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Female (Marcus Pickett)
Male (Marcus
Pickett)
Juveniles - male and female (MLRSEWRP) |
Mount Lofty Ranges Southern
Emu-wren |
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Quick Fact
File
Description and Habitat
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Scientific name—Stipiturus malachurus
intermedius |
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Southern Emu-wrens are the largest of the three emu-wren
species |
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Confined to the South Mount Lofty Ranges–Fleurieu Peninsula
region of South Australia |
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Inhabit swamp or heath habitat that has dense vegetation cover
from the ground to about the 1 metre level |
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Sexually dimorphic (the sexes are able to be distinguished by
their different markings) |
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Length — 16–18 cm (including tail) |
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Tail length — 10–11 cm |
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Weight — about 7g |
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Poor fliers — movement is generally by hopping and scrambling
through dense vegetation. |
Conservation
Status
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Endangered under the Australian Government’s
Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC
Act) |
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Endangered in South Australia under Schedule 7 of the
State’s National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 (NP&W
Act). |
Feeding
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Mainly in shrubs and sedges, sometimes on the ground |
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Mostly on of small invertebrates — spiders, insects and insect
larvae |
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Stout bristles around the base of their beak help to protect
their eyes from being damaged by the prickly vegetation by serving as an
‘early-warning system’ |
Breeding
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Breeding Season — Spring–Summer (August–March) |
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Nest — small, domed with side entrance (8–14 cm high x 7–8 cm
diameter) |
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Clutch — 3 eggs |
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One or two broods are usually raised each breeding
season |
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Usually breed in simple pairs (monogamous) |
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You can tell the differences in the sexes of the juvenile birds
before they leave the nest |
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Juveniles fledge (leave the nest) at 8–10 days old |
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Young remain with their parents for 2–3 months after they leave
the nest. |
Populations of MLR Southern Emu-wrens
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Estimated that approximately 500 MLR Southern Emu-wrens
remain |
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About 20 local populations |
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>Most local populations are in swamps, but most of the
population (i.e. most individuals) are in dry-heath |
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Most swamps populations are very small — the largest estimated to
be as large as 100 individuals |
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The population in dry-heath in Deep Creek Conservation Park is
estimated at 300+ |
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Local populations continue to decline, although local populations
lost recently have been very small and the overall number of MLR Southern
Emu-wrens seems to have remained relatively stable since 1993. |
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Distribution map |
Reasons for Decline
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Loss and degradation of habitat — much swamp and dry-heath
habitat has been cleared or degraded |
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Fragmentation of both swamp and dry-heath habitat — many
populations are isolated, some very small and more likely to go
extinct. |
Steps to Recovery
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Research — habitat and ecology |
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Management and protection — habitat and population |
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Extension — awareness raising and education of individual
landholders, industries, planning authorities, and other
decision-makers. |
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