Finding the Malleefowl
Part of my work involves checking on a couple of threatened species to make sure they still exist in the area and that our management practices are effective.
One of the threatened species that I have to say hello to from time to time is the Malleefowl.
This bird is a large ground dwelling species that creates large mounds of soil and sticks to lay their eggs into.
It’s obvious why they’ve become threatened. These nests are very attractive to introduced predators and easy to find. And the nests are even more at risk of removal via land clearing activities.
So I feel very privileged to be in a position where I can protect some of the last remaining Malleefowl mounds in this region.
The nest in this image has recently become active. All the sticks and mulch you see here were recently delivered by the pair of Malleefowl who are tending to it.
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I’ve got it’s cousin the Bush Turkey nesting in my back yard. Over the last 15 years several turkeys have added to the nest. It’s now about 5m across and 1.5m high, they are incredibly industrious and move materials from up to 30 m away to build the nest.
Wow. 1.5 metres high is insane. I love finding signs of their material harvesting out in the Mallee.
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Holy crap. That is freaking awesome.
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Their ldea of material harvesting is digging up my lawn and gardens.
Sounds about right. You’re so lucky to have them in your backyard though. Would be awesome being able to watch them work.
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I’ll See if I can sneak up and get a video
Never a dull moment at the work site, eh, @mazzle.
That mound is pretty impressive, especially since I guess malleefowl are about the same size as a chicken? At any rate, pretty industrious. does that mean they don't fly, so they nest on the ground instead?
I would think that, regardless of whether the predators were introduced or not, that anything eating things other than just plants would be interested in the eggs. Or is there no native predators for these birds?
I can tell you're very much enjoying what you're doing. Double blessing—do something you love, get paid. :)
Hope you can snap a photo of a Malleefowl someday to show us.
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Absolutely. I’ll have my camera with me on site soon.
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Awesome mate :)
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Jeez they are pretty blatant aren't they XD Yay for this one getting built up, hope you sight the malleefowl too :)
I’ll find them soon enough. :)
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