Reading the mounds.
Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) is listed as Vulnerable. It is a ground-dwelling bird of the mallee and acacia shrublands of the Wheatbelt, Goldfields and southern rangelands, and it is rarely seen. What it leaves is distinctive: large incubation mounds of soil and leaf litter that a breeding pair may tend for several years. Finding those mounds, and working out which are active, is the basis of almost every malleefowl survey.
Trace Ecology surveys for malleefowl for miners, explorers, infrastructure proponents and land managers, from first habitat assessments through to long-term mound monitoring. See also Fauna Surveys, or read our article Malleefowl: WA's cryptic mound builder.
How we survey for malleefowl
- Habitat assessment. Mapping the vegetation and soils that suit breeding and foraging, to scope where searches are needed and to assess impacts for referrals and clearing permits.
- Mound searches. Systematic searches on foot along spaced transects across suitable habitat, with every mound located and recorded.
- Mound assessment. Each mound classed as active or inactive from its shape, litter and signs of recent work, and its condition recorded.
- Camera traps. Set on mounds and tracks to confirm activity and record birds that are seldom seen directly.
- Ongoing monitoring. Repeat visits to known mounds, usually once each breeding season, to track activity over time and test whether management is working.
What you receive
Mapped mound locations and status, an assessment of habitat value and likely impacts, and practical recommendations: buffers around active mounds, clearing timed outside the breeding season, and monitoring design. Reports are written to support EPBC referrals, EPA assessment, clearing permits and the monitoring conditions that follow approval.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to survey for malleefowl?
Mound searches can be done in most seasons, but judging whether a mound is active is most reliable in the breeding season, from late winter into summer, when birds are working their mounds.
What happens if active mounds are found?
Active mounds are usually avoided, with a buffer around them, and clearing is timed outside the breeding season. DBCA's fire guidance for malleefowl, for example, suggests protecting an area of about 200 m radius around active mounds.
Trace Ecology is a division of Trace Enterprises, which brings heritage, environmental and planning specialists together under one roof.
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