - 449 .
aside from the ruddy turnstone with its striking black , white , and orange plumage with red legs and bill , most sandpipers are plumaged in browns , gray , white , and black although dark red - orange colors are also shown by the breeding plumages of dowitchers and the red knot . in most species , these colors are combined for handsome , intricate patterns that act as camouflage and attract mates in the breeding season . during the winter , most species molt into drab gray and white plumages .
single immature - plumaged bird seen flying steadily north - east near blackburn rd / high street rd intersection about 8 : 20 am . escorted by an agitated but comparatively insignificant - looking australian magpie , and causing great alarm among local noisy miners , little corellas and rainbow lorikeets . the bird was actively flying ( flapping ) the whole time ( 10 - 15 seconds ) it was in sight . never seen one overhead around glen waverley before .
great knots are migrants to australia from the north , to cape york peninsula via the torres straight , but also to the gulf of carpentaria and the top end of the nt , as far west as darwin , from java , indonesia . they are usually found only along the entire australian coastline , including tasmania and lots of small offshore islands . they are only rarely found inland - mostly in vic and the south - eastern corner of sa .
. great knots are a strongly migratory species . their breeding grounds are located in arctic tundra in north - eastern siberia . they winter in coastal regions basically all around the southern coastline of asia from arabia in the west , via the persian gulf , the indian subcontinent eastward to eastern china , korea and japan . many proceed into the south - east asian islands ( philippines , indonesia , papua new guinea ) , part of which continue on their way southward to winter in coastal regions of australia .
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thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on the iucn red list of threatened species website , we are grateful for your input .
cramp , s . and simmons , k . e . l . ( eds ) . 1977 - 1994 . handbook of the birds of europe , the middle east and africa . the birds of the western palearctic . oxford university press , oxford .
this species has been uplisted to endangered owing to recent evidence showing a very rapid population decline caused by reclamation of non - breeding stopover grounds , and under the assumption that further proposed reclamation projects will cause additional declines in the future .
is a particularly important stop - over site on migration in both spring and autumn . the yalu jiang coastal wetland in the north yellow sea has been identified as a key site for the species during northward migration ( choi
( wetlands international 2006 ) . since then the reclamation and development of wetlands in south korea has led to a decline in the observed counts of non - breeding populations , mostly notably including dramatic declines at the saemangeum wetland which previously held c . 20 - 30 % of the global population on migration ( moores
. the population estimate has therefore been updated accordingly with the most recent population size thought to be 292 , 000 - 295 , 000 individuals in 2007 ( wetlands international 2015 ) .
despite there being no observed declines within the chinese portion of the yellow sea , further declines at smaller staging grounds in japan and at major wintering grounds in australia ( of c . 90 , 000 individuals [ rogers
. these are supported by recent data from australasia suggesting that the population has decreased by 77 . 8 % over three generations ( 22 years ) ( studds
an analysis of monitoring data from australia and new zealand suggests the population is declining at a much more rapid rate than was previously thought , with an estimated 77 . 8 % decline over three generations ( 22 years ) ( studds
. in prep . ) . almost the entire global population ( 98 % ) is restricted to the east asian - australasian flyway so trends in the australasian population during the non - breeding season are thought to be representative of the overall global population .
. submitted ) . the study found that whilst survival in north - west australia in winter remained constantly high , the survival rate during time away from australia , declined from 2011 . during 2011 - 2012 the annual survival rate for the species was 0 . 63 and annual breeding output was 0 . 15 . given such low survival rates the study estimates the species will halve in number within four years . if these rates are representative of the whole population then the declines stated here could be even more severe . reclamation of saemangeum ( south korea ) alone has caused a decline of c . 90 , 000 individuals , equating to a population decline of approximately 25 % since 2000 ( n . moores
2009 ) . furthermore there have been documented declines in some of the peripheral sites for the species in australia and japan ( amano 2006 , r . clemens
2010 ) . given that many more reclamation projects are proposed within the yellow sea region , it is reasonable to assume that declines will continue in the future .
. small chicks feed exclusively on insects ( e . g . larval diptera and coleoptera ) and spiders ( del hoyo
, annelid worms and echinoderms ( e . g . sea cucumbers ) ( del hoyo
2014 ) . losses are attributed to reclamation for agriculture , aquaculture , and other development and are expected to continue or accelerate owing to population growth around the yellow sea . degradation and loss of wetland habitats in the yellow sea region are also attributed to environmental pollution ( kelin and qiang 2006 )
in south korea , after the loss of the important saemangeum stopover area and almost all of the tidal - flats in asan bay and much of namyang bay , possibly only five sites nationwide remain internationally important . of these , only one ( the geum estuary ) currently has a low risk of reclamation , with the other four at risk due to the construction of tidal power plants and barrages , industrial use and urban expansion ( n . moores
. benthic food stocks used by the species reportedly crashed at yalujiang nnr , liaoning in 2014 and 2015 ( d . melville
. 2015 ) . in 2015 , most birds departed yalujiang and moved to northern bohai , however , it seems unlikely that this site will exist in five years time , owing to extensive reclamation works ( d . melville
. 2014 ) . the species is also potentially threatened by climate change because it has a geographically bounded distribution : its global distribution is restricted to within c . 10
it is listed on appendix i of the convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals ( cms ) ( cms 2015 ) . population trends are being monitored in australia as part of the monitoring yellow sea migrants in australia project . the species was recently uplisted to endangered in australia . it was designated for concerted actions during 2015 - 2017 at the cms cop in november 2014 ( cms 2014 ) .
