Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species has undergone a very rapid population reduction within the last ten years owing to large scale fire and is therefore classified as Endangered.
Population justification
In 2019, the population of Mallee Emu-wrens was estimated to be 6,629 (2,003–12,363), all in Victoria (Verdon and Clarke 2019). This included 5,368 individuals in Murray-Sunset, 832 in Hattah/Nowingi and 180 birds in Big Desert-Wyperfeld Complex and 249 on other land tenures (Verdon and Clarke 2019).
Trend justification
The current population estimate is 60% lower than an estimated 16,800 (8,400–39,100) individuals in 2009 (Brown et al. 2009). In South Australia, the population in Ngarkat Conservation Park was 4,000–7,000 birds in 2000, where it had been recovering from fires in the 1980s (DELWP 2016), but this population was lost entirely in 2014. Overall the population is thought to have declined by 50-70% in the last ten years (Verdon et al. 2021).
Mallee Emu-wrens are currently confined to Murray-Sunset National Park, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park and the adjoining Nowingi State Forest, and Wyperfeld National Park, all in Victoria. Thirty years ago, they also occurred patchily in the area bounded by Nadda, Peebinga, Pinnaroo, Comet Bore, Coonalpyn and Coombe in South Australia, and in the Big Desert Wilderness Park, Bronzewing, Wathe and Annuello Flora and Fauna Reserves in Victoria (Rowley and Russell 1997). Long considered extinct from Annuello and Wathe Flora and Fauna Reserves, they were last recorded in Billiatt Conservation Park in 2004, from Bronzewing Flora and Fauna Reserve in 1997 and from Ngarkat in 2014 (DELWP 2016).
Mallee Emu-wrens live in spinifex Triodia scariosa, usually within low mallee eucalypt woodland, but also in heath dominated by banksias, casuarinas and grass-trees Xanthorrhoea (Rowley and Russell 1997). Their presence and density are related to fire regime, rainfall and the position of habitat in the landscape. If rain follows fire, emu-wrens can start using the habitat within 3–4 years of a fire, but usually, it takes at least six years, often longer. Habitat then stays suitable for several decades, with soil fertility and hydrological conditions allowing habitat at low elevations to remain suitable for longer than at higher elevations (Brown et al. 2009, Connell et al. 2017, Verdon et al. 2019). Mallee Emu-wrens forage for insects and build hidden domed nests containing 2–3 eggs (Rowley and Russell 1997) with the young being raised by a single male and female, but on occasion by cooperative family groups (Hunt et al. 2019). Anecdotal evidence suggests that habitat suitability may be influenced by rainfall through its affect on the health of Triodia, and in turn on the abundance of insect prey.
Clearance of habitat has eliminated the species from much of its former range, particularly in South Australia. Though clearing has mostly ceased, fragmentation now prevents recolonisation after fire events extirpate local populations. An inappropriate fire regime is now the major threat. Wildfire, particularly during extremely hot weather or in times of drought is the main risk: fires in 2006 and 2014 eliminated the species from South Australia and, in 2002, from most of the Big Desert (DELWP 2016). Molecular evidence suggests fires also drive genetic homogenisation of populations where recolonisation from within large unburnt patches of suitable habitat exceeds in situ survival (Brown et al. 2013). However, a lack of fire can also make long unburnt habitat unsuitable, particularly at high elevations (Brown et al. 2009; Connell et al. 2017; Verdon et al. 2019). Large-scale fire has been particularly prevalent in the Murray Mallee in the last 20 years (Avitabile et al. 2013), and extreme fire weather (Di Virgilio et al. 2019; Dowdy et al. 2019) driven by longer droughts (Evans et al. 2017) and more frequent heat waves (Herold et al. 2018) is likely to increase in frequency and intensity in coming decades.
Conservation Actions Underway
Listed as threatened under appropriate legislation, including as a National Threatened Species Strategy priority. An extensive reserve system incorporates most of its remaining range, including Hattah-Kulkyne, Wyperfeld and Murray-Sunset National Parks. The disastrous fires of 2014 brought together individuals from across the State and Commonwealth governments, universities, zoos and natural resource management agencies to develop a Conservation Action Plan for the species. Advice on threatened mallee birds is being incorporated into fire planning and response. A feasibility study was also conducted for translocating individuals (Brown 2014) and establishing a captive bred insurance population (Olds LGM 2014). Trial translocations are being implemented. Captive husbandry trials with congeneric Rufous-crowned Emu-wrens S. ruficeps to resolve captive husbandry needs.Conservation Actions Proposed
Develop a strategy to mitigate the threat of drought and fire for threatened mallee birds. Re-establish the species in areas from which it has been eliminated by fire. Refine the protocols for translocation to improve the survivability of translocated individuals. Develop captive breeding protocols. Improve understanding of population size and distribution in Wyperfeld National Park. Improve understanding of fire management needs in heath-dominated vegetation types. Actively manage the fire regime in the habitat of all populations. Maintain and support the expansion of populations in Wyperfeld National Park. Translocate to suitable sites in Ngarkat provided Victorian populations remain resilient to the removal of individuals or family groups. Establish a captive population to serve as an insurance population and to supplement populations at translocation sites.
13-14.5 cm. Tiny-bodied, streaked wren with brown, filamentous tail of 8-9.5 cm. Grey-brown upperparts, coarsely streaked darker. Rufous cap. Orange-buff below in both sexes. Male has sky-blue face and bib. Female whitish around eye, rufous only on forehead. Juvenile plainer. Similar spp. Confusion unlikely. Southern Emu-wren S. malachurus has longer tail and is darker with more extensive streaking on crown. Fairy-wrens Malurus spp. are larger, unstreaked, with non-filamentous tails. Voice Trills and twitters like Malurus spp., but higher-pitched. Hints Secretive. Often cocks tail. Look and listen for on calm days in dense spinifex Triodia.
Text account compilers
Vine, J., Garnett, S.
Contributors
Allinson, T, Benstead, P., Brown, S., Butchart, S., Dahal, P.R., Dutson, G., Ford, H., Garnett, S., Mahood, S., McClellan, R., Menkhorst, P., Mustoe, S., North, A., Paton, D., Saunders, D., Symes, A. & Taylor, J.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Mallee Emu-wren Stipiturus mallee. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/mallee-emu-wren-stipiturus-mallee on 22/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/12/2024.