Malleefowl Vocalisation
Malleefowl make several different sounds that can be heard often without seeing the elusive bird:
- Female Malleefowl make a high-pitched grunt.
- Whilst together, usually at the nest mound, the pair make a soft, drawn out cluck.
- As a territorial warning to other Malleefowl, the male makes a loud, booming call.
- When threatened, they make a sharp grunt.
- A pair of Malleefowl sometimes perform what is known as a duet, where one bird calls immediately after the other several times in a row. It is thought the duet serves to maintain the pair bond.
Malleefowl
SOUNDS
Malleefowl make several different sounds that can be heard often without seeing the elusive bird:
- Female Malleefowl make a high-pitched grunt.
- Whilst together, usually at the nest mound, the pair make a soft, drawn out cluck.
- As a territorial warning to other Malleefowl, the male makes a loud, booming call.
- When threatened, they make a sharp grunt.
- A pair of Malleefowl sometimes perform what is known as a duet, where one bird calls immediately after the other several times in a row. It is thought the duet serves to maintain the pair bond.
Vocalisation Recordings
Recording by Michael Todd – from Stokies Colignan, Victoria
Recorded at Ferries McDonald CP in South Australia
Recording by Graeme Tonkin – Adelaide Zoo. Two female Malleefowl in a duet.
“Male Malleefowl make a loud booming sound as a territorial warning”
This project is supported through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.