Long-term observations of the diet of the Malleefowl Leipoa ocellata near the Little Desert, Western Victoria.

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1 Long-term obervation o the diet o the Malleeowl Leipoa ocellata near the Little Deert, Wetern Victoria. Author C. Reichelt, Raymon, Jone, Darryl Publihed 2008 Journal Title Autralian Field Ornithology Copyright Statement The Author() The attached ile i reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy o the publiher. For inormation about thi journal pleae reer to the journal' webite or contact the author. Downloaded rom Link to publihed verion Griith Reearch Online

2 22 AUSTRALIAN FIELD ORNITHOLOGY 2008, 25, Long-term Obervation o the Diet o the Malleeowl Leipoa ocellata near the Little Deert, Wetern Victoria RAYMOND C. REICHELT 1 and DARRYL N. JONES 2 1 Little Deert Lodge, P.O. Box 202, Nhill, Victoria Correponding author: Centre or Innovative Conervation Strategie, Griith Univerity, Nathan, Queenland 4111 ( D.Jone@griith.edu.au) Summary The diet o Malleeowl Leipoa ocellata living in the Little Deert area o wetern Victoria wa tudied by cloe obervation o everal habituated ree-ranging bird over a period o 26 year ( ). A total o 19 lowering plant, our ungi and even invertebrate taxa wa detected being conumed; 16 o the plant (including three wattle, one mallee and three heath pecie), Paxillu ungu and hepialid moth had not been reported in previou tudie. When compared with other tudie, thee obervation conirm that the diet o the Malleeowl i markedly locality-peciic. Introduction The Malleeowl Leipoa ocellata i the only pecie o extant megapode to live in arid and emi-arid environment (Jone et al. 1995). Although ormerly encompaing a vat area o the outhern part o the Autralian continent (Marchant & Higgin 1993), the pecie ditribution ha reduced dramatically ince European ettlement, primarily becaue o wide-cale habitat clearing and the impact o grazing and eral predator (Harlen & Priddel 1996). Several recent urvey have conirmed that in many location Malleeowl number continue to decline, with many population becoming extinct a other are increaingly iolated and vulnerable (Benhemeh 2005). Depite coniderable interet and everal intenive tudie, many component o the pecie ecology and behaviour remain poorly undertood. One crucial apect that ha received relatively limited attention i it eeding ecology. Apart rom numerou anecdotal account, virtually all that i known o it diet come rom ive tudie rom dierent part o it range. Both Frith (1962) and Benhemeh (1992) made detailed obervation o ree-ranging Malleeowl in mallee near Griith, New South Wale, and in the Wypereld National Park, Victoria, repectively. Indirect inormation wa obtained by Booth (1986) and Kentih & Wetbrooke (1994), who reported on the crop and gizzard content o road-killed Malleeowl rom Renmark, South Autralia, and Ouyen, Victoria, repectively. Finally, Brickhill (1987) analyed aecal material rom bird near Yalgogrin, central New South Wale. In general, thee tudie reveal that the Malleeowl tend to be remarkably opportunitic and catholic in it dietary range, with a wide variety o pecie and plant part being conumed (Marchant & Higgin 1993; Kentih & Wetbrooke 1994). Depite the apparent carcity o nutritiou ood in the Malleowl dry and harh habitat, Harlen & Priddel (1996) ound that the pecie wa able to utilie ueul ood type rom available reource, even during drought. Harlen & Priddel (1996) concluded that the availability o ood reource in marginal habitat wa not a igniicant actor in the demie o the pecie, although Priddel & Wheeler (1990) did ind that tarvation wa a major caue o mortality among chick.

