The ground-dwelling bird is critically endangered due to loss of its grasslands habitat, but a new strategy aims to turn around its fortunes

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A plan to save Australia’s most critically endangered bird has been outlined in the nation’s first threatened species strategy.

The plains wanderer, which is only found in small pockets of Victoria’s northern plains, the Riverina district of New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, requires “emergency action”.



The ground-dwelling bird’s numbers are low because its habitat, natural grasslands of the Murray Valley plains, is one of the most endangered ecosystems in Australia.

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“The plains wanderer was recently ranked number one in Australia and fourth in the world on a list of Earth’s 9,993 recognised bird species we could least afford to lose,” Britt Gregory from the north central catchment management authority said.

Plains wanderers inhabit sparse native grasslands and are often absent from areas where grass becomes too dense or too sparse.

Some farms still contain small pockets of uncleared land, which remain the only habitat for the bird.

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The project aims to support landholders to protect native vegetation on their property and improve habitat condition through strategic grazing.



There are 12 other threatened birds currently identified for action in the strategy, including the orange-bellied parrot and the western ground parrot, both of which are also critically endangered.

• Australian Associated Press contributed to this report