The endangered malleefowl is known for its incredible ability to survive in the harshest conditions of the desert, but they are not yet rivals for cats and wild foxes.
Malleefowl are birds that live on land about the size of a chicken that build large mounds for nesting and can be found in parts of NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.
Environmentalist Trevor Bauer said malleefowl couples usually mate for life, making the discovery of a Victorian hen’s new romance rare.
“I haven’t heard of them finding another partner before. So it’s great news, as they usually get together for life,” Bauer said.
Trevor Wyatt has been observing more than 25 Malleefowl nests for over 60 years. (ABC Mildura Swan Hill: Jennifer Douglas)
Malleefowl farmer and keeper Trevor Wyatt had been observing more than 25 malleefowl nests in a remote bush near his Murrayville farm in northwest Victoria for the past 60 years.
Mr. Wyatt understood how vulnerable birds were and had a broken heart to recently discover feathers scattered around the 60-year-old nest.
He also found the hen malleefowl, twice a widow, alone.
However, Mr. Wyatt cheered when the hen soon introduced a beautiful new one.
“He didn’t cry too long, he must have gone online, because in a fortnight he had a new partner,” he said.
Great survival instinct
Bauer said it was great news for the species, but more needed to be done to protect them.
Mr. Bauer says the malleefowl chicks were easy to choose for foxes and wild cats. (Supplied by: Australian Wildlife Conservancy)
“Foxes and cats are the biggest problem for the malleefowl. Being a land bird, they’re a pretty easy target. Foxes learn to wait for mounds to come out of the chicks, catching them,” Bauer said.
The Australian Wildlife Conservancy controlled more than 60 malleefowl nests on 65,000 hectares, with research revealing an increase in nesting activity within the predator-free exclusion fence.
“We also do a lot of intensive bait outside the enclosed area to reduce the populations of wild cats and foxes, to give these amazing birds a chance to fight,” Bauer said.
Despite the threat posed by foxes and wild cats to the malleefowl, Mr Wyatt said they had some survival tricks to rely on.
“They are experts in camouflage, they just have to stand still and become invisible,” he said.
While most are terrestrial birds, Mr. Wyatt has seen them flying more than 30 miles away to escape forest fires.
A pair of malleefowl with a freshly hatched chick emerging from under a ground-covered nest. (Provided by: David Wells)
“The interesting thing about a malleefowl is that they can fly like a helicopter, right up to sleeping in the trees at night so the foxes don’t catch them,” Wyatt said.
Despite the harsh desert conditions, these fascinating birds were able to lay more than 25 eggs per season, which required changing tons of soil and mulch in and out of the nest each day, using geothermal heat to incubate their eggs.
“I was amazed that they knew how to do all this from birth,” Wyatt said.
“Even young chicks dig from the depths of the nest and can fly for about an hour if they hatch.
“They’re amazing birds.”
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