Bird Word: Mallee Tree

• Mallee: this is a word I use often in my blog because I live in the Mallee districts of South Australia. Mallee is a group name for eucalypt trees which form dense scrublands and are usually found in arid or semi-arid parts of Australia. They are usually multi-trunked trees growing from a single underground stump called a lignotuber.

The mallee regions of Australia are quite extensive, stretching from southern western Australia through southern south Australia into northern Victoria and western New South Wales. Mallee scrubs can be quite thick, and almost impenetrable in some places. It is the preferred habitat for some of our bird species including:

• Malleefowl
• Purple-crowned Lorikeet
• Mallee Ringneck Parrot
• Scarlet-chested Parrot
• Mallee Emu-wren
• Yellow-rumped Pardalote
• Mallee Heathwren (also called Shy Heathwren)
• Black-eared Miner
• Purple-gaped Honeyeater
• Yellow-plumed Honeyeater
• Southern Scrub-robin
• Red-lored Whistler

Of course, many of the above species are found in other kinds of habitat, and there are many other species which can be found in the mallee habitat.

Mallee Scrub, Murray Bridge