In honour of Threatened Species Day today and Father's Day yesterday, we're taking the opportunity to recognise doting Malleefowl dads.

Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) are large, ground-dwelling birds found in the semi-arid mallee scrublands of southern Australia. They are classed as Vulnerable nationally and at the South Australian state level, with populations declining due to habitat loss and predation. 

Rather than sitting on a nest of eggs, Malleefowl pairs build huge nest mounds from leaf litter and sandy soil, which can be up to 5 metres wide and 1 metre high. The decomposing vegetation in the nest generates heat to incubate the eggs, and the nest must be kept at a precise internal temperature of 33°C throughout the breeding season.

The Malleefowl dad spends up to nine months a year managing the mound, adjusting nesting material to regulate temperature and using his bill as a thermometer to check it. It's considered to be one of the most sophisticated thermal regulation behaviours known in any bird.

Incubation takes 50-100 days, and when chicks hatch, they must dig their way to the surface. They receive no parental care once they emerge and are forced to be independent, beginning to fly within a day of hatching.

Nature Foundation are proud to have Malleefowl present on a couple of our nature reserves. Because of their ground-dwelling and nesting behaviour, they are sadly quite vulnerable to predation by cats and foxes, so feral predator management is a key strategy for supporting them. 

We are delighted to have recently received a grant from Birds SA to implement a Malleefowl monitoring program at Bullock Bridge Nature Reserve, which will allow us to commence specific surveys of this special species, giving us a better understanding of resident populations and improving its management and protection.

Malleefowl photo by Nature Foundation volunteer Lareen Newman.