Australian Brush-turkey (Alectura lathami) Fact Sheet: Population & Conservation Status

Population estimates

• Over 100,000 individuals in the wild (Elliott and Kirwan 2017)
• Total population stable (Elliott and Kirwan 2017) or slowly decreasing (BirdLife International 2016)
• Considered common (Jones et al. 1995)

IUCN

• Least Concern (2018 assessment) (BirdLife International 2018)
  • Very large range
  • Large population size though declining
• Previous assessments (BirdLife International 2016)
  • 2016: Least Concern
  • 2012: Least Concern
  • 2009: Least Concern
  • 2008: Least Concern
  • 2004: Least Concern
  • 2000: Lower Risk/least concern
  • 1994: Lower Risk/least concern
  • 1988: Lower Risk/least concern

CITES

• Not listed (UNEP 2018)

Government laws and regulations

• Protected as a native species of Australia since 1918 (Jones and Göth 2008, except as noted)
  • Birds and Animals Protection Act 1918
    • Prior to this, the Australian Brush-turkey was a preferred game bird (Göth et al. 2006)
      • Game Protection Act 1866 helps to curb illegal hunting
  • Still hunted, but habitat destruction poses a greater threat
• Mounds cannot be destroyed if they contain eggs or chicks (Jones and Göth 2008)
  • Includes those in suburban gardens
• One isolated population in New South Wales is considered Endangered (Jones and Göth 2008)

Habitat loss and degradation

• Distribution of this species has been reduced (Elliott and Kirwan 2017)
  • Causes
    • Forest clearing (i.e., for livestock) (Elliott and Kirwan 2017)
    • Habitat fragmentation (Elliott and Kirwan 2017)
    • Changes in fire regimes (Jones and Göth 2008)

Predation

• Few chicks reach adulthood due to predation by introduced, feral animals
• See Mortality and Health

Hunting

(Jones and Göth 2008, except as noted)

• Protected as a native species of Australia
  • See “Government laws and regulations,” above
• Historically, adult birds and their eggs were eaten by settlers
  • “Their flesh is very excellent, and they are hunted to such an extent that their extermination is only a question of time.” (The Brush Turkey... 1887)
  • Hunting led to local extinctions in some areas (Elliott and Kirwan 2017)
  • Eggs were also harvested by Aboriginal peoples (Jones and Göth 2008)

In suburban settings, Brush-turkeys will make themselves at home in a yard or on a roof.

Image credit: © John Turnbull via Flickr. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial License 2.0. Some rights reserved.

Image location: Sydney, Australia