Plains wanderer on NAPCo-Station

© Hayden DeVilliers

For the first time, Australia’s critically endangered Plains-wanderer has been both seen and heard on a pastoral station in western Queensland, an exciting discovery that confirms the species is surviving in an area where it had never been recorded before.

Once widespread across the grasslands of eastern Australia, the Plains-wanderer has greatly declined due to predation by feral cats and foxes, altered fire regimes and habitat loss. With an estimated 250-1,000 individuals remaining, the bird is now rarer than the Giant Panda (1,800) and the Black Rhino (5,500).

Despite its rarity, the gentle calls of the bird were recorded on dozens of bioacoustics recorders deployed by Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) on a North Australian Pastoral Company’s (NAPCo) Station. Two ecologists also saw and photographed a handful of individuals while retrieving the recorders from the station.

“Encountering the Plains-wanderer on that night felt like finding a needle in a haystack,” said Jamie Hackeson, who was one of the AWC staff members to see the species in person. “Being one of the first to see it and knowing what it meant for conservation made it an amazing experience.”

Although the Plains-wanderer had never been recorded on the station before, distribution models suggested the habitat was suitable, and ecologists suspected a small population might be present after an individual was detected in the nearby Astrebla Downs National Park in 2022.

“This discovery is incredibly significant for the species,” said Tessa Manning, AWC Wildlife Ecologist. “Every confirmed record helps us understand where Plains-wanderers are surviving and how we can better protect them.”

The 60 acoustic recorders deployed picked up over 30,000 short snippets of environmental sounds, which were submitted to Queensland University of Technology for analysis with a ‘call recogniser’ they developed to identify likely Plains-wanderer vocalisations. A subset of these recordings was then vetted by an AWC ecologist to confirm Plains-wanderer presence at 31 sites, 16 of which had more than 10 Plains-wanderer calls each.

“These recordings, together with the sightings, provide concrete evidence that the species is present on the station,” said Tessa.

The discovery also highlights the importance of partnerships like the one between AWC and NAPCo, demonstrating how cross-industry collaboration can expand the reach and impact of conservation across Australia.

Allan Cooney, NAPCo Chief Executive Officer welcomed the find, saying it was significant to confirm the rare species in not just passing through, but living and breathing on the station.

“To know such a rare and remarkable species is established on one of our properties is a real privilege and responsibility for us as land managers,” Mr Cooney said. “Through our partnership with AWC, we’re able to manage the land in a way that supports both pastoral production and meaningful conservation outcomes, and this discovery demonstrates what can be achieved when industry and science work together with shared purpose.”

“Working with NAPCo allows us to deliver conservation at a scale that simply isn’t possible without strong partnerships across Australia’s pastoral landscapes,” added Tessa. “With more than 50% of the Australian continent used for pastoralism, working with NAPCo is incredibly important to demonstrate how partnerships like ours can be used to deliver conservation at vast scale” added Tessa.

With the Plains-wanderer now confirmed on the station, a PhD student from Adelaide University will use the data to develop a new distribution model for the species to build a clearer picture of the population.

For more information on AWC and NAPCo’s partnership, click here.

The bioacoustic and motion sensor camera research is proudly funded by the Queensland Government’s Threatened Species Research Grants.

Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is a pragmatic, on-ground global conservation leader, conserving landscapes and providing hope for Australian wildlife. Informed by science, we deliver measurable conservation impact at scale to secure the future of our most endangered species and their habitats, including restoring degraded landscapes where necessary. More information can be found at: www.australianwildlife.org.

North Australian Pastoral Company (NAPCo) is one of Australia’s oldest and largest beef producers, founded in 1877 and managing around 200,000 head of cattle throughout northern Australia. NAPCo’s herd are born and raised as a single source, closed-loop herd, with full traceability throughout its supply chain. With a true commitment to animal welfare, NAPCo cattle are ethically raised and free to roam fertile forest-friendly grasslands for most of their lives. The NAPCo property estate consists of 14 cattle stations and 1 feedlot and farm, spanning 6.1million hectares across Queensland and the Northern Territory, and continues to be grazed responsibly and sustainably, with over 385,000 hectares preserved in an approved Nature Refuge for native and rare flora and fauna. More information can be found at www.napco.com.au.

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