3 VOL. 25 (1) MARCH 2008 Malleeowl Diet, Little Deert, Vic. 23 Although thee tudie have provided valuable inight into the diet o the Malleeowl, all were o limited duration and were typically conined to peciic location. Since the early 1980, everal pair o Malleeowl have been oberved on an almot daily bai on private land adjacent to the Little Deert National Park, near Nhill, in wetern Victoria (36 20 S, E) (Jone et al. 2006). Over thi extended period, thee long-lived, normally hy bird had become habituated to the preence o the main oberver (RCR), enabling extremely cloe obervation o all apect o their activitie. Here we preent qualitative inding on ood item taken during regular obervation between 1980 and 2005, a part o a wider tudy o the Malleeowl ecology and behaviour (Jone et al. 2006). Particular attention wa paid to the plant part and non-plant item ingeted. Thee inding are compared with other available report. Method Obervation o our pair o Malleeowl were carried out by RCR in the vicinity o three incubation mound acceible rom the Little Deert Lodge, Nhill, Victoria, between 1980 and Viit were typically minute in duration, and, although mound were viited during all daylight hour, >80% were made between 0800 and 1100 h (Jone et al. 2006). Depite thi obviou bia toward late-morning obervation, the total o 3875 obervational eion included about 300 eion rom between 1400 and 1900 h. Becaue o the amiliarity o the bird with the oberver, obervation could be made within a ew metre, allowing accurate identiication o ood item. Plant eaten were identiied to pecie level, and each ood item wa claiied a oliage, lower, bud, green pod, eed or unidentiied (ee Table 1, which give cientiic name). For non-plant item, general decription were made without diturbing the bird, and pecimen were collected or later identiication where poible. However, no attempt wa made to etimate the quantity conumed or availability o the ood item in the vicinity. Reult Table 1 lit 19 plant taxa and our ungi that were oberved being conumed by the ocal Malleeowl over the period o the tudy. All but one o the plant thitle were reliably identiied to pecie level, and two o the ungi were identiied to genu. O the plant, only three pecie (Grey Mulga, Scented Matruh and thitle ) had been mentioned in previou tudie. O the ungi, only Mycena had been previouly mentioned (Benhemeh 1992) although ungi have been reerred to without urther detail elewhere (Chandler 1913; Marchant & Higgin 1993). Malleeowl were oberved ingeting lower and eed o all o the our Acacia pecie that occurred locally, a well a bud and green pod o two and three o thee pecie repectively (ee Table 1). Foliage o the wattle wa not conumed, but the leave o ive other pecie (Yellow Mallee, Scarlet Mint-buh, Wedgelea Hop-buh, Slender Cypre-pine and thitle) were eaten. In the cae o the Cypre-pine, only eedling were targetted, ometime reulting in the plant being killed. The extent to which lower were conumed i epecially noteworthy: Malleeowl were oberved eating lower rom 12 o the 19 lowering plant pecie lited, both directly rom the plant and rom the ground when the lower had allen.

4 Table 1. Plant and ungal taxa and part conumed by Malleeowl oberved at the Little Deert, Victoria, * Specie not recorded previouly. Specie name or group Foliage Flower Bud Green pod Seed Other *Gold-dut Wattle Acacia acinacea *Wallowa Acacia calamiolia Crytallied ap *Golden Wattle Acacia pycnantha Grey Mulga Acacia brachybotrya *Flame Heath Atroloma conotephioide *Cranberry Heath Atroloma humiuum Fruit *Bruh Heath Brachyloma ericoide *Dumoa Mallee Eucalyptu dumoa *Yellow Mallee Eucalyptu incraata *Sticky Goodenia Goodenia varia Scented Mat-ruh Lomandra eua Root *Scarlet Mint-buh Protanthera apalathoide *Dwar Greenhood Pterotyli nana Tuber *Moonah Melaleuca lanceolata *Slender Cypre-pine Callitri gracili *Wedge-lea Hop-buh Dodonaea cuneata *Golden Pennant Glichrocaryon behrii *Twinging Fringe-lily Thyanotu pateronii Tuber Thitle *Fungi Paxillu pp. Pileu, tipe Fungi Mycena pp. Pileu, tipe Toadtool Pileu, tipe Muhroom Pileu, tipe AUSTRALIAN 24 REICHELT & JONES FIELD ORNITHOLOGY

VOL. 25 (1) MARCH 2008 25 Malleeowl Diet, Little Deert, Vic.

5 VOL. 25 (1) MARCH Malleeowl Diet, Little Deert, Vic. Malleeowl on mound, Little Deert, Vic. Plate 5 Photo: Raymond C. Reichelt

6 Table 2. Plant genera and part reported to be conumed in ix diet tudie o the Malleeowl. F = lower, = oliage, b = bud, p = pod, berrie or other ruit, = eed, t = tuber; C & G = crop and gizzard content, F = aecal remain, O = obervation. Genu Preent tudy Frith (1962) Booth (1986) Brickhill (1987) Benhemeh (1992) Kentih & Little Deert, Vic. Griith, NSW Renmark, SA Yalgogrin, NSW Wypereld, Vic. Wetbrooke (1994) (O) (O) (C & G) (F) (O) Ouyen, Vic. (C & G) Acacia F, b, p Atroloma F Brachyloma F Eucalyptu F, Goodenia F Lomandra F F Protanthera F, Pterotyli t Melaleuca Callitri Dodonaea Glichrocaryon F Thyanotu t Beyeria p p Philotheca (Eriotemon) Pittoporum Senna Anthropodium F,, p Caytha, Enchylaena Sclerolaena (= Baia) Zygophyllum,, p AUSTRALIAN 26 REICHELT & JONES FIELD ORNITHOLOGY

