Alternative names: Lowan, Malleehen
- Leipoa ocellata
Identification
55-61cm
- Quite large
- Grey head and neck
- Black line down neck
- Upper-parts mottled grey, white, black, chestnut and buff
Distribution
Australia.
Patchy though the Mallee areas of southern New South Wales, northwest Victoria and Little Desert to Murry river Basin. Small patches of population in mallee areas of South Australia and southwest Northern Territory.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Unburnt mallee or woodland with lots of leaf litter and low scrub
Behaviour
- Moves around in singles or pairs
- Forages in scrub and grain stubble
- When wary 'freezes', then slowly moves away, or flys up tree, with heavy flapping
- Dust-bathes, rests and basks in deep shade
- Roosts on low branch
- Forages in leaf litter
Breeding
The male makes the nest by scraping a large depression in sandy soil. He fills it with sticks, leaves and bark, making a mound. He mixes the material to decay it and then digs an egg chamber. He adds more soil to the mound once the eggs have been laid. Usually 15 eggs are laid at weekly intervals. Incubation takes between 50 and 100 days dependent on temperature. Chicks hatch one at a time and scratch their way to the surface of the mound. They are independent from the start.
Voice
The male emits two deep, bellowing notes or booms with the female speaking in high pitched crows, soft crooning and low grunts.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Pizzey, G. & Knight, F. 1997. Birds of Australia (Collins Field Guide). HarperCollins Publishers, London. ISBN 0-00-220132-1
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
