The distribution and status of Malleefowl in the wheatbelt of WA and the role of
landscape management in their conservation
Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) are considered to be a species under considerable threat
across Australia. We developed a project to assess their distribution and status
in the Western Australian wheatbelt. The project, which was funded through the Natural
Heritage Trust via Avon Catchment Council (now Wheatbelt NRM) and WWF Australia,
commenced in 2005 and was completed in May 2008.
The Malleefowl is a large (~2kg), sedentary, ground-dwelling bird that uses a combination
of fermentation and solar radiation to incubate its eggs in mounds. It is one of
three species of mound builders in Australia. The species is listed as “vulnerable”
under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
and in Western Australia, is listed as “fauna that is rare or is likely to become
extinct”.
The Western Australian wheatbelt has been extensively cleared over the past 100 years
and vegetation remaining is typically small in area, fragmented, and isolated. The
scale of clearing (>90% of all vegetation) has resulted in the wheatbelt being identified
as one of the most stressed landscapes in Australia and a major loss of habitat for
the Malleefowl.
Malleefowl are subject to a variety of threatening processes within their Western
Australian range, including land clearing, fox predation, unsuitable fire regimes,
and grazing of their habitat by stock.