Mallee Emuwren

1. Long, fine tail feathers resembling emu plumes.

2. Males have vibrant sky-blue throat and chest plumage.

3. Tiny size with streaked backs and rufous crowns.

These shy birds feed mainly on small insects, such as beetles, which they glean from stems and leaf litter within spinifex clumps. They build dome-shaped nests from grass and spinifex leaves lined with soft materials. Females incubate clutches of three eggs while both parents care for the fledglings. Their poor dispersal ability makes them vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and fire.

Mallee Emu-wrens are found exclusively in unburnt spinifex (*Triodia*) clumps within mature mallee woodlands in northwestern Victoria and southeastern South Australia. Key locations include Murray-Sunset, Hattah-Kulkyne, and Wyperfeld National Parks in Victoria. They prefer habitats unburnt for at least 15 years. Early morning is the best time to observe them when they may briefly perch atop spinifex hummocks. Their faint calls can help locate them in dense vegetation.