PARADISE FOR WANDERERS
Conservation status: critically endangered nationally
Total population: fewer than 1000
Scientific name: Pedionomus torquatus
Habitat: arid grasslands of south-eastern Australia
Threats: loss of habitat due to conversion of native grasslands for crops or pastures; feral foxes and cats
Diet: seeds, leaves, insects and spiders
Size: 15–19cm long; wingspan 28–36cm; males weigh 40–80g and females slightly larger at 55–95g
ON THE DWINDLING native arid grasslands of north central Victoria, the plains-wanderer is clinging tenuously to survival. This small, quail-like, but its own family, Pedionomidae. Its closest living relatives are shorebirds from South America, meaning its evolution can be traced back at least 60 million years – when Australia and South America were both part of the southern supercontinent Gondwana.
