Commonwealth of Australia
List of Threatened Ecological Communities Amendment (EC151) Instrument 2021
I, SUSSAN LEY, Minister for the Environment, pursuant to paragraph 184(a) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, amend the list referred to in section 181 of that Act by including in the list of threatened ecological communities in the endangered category:
Mallee Bird Community of the Murray Darling Depression Bioregion
as described in the Schedule to this instrument.
This instrument commences the day after registration.
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Sussan Ley
Minister for the Environment
Dated ....... 25th November 2021 ................................................................
SCHEDULE 1
Mallee Bird Community of the Murray Darling Depression Bioregion
The Mallee Bird Community of the Murray Darling Depression Bioregion is an assemblage of twenty bird species that are strongly dependent on mallee woodlands and shrublands in the Murray Darling Depression region of south-west New South Wales, north-west Victoria, and south-east South Australia.
The assemblage of birds comprises the following species (including any infraspecific taxa present in the extent, noting that scientific names are current at the time of listing and may change over time):
Common name | Species name |
Black-eared Miner | Manorina melanotis |
Chestnut Quail-thrush | Cinclosoma castanotum |
Crested Bellbird | Oreoica gutturalis |
Grey-fronted Honeyeater | Ptilotula plumula |
Jacky Winter | Microeca fascinans |
Mallee Emu-wren | Stipiturus mallee |
Malleefowl | Leipoa ocellata |
Purple-gaped Honeyeater | Lichenostomus cratitius |
Red-lored Whistler | Pachycephala rufogularis |
Regent Parrot | Polytelis anthopeplus |
Scarlet-chested Parrot | Neophema splendida |
Shy Heathwren | Calamanthus cautus |
Southern Scrub-robin | Drymodes brunneopygia |
Splendid Fairy-wren | Malurus splendens |
Spotted Pardalote | Pardalotus punctatus |
Striated Grasswren | Amytornis striatus |
Western Whipbird | Psophodes nigrogularis |
White-eared Honeyeater | Nesoptilotis leucotis |
White-fronted Honeyeater | Purnella albifrons |
Yellow-plumed Honeyeater | Ptilotula ornata |
The extent of the ecological community is the Murray Darling Depression bioregion plus the river channel regions associated with the Murray River and the Darling River anabranches that intrude into that bioregion.
The habitats associated with the Mallee Bird Community are native vegetation remnants that have mallee as a dominant component. Mallee vegetation has these features:
- Mallee refers to a distinctive growth form of eucalypt trees characterized by multiple stems arising from a woody subterranean regenerative organ or lignotuber. Other non-mallee eucalypts or non-eucalypt native trees may be present in the tree canopy but do not represent the most common structural type;
- Vegetation structure is a native woodland to shrubland where a tree canopy is present that is at least sparse (5% crown cover) in its mature form. It includes instances where disturbances, such as fire, may temporarily remove the tree canopy until the trees regenerate.