Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01095:body:0:p21
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01095
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 54282–57254

(Triodia basedowii) or other Triodia species, and shrub thickets on the ridges where umbrella bush (A. ligulata) and other seed-bearing shrubs are often common.

The habitat requirements of Malleefowl anywhere in Australia are poorly understood and have as yet received limited study. A sandy substrate and abundance of leaf litter are clear requirements for the construction of the birds' incubator-nests (Frith 1959; Frith 1962a). Densities of the birds are generally greatest in areas of higher rainfall and on more fertile soils and where shrub diversity is greatest.

The floristic and structural requirements of the species are not well understood and have been examined in only two studies of limited scope. Frith (1962a) found that breeding densities in SW NSW were highest where there were numerous food plants (especially leguminous shrubs and herbs), a dense canopy and an open ground layer, and that Malleefowl abundance in livestock grazed areas was only about a tenth that of ungrazed areas. In Vic, Benshemesh (1992) examined Malleefowl breeding densities at 12 sites in relation to habitat structure and the density of food plants. Dense canopy cover was the most important feature associated with high breeding densities. The abundance of those shrubs that may provide an important food source, such as acacias, was poorly correlated with breeding density, suggesting that this resource was not limiting the populations examined. Fire history was also important: the birds preferred old growth (i.e. long unburnt 40+ years) mallee. In SA, GPS tracking data and ground-based vegetation surveys on the Eyre Peninsula show that fine-scale Malleefowl habitat selection is mainly driven by canopy height and to a lesser degree by a preference for certain plant species (Stenhouse 2022). This highlights the importance of micropatches of mature mallee, possibly as roosting sites or as refuges from heat and possibly predators.

Habitat suitability modelling has been applied to Malleefowl in reserve systems in the Murray mallee of NSW, SA and Vic (Clarke 2005). This study used sightings of Malleefowl and data on landforms, general habitat type and fire history to develop a statistical model of the broad habitat preferences of the species. In particular, habitats on sandy substrates that support Triodia were of greatest importance (e.g. Woorinen and Red swale mallee sands). Chenopod mallee, which typically forms on heavy soils, and heath-dominated habitat, which usually forms on nutrient-poor sand (e.g. Lowan sands), were among the least preferred mallee habitats for Malleefowl.

In WA, Parsons (2008b) examined the distribution of Malleefowl within the Western Australian Wheatbelt. Malleefowl distribution was associated with landscapes that had lower rainfall, greater amounts of mallee and shrubland that occur as large remnants, and lighter soil surface textures. At a finer scale, Malleefowl occurrence was associated with mallee/shrubland and