Indicative distribution
The areas shown in pink and/purple are the sub-regions where the species or community is known or predicted to occur. They may not occur thoughout the sub-region but may be restricted to certain areas.
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click here to see geographic restrictions).
The information presented in this map is only indicative and may contain errors and omissions.
Scientific name: Alectura lathami - endangered population
Gazetted date:
21 Oct 2005
Profile last updated:
20 Apr 2021
Description
The Australian Brush-turkey is a large ground-dwelling bird of length 85 cm, wingspan 60-70 cm and approximate weight 2.3 kg. The species is mostly black with a bright red head and neck which is almost entirely bare in male birds but the head and neck of females are covered with small dark bristles. A yellow pouch occurs at the base of the neck in both sexes, and in breeding males this pouch becomes enlarged. The tail is prominent and laterally flattened, and the legs are strong and powerful.
Distribution
The Australian Brush-turkey has a largely coastal distribution from Cape York south as far as the Illawarra in NSW. It occurs in forested and wooded areas of tropical and warm-temperate districts, particularly above 300 m to at least 1200 m altitude. A population of the Australian Brush-turkey is known from the Nandewar and Brigalow Belt South Bioregions. Recent records for the species show the population to range from north east of Warialda, to Narrabri, approximately 115 km to the south-west, and occur within the local government areas of Yallaroi, Bingara, Narrabri, Barraba and Moree Plains. The majority of records are from Mount Kaputar National Park and nearby Deriah State Forest, with a smaller cluster of records from Warialda State Forest. An outlying 2003 record is also known from just north of Severn State Forest, approximately 75 km north-east of Warialda, in the Inverell Local Government Area. It is thought that a western expansion in the range of the Australian Brush-turkey followed the spread in the early 1900s of the exotic weed Prickly Pear, which the species used for food and mound construction (Marchant and Higgins 1993). Currently, records nearest this population are north of the Queensland-NSW border, approximately 40 km to the north-east. There are no records between the population and the eastern escarpment, a distance of at least 120 km. The population of the Australian Brush-turkey in the Nandewar and Brigalow Belt South Bioregions is therefore both disjunct and at the western limit of the species' range in NSW. In NSW the inland vegetation type preferred by the Australian Brush-turkey is a dry rainforest community that is found within the Semi-evergreen Vine Thicket in the Brigalow Belt South and Nandewar Bioregions Endangered Ecological Community.
Habitat and ecology
- Usually prefers dry rainforest that is found within the Semi-evergreen Vine Thicket
- Birds build nesting mounds in areas of dense vegetation. This provides ample litter for the mound building and decompositision process, as well as shade to reduce moisture loss from the mound
- Tall trees such as eucalypts are used for nocturnal and diurnal roosting (15 - 20m above the ground).
- Feeds on a variety of food types including seeds, fruits, grain, insects, earthworms, and occasionally reptiles and carrion
- Mound building and maintenance continues for most of the year but little detail is known of breeding, egg laying, and incubation seasons in the inland Nandewar and Brigalow Belt population
- Females may lay their eggs in several different mounds, while males may tend and mantain two mounds at once.
Regional distribution and habitat
Click on a region below to view detailed distribution, habitat and vegetation information.
Threats
- The population of the Australian Brush-turkey in the Nandewar and Brigalow Belt South Bioregions is vulnerable to habitat loss and modification. Large areas of both bioregions have been cleared for agriculture and remnant vegetation is considerably fragmented. Grazing by introduced herbivores within forest and woodland areas reduces the density of vegetation and the availability of leaf litter for mound construction. Similarly, alterations to natural fire regimes, by the increased frequency and decreased patchiness of fires, decreases the availability of leaf litter and promotes the growth of fire-tolerant plant species.
- Foxes prey upon adult birds, dispersing juveniles, and eggs. Foxes may stalk individual birds by staking out mounds during breeding season.
- Pigs destroy nests (mounds) and impact species' life cycle.
- Cats prey primarily upon juveniles during dispersal.
- Hazard reduction burns and wildfire destroy habitat resources including nests (mounds), nesting plant material, forage, and cover (including burning vegetation thickets that provide critical cover for dispersing juveniles). Fires can adversely alter plant community dynamics that support brush turkeys and facilitate weed establishment (e.g. Coolatai). Increased frequency and decreased patchiness of fires decreases the availability of leaf litter and promotes the growth of fire-tolerant plant species.
- Climate-change is inducing increased fire and drought frequency which alters habitat by changing plant community dynamics that support the species
- Feral goat and deer browsing alters plant community dynamics and changes floristic structure. Grazing by introduced herbivores within forest and woodland areas reduces the density of vegetation and the availability of leaf litter for mound construction.
- Clearing for agriculture has considerably fragmented remnant vegetation. Reserve system is fragmented and connectivity between niche environments that are important habitat for species have been lost.
- Native goannas may be coping better than the species in the modified landscape, adding predation pressure to chicks and eggs in mounds.
- The population is vulnerable to stochastic events due to limited extent of habitat, its habitat specialisation, and its isolation from other populations.
Recovery strategies
A Saving Our Species conservation project is currently being developed for this species and will be available soon. For information on how you can contribute to this species' recovery, see the Activities to assist this species section below.
Activities to assist this species
- Reduce competion for food resources by controling feral pigs and goats
- Reduce disturbance to mound building and incubation by controlling feral goats, pigs and foxes
- Reduce predation of eggs in the mound by controling foxes
- Retain fallen logs and ground debris
- Implement appropriate fire regime (including frequency) so as to not burn all habitat and food resources within a locality at one time and to promote natural succession
- Monitor mound activity and threats in relation to pest control programs, natural habitat, and fire history.
Information sources
- Andren, M.J. (2004) Nandewar biodiversity surrogates: vertebrate fauna. Report for the Resource and Conservation Assessment Council (RACAC), NSW Western Regional Assessments, coordinated by NSW Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources, Project no. NAND05. (Department of Environment and Conservation, Coffs Harbour)
- Jones, D and Goth, A. (2008) Mound-Builders. (CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood)
- Marchant, S. and Higgins, P.J. (Eds) (1993) Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 2: Raptors to Lapwings. (Oxford University Press, Melbourne)
- NSW Scientific Committee (2005) Australian Brush-turkey population, Nandewar and Brigalow Belt South bioregions - endangered population determination - final.
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