Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00006:reg:3:p6
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00006
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 3 (pt 6/58)
Character Range: 17684–20941

provide background information on the biology, population status and threats to the species. SPRAT pages are available from: http://environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/ publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=533.

                 2.1                  Conservation status

           The Eastern Bristlebird was listed as a threatened species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth) in 2000. The species is also listed under state legislation (Table 2).

           TABLE 1: National and state conservation status of the Eastern Bristlebird.

 Legislation                                                    Conservation Status
 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999  Endangered
 (Commonwealth)
 Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (New South Wales)           Endangered
 Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 (Queensland)     Endangered
 Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (Victoria)                  Critically Endangered

                 2.2                  Taxonomy

           Conventionally accepted as Dasyornis brachypterus (Latham 1802).

           Based on morphological evidence, Schodde and Mason (1999) proposed the northern population should be recognised as a distinct subspecies. Although the Action Plan for Australian Birds 2020 (Charley et al. 2021; Bain et al. 2021) notes the split proposed by Schodde and Mason (1999), separation into subspecies is not supported by one analysis of genetic data (Roberts et al. 2011) and the species is not listed at the subspecies level under state or Commonwealth legislation.

                 2.3                  Species description

           The Eastern Bristlebird is a small, well-camouflaged, ground-dwelling bird. It is dark cinnamon-brown above, with pale colouring around the eyes and base of the bill, an off-white chin and throat, and a rufous-brown panel on each wing (Higgins & Peter 2002). It is greyish-brown below, with an off-white centre to the belly. It has red to red-brown irises, an off-white to pinkish-white gape, and pinkish-brown legs and feet (Higgins & Peter 2002).

           Body length is between 18 and 21 centimetres with the broad tail accounting for about half the bird's length (Higgins & Peter 2002). Adults weigh approximately 42 g (range 35 to 50 g) (Baker 1998; Bramwell 1990; Higgins & Peter 2002). The wings are small (23 to 24 cm wingspan), and the legs are long and strong. The sexes are alike, but females are slightly smaller than males (Bain 2007). Juveniles are similar to the adults, but can be identified, if viewed at close range, by their pale brown or brown irises, and pale yellow gape (Higgins & Peter 2002).

           The species spends most of its time in low, dense vegetation, rarely appearing in the open or flying (Higgins & Peter 2002). Due to its small wings the Eastern Bristlebird flies weakly, but sturdy feet and legs help it move through dense habitat. While its plumage provides excellent camouflage, other adaptations to its habitat include a low forehead profile with bristles near the eyes. The rictal bristles which project from the beak are modified contour feathers that are thought to play a part in prey
           capture. The bristles may also