identify key stopover areas and prevent their reclamation . continue to monitor population trends . restore reclaimed wetland sites . campaign to stop shorebird hunting in asian countries . legally protect it in all range states . survey the breeding grounds for potential threats . manage roost sites in the species ' s australian wintering range to minimise disturbance ( rogers
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porter , r . f . , christensen , s . and schiermacker - hansen , p . ( 2004 ) birds of the middle east . helm field guides , london .
grimett , r . , inskipp , c . and inskipp , t . ( 1998 ) birds of the indian sub - continent . oxford university press , oxford .
grewall , b . , garvey , b . and pfister , o . ( 2002 ) a photographic guide to the birds of india . princeton university press , princeton , new jersey .
herkenrath , p . ( 2009 ) conservation news : ramsar convention on wetlands : 10 th conference of the parties . oryx , 43 ( 2 ) : 170 - 171 .
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for information to assist regulatory considerations , refer to policy statements and guidelines , the conservation advice , the listing advice and / or the recovery plan .
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department of sustainability , environment , water , population and communities ( dsewpac ) ( 2012 ) .
epbc act policy statement 3 . 21 - industry guidelines for avoiding , assessing and mitigating impacts on ebbc act listed migratory shorebird species
( bamford m . , d . watkins , w . bancroft , g . tischler & j . wahl , 2008 ) [ information sheet ] .
( hansen , b . d . , r . a . fuller , d . watkins , d . i . rogers , r . s . clemens , m . newman , e . j . woehler & d . r . weller , 2016 ) in effect under the epbc act from 29 - may - 2017 . [ information sheet ] .
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shorebirds ( department of environment and heritage protection ( dehp ) , 2013bi ) [ internet ] .
the action plan for australian birds 2010 ( garnett , s . , j . szabo & g . dutson , 2011 ) .
listed as endangered ( global status : iucn red list of threatened species : 2017 . 1 list )
the distribution shown is generalised from the departments species of national environmental significance dataset . this is an indicative distribution map of the present distribution of the species based on best available knowledge . some species information is withheld in line with sensitive species polices . see map caveat for more information .
when breeding , the head and neck feathers are blackish - brown in the centre , giving a streaked pattern over a whitish background . the cap is dark , supercillum ( area above eye ) poorly marked and lores ( area below eye ) are white above with a diffuse area of brown . the chin , throat , belly , vent area and underwing are white ; breast and flanks are white with a central band of black at each feather end forming an almost solid black centre to the breast . the flanks and undertail can show heart - shaped black spots . the back is blackish - brown with pale grey tips . across the scapular feathers , central feathers have large chestnut ovals forming a chestnut band across the wings when folded . covert feathers over primary wing feathers are grey with dark streaks and whitish fringes . the rump and upper tail coverts are white and sparsely marked with black and the tail is dark grey ( hayman et al . 1986 ; higgins & davies 1996 ) .
juveniles are darker and more brown than non - breeding adults ; the mantle and scapulars being darkish brown with narrow whitish - buff fringes , giving a scalloped pattern similar to non - breeding adults . coverts and tertial feathers are paler brown , with whitish - buff fringes and dark brown subterminal bands on the larger feathers . the crown is darker forming a distinct cap . there is no clear supercillum , and the breast is washed buff - brownish and streaked and spotted dark brown ( geering et al . 2007 ; hayman et al . 1986 ; higgins & davies 1996 ) .
less common resting areas include the philippines , vietnam , thailand , malaysia , indonesia and new guinea ( higgins & davies 1996 ; barter 2002 ) . the species is also a vagrant in new zealand , the arabian peninsula , the islands of the indian ocean , morocco , north - west europe and alaska .
populations in australia are regularly surveyed during the population monitoring program that has been carried out by the australasian wader studies group since 1981 . under this program , sites that regularly support good numbers of shorebirds are surveyed twice a year ( winter and summer ) in coordinated counts ( skewes 2002 ; 2007 ) .
the number utilising the east asian - australasian flyway is approximately 425 000 ( hansen et al . 2016 ) .
the numbers of birds present in victoria has shown a marked decline from 810 to 167 birds . this may reflect patterns of the population that arriving in australia , rather than habitat changes in victoria ( wilson 2001a ) . it is now absent from some sites along the south coast where it used to be a regular visitor ( garnett et al . 2011 ) .
individuals can live to at least 17 years of age and first breed at approximately 2–3 years of age ( minton 2002 pers . comm . ) .
post - breeding migration starts in late june and seems to occur in three waves up to early september . birds fly towards the northern sea of okhotsk , though individuals have been recorded in inland ussuriland , russia . non - breeders , failed breeders and females migrate southward first , followed by males which have bred successfully . the final wave consists of young birds .
other stop - overs occur in burma , thailand , the philippines , western micronesia , cambodia , vietnam , malaysia , indonesia , wallacea , borneo , bali , timor and papua new guinea ( higgins & davies 1996 ) .
in australia , large numbers arrive in the north - west in late august - early september ( lane 1987 ) , though juveniles and many males may not arrive till october - november ( barter 1986 ) . some move through the torres strait ( draffan et al . 1983 ) . most birds stay in northern australia ( lane 1987 ) , though some move further south and birds occasionally reach new zealand ( higgins & davies 1996 ) .