7 Table 2 continued Genu Preent tudy Frith (1962) Booth (1986) Brickhill (1987) Benhemeh (1992) Kentih & Little Deert, Vic. Griith, NSW Renmark, SA Yalgogrin, NSW Wypereld, Vic. Wetbrooke (1994) (O) (O) (C & G) (F) (O) Ouyen, Vic. (C & G) Carthamu Einadia, Ranunculu Sida Solanum Triticum Braica p Brachycome Helichryum Stenopetalum Silene F,, p Hypochoeri F, Daucu, p Triglochin p Bertya p Wahlenbergia p VOL. 25 (1) MARCH 2008 Malleeowl Diet, Little Deert, Vic. 27

8 AUSTRALIAN 28 REICHELT & JONES FIELD ORNITHOLOGY Plate 6 Malleeowl, Raymond C. Reichelt in background Photo: Raymond C. Reichelt Malleeowl oten excavated the underground tuber o the Dwar Greenhood and Twining Fringe-lily, primarily during ummer. Animal material conumed included grey hepialid moth Abantiade p., ugar ant Calomyrmex p., mall brown ant and lying ant (Hymenoptera), termite (Ioptera), dragonlie (Odonata), and beetle (Coleoptera). For both the moth and dragonlie, only the abdomen were conumed; in the cae o the latter, a emale Malleeowl wa een lying o the mound in puruit o a dragonly. Dicuion Thi tudy add to our ragmentary knowledge o the ood and eeding ecology o the Malleeowl by ubtantially increaing the lit o item known to be conumed, and epecially by indicating the extent to which the pecie utilie dierent component o the plant. For example, thee inding how that Malleeowl ate many dierent part o all the Acacia pecie preent in the area but did not conume the leave o any o thee pecie. However, the mot requently ued plant part overall wa lower. In contrat, Benhemeh (1992) ound that in Wypereld National Park Malleeowl neglected abundantly lowering Needle Wattle Acacia rigen hrub but did eat the lower o Scented Mat-ruh, a did the bird tudied in the preent work. Apart rom Scented Mat-ruh, lower eating ha been previouly reported only rom Chocolate Lily Anthropodium trictum (Booth 1986) and White Everlating Daiy Helipterum corymbilorum (Chandler 1913). The two previou obervational tudie o Malleeowl eeding ecology (Frith 1962 and Benhemeh 1992) provided remarkably diering account o the general

9 VOL. 25 (1) MARCH 2008 Malleeowl Diet, Little Deert, Vic. 29 dietary preerence o the pecie. Frith (1962), ummariing a total o 436 obervational period over a 5-year tudy in central New South Wale, concluded that the pecie wa primarily granivorou: eed, mainly rom a range o legume including Senna and Acacia pecie, were the main ood item throughout the year, with oliage and bud being conumed in quantity only during the pring when eed were unavailable. Benhemeh (1992), however, ound that the emale Malleeowl, which he ollowed intenively or a 5-month period in north-wetern Victoria, conumed relatively little eed. Intead, thi bird concentrated on oliage derived largely rom herb, epecially Fringed Lily Thyanoti baueri and Small Paper-daiy Helichryum leucoptera. Both Booth (1986) (crop and gizzard content) and Brickhill (1987) (aecal remain) ound the diet o the Malleeowl to be dominated by eed (epecially o Coare Dodder-laurel Caytha melantha and, in the latter cae, alo Wheat Triticum) but more ragile non-eed material i likely to have been ar le evident than eed (Jone et al. 1995). The crop and gizzard content examined by Kentih &Wetbrooke (1994) were predominantly (dry weight) made up o calyx and lea material (which take relatively longer to diget) o ephemeral weed pecie abundant beide the road on which the bird wa killed. The contribution o each o the ive previou dietary tudie (Frith 1962; Booth 1986; Brickhill 1987; Benhemeh 1992; and Kentih & Wetbrooke 1994) to our undertanding o Malleeowl eeding ecology can be illutrated by liting the genera o plant and plant part conumed that were mentioned in each (Table 2). The mot obviou pattern here i the lack o overlap in the genera lited; each tudy ound a dierent and relatively limited array o plant being conumed at each location. Although there will be obviou local dierence in the plant pecie preent at each o the ite, the lit provided here i o genera, many o which are preent over extremely broad expane o arid outhern Autralia. For example, the mallee landcape throughout the region are dominated by a wide range o Acacia pecie yet thee pecie were abent rom three o the ive tudie examined here (Booth 1986; Benhemeh 1992; and Kentih & Wetbrooke 1994). Apparently Malleeowl in each locality ubit on a relatively mall proportion o potential ood-plant available. The diet o the Little Deert Malleeowl appear to be qualitatively dierent rom that o thoe tudied in the other location; although eed and oliage were important component, the predominance o lower epecially, a well a other plant part uch a bud, green pod, berrie and other ruit, root and tuber, indicate that the Little Deert Malleeowl had an exceptionally broad diet. However, it i important to appreciate that thee inding were accumulated over everal decade; the diet o individual bird i likely to be ar more retricted over horter time period and in dierent eaon. The conumption o a wide variety o invertebrate by Malleeowl i well recognied, with ant, termite, cockroache and beetle being commonly mentioned (Chandler 1913; Frith 1962; Booth 1986; Benhemeh 1992; Marchant & Higgin 1993; Jone et al. 1995). The mot extenive lit o animal item come rom Booth examination o the crop and gizzard content o two reh roadkilled bird. A well a the taxa already mentioned, Booth ound pider, dragonlie, grahopper, bug, wap and bee. [Interetingly, the crop and gizzard o the rehly killed Malleeowl examined by Kentih & Wetbrooke (1994) contained no animal item.] The preent tudy add hepialid moth to thi lit, with the important obervation that the lipid- and protein-rich abdomen were epecially targetted.

