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