Mallee Fowl losing its fight

In this week’s local paper, The Murray Valley Standard, there was a disturbing article about the imminent demise of the endangered Mallee fowl, once a relatively common bird in our district. In over 25 years of intensive birding in the district I have only ever seen two birds, both together. While I’ve found about five nesting mounds, only two of them are still actively worked by the birds.

Local experts are predicting the complete local extinction of the species in my area within 5 years, a sad thing to contemplate. You can read the whole article, which includes photos, by clicking here. One of the most recently active nests at Ferries McDonald Conservation Park, is shown in the photo below. This park is a half hour drive from my home. While the bird is reasonably secure in some other parts of Australia, local extinction is a worrying trend and is being mirrored elsewhere, hence the endangered status of this amazing bird.

Related articles:

Over the years I have written several extensive articles about this bird:

Malleefowl, Innes National Park Visitor Centre

Malleefowl nest, Ferries McDonald Conservation Park, South Australia

 

2 Responses to “Mallee Fowl losing its fight”

  1. Louise says:

    That is very sad indeed. I’ve never seen a Mallee Fowl, hope I get the chance one day.

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