10 AUSTRALIAN 30 REICHELT & JONES FIELD ORNITHOLOGY Finally, Benhemeh tudy wa the irt to recognie the extenive ue o lerp, the carbohydrate-rich tet o pyllid inect (Homoptera), by Malleeowl oberved intenively in the Wypereld National Park. However, thi wa not evident in the current tudy on the Little Deert bird. Thee long-term obervation rom the Little Deert add to our growing undertanding o the diet o the Malleeowl and etablih that lower are an important component among a variety o plant part exploited. Thi tudy add urther evidence to the impreion that the diet o the pecie i igniicanly localitypeciic, even though the bird may be uing a range o locally abundant plant. Acknowledgement We wih to acknowledge the numerou people who aited in the gathering o thi inormation over many year o detailed obervation. We are epecially grateul to Charle, Di, Romeo and Romeo 2, the Malleeowl o the Little Deert, which have patiently withtood continuou intruion into their private live. Reerence Benhemeh, J. (1992), The Conervation Ecology o Malleeowl, with Particular Regard to Fire, PhD Thei, Monah Univerity, Melbourne. Benhemeh, J. (2005), National Recovery Plan or Malleeowl , South Autralian Department o Environment & Heritage, Adelaide. Booth, D.T. (1986), Crop and gizzard content o two Malleeowl, Emu 86, Brickhill, J. (1987), The Conervation Statu o Malleeowl in New South Wale, M. Nat. Re. Thei, Univerity o New England, Armidale, NSW. Chandler, L.G. (1913), Bird lie o Kow Plain, Victoria, Emu 13, Frith, H.J. (1962), Conervation o the Mallee Fowl, Leipoa ocellata Gould (Megapodiidae), CSIRO Wildlie Reearch 7, Harlen, R. & Priddel, D. (1996), Potential ood reource available to malleeowl Leipoa ocellata in marginal mallee land during drought, Autralian Journal o Ecology 21, Jone, D.N., Dekker, R.W.R.J. & Roelaar, C.S. (1995), The Megapode, Oxord Univerity Pre, Oxord, UK. Jone, D.N, McLean, A. & Grant, S. (2006), The Malleeowl o Little Deert: Two Decade o Obervation by Raymond (Whimpey) Reichelt OAM, Report or Little Deert Flora & Fauna Foundation Ltd, Griith Univerity, Bribane. Kentih, B. & Wetbrooke, M. (1994), Crop and gizzard content o a road-killed Malleeowl, Emu 94, Marchant, S. & Higgin, P. (Ed.) (1993), Handbook o Autralian, New Zealand and Antarctic Bird, vol. 2, Oxord Univerity Pre, Melbourne. Priddel, D. & Wheeler, R. (1990), Survival o Malleeowl Leipoa ocellata chick in the abence o ground-dwelling predator, Emu 90, Received 16 November 2007!

Mortality of Captive-raised Malleefowl, Leipoa ocellata, Released into a Mallee Remnant within the Wheat-belt of New South Wales

Wildl. Res., 1994,21,543-52 Mortality of Captive-raised Malleefowl, Leipoa ocellata, Released into a Mallee Remnant within the Wheat-belt of New South Wales David Priddel and Robert Wheeler New South Wales