Yongergnow Australian Malleefowl Centre

An endangered Malleefowl looking for food - closer view

The Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) is a large, stocky, ground-dwelling, mound-nesting (megapode), chicken-sized bird found across southern and central Australia, mostly in arid and semi-arid habitats. Malleefowls are endangered over most of their range by habitat fragmentation caused by over-clearing of native woodlands for agriculture, and by predation from introduced foxes and feral cats. Malleefowls are cryptically patterned, secretive birds that are difficult to find in the bush. They build huge mounds of soil and composted leaf litter, and the female lays a clutch of 2-30 large, thin-shelled eggs on top of the rotting compost in the nest mound. The male Malleefowl regulates the temperature of the mound by removing or adding soil and leaf litter as needed. The chicks dig themselves from the mound, and are completely independent of their parents, and can run after two hours and fly within a day after hatching. This captive bird was videoed foraging at the Yongergnow Australian Malleefowl Centre at Ongerup in south-western Western Australia.
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Ongerup

The town of Ongerup isn't one that immediately springs to mind when I hear the words 'tourist destination'.

It is primarily a service centre for the surrounding farms where wheat and sheep are the main produce.

An item of interest for 'birders' is the Yongergnow Malleefowl Centre.

The main attraction in the area is the Stirling Range National Park.

The town's major attraction is the Ongerup and Needilup District Museum which is located in the Old Railway Barracks in the main street. It is an interesting local folk museum with good displays of domestic memorabilia, an extensive collection of farm equipment, and a focus on the natural history of the area.

A well attended local event is the annual Ongerup Shears which is held on the Queens Birthday long weekend. This event, first held in 1983, has become the premier shearing competition in the Western Australian sheep/wheat belt.

See more of Western Australia at :

An endangered Malleefowl looking for food

The Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) is a large, stocky, ground-dwelling, mound-nesting (megapode), chicken-sized bird found across southern and central Australia, mostly in arid and semi-arid habitats. Malleefowls are endangered over most of their range by habitat fragmentation caused by over-clearing of native woodlands for agriculture, and by predation from introduced foxes and feral cats. Malleefowls are cryptically patterned, secretive birds that are difficult to find in the bush. They build huge mounds of soil and composted leaf litter, and the female lays a clutch of 2-30 large, thin-shelled eggs on top of the rotting compost in the nest mound. The male Malleefowl regulates the temperature of the mound by removing or adding soil and leaf litter as needed. The chicks dig themselves from the mound, and are completely independent of their parents, and can run after two hours and fly within a day after hatching. This captive bird was videoed foraging at the Yongergnow Australian Malleefowl Centre at Ongerup in south-western Western Australia.
WA2018 11 73
This video is being managed exclusively by Newsflare. To use this
video for broadcast or in a commercial player go to:

contact@newsflare.com or call: +44 (0) 20 3937 6280