Making the landscape better for Brolga – The impact of wetland restoration on an iconic species
Australia’s wetlands are home to many remarkable species, but few capture the imagination quite like the Brolga (Grus rubicunda). Known for their graceful movements and elaborate courtship dances, these tall elegant birds with their striking red caps are an unforgettable sight. At NGT we have a soft spot for the species, whose southern mainland range overlaps NGT priority landscapes in SA, Victoria and NSW. And, after all, we have the same habitat preferences – we love wetlands!
Given our current focus on brolga, as one of the species we aim to benefit from our newly proposed Wirey Swamp Restoration Reserve, this article focuses on some of our observations about Brolga in south-eastern Australia, and how they have responded at sites we have restored.
Looking at all of the Brolga records in the Atlas of Living Australia (red dots on the adjacent map) it is clear that they are a widespread species of the wetlands and floodplains of northern and central Australia (including Queensland, the Northern Territory, northern WA, and northeastern SA). In fact 99% of the global population is found in northern Australia with a distinct and much smaller southern population clustered across western Victoria and southern South Australia which extends up into central NSW.
Genetic studies, including those completed by NGT in 2016, indicate that, while northern and southern populations are one and the same species, there is little evidence that the two geographically distinct populations interact much, if at all.
The widespread national occurrence of Brolga means that it is considered to be a relatively secure species. However, while this may be true of the Northern population, for the smaller, distinct population of around 900 birds in western Victoria/south-east South Australia, the species has to face all the challenges associated with hanging out in one of the oldest, and most productive, agricultural areas in Australia. And yet, Brolga are one of the most recognised and cherished species in this corner of Australia by everyone in the community, and are a true wetland icon.
How Brolga use wetlands
Wherever Brolga occur they use distinct breeding and flocking wetlands and more widespread foraging habitats. They favour shallow herb-rich, or rush-/sedge-dominated wetlands (or the shallower fringe of much larger wetlands also providing this habitat) for nesting and raising their chicks in the spring and summer months. In contrast, their flocking habitats tend to be deeper, large, more permanent freshwater wetlands, that tend to support large numbers of water birds and other waders into the drier autumn months. To keep Brolga in the landscape we need to make sure that they have a diversity of wetland types to choose from, that reliably inundate across different climatic periods, and provide habitat at the right times of year.
A large, mobile and long-lived bird, they can move around the landscape to find the resources that they need to survive. Availability of suitable habitat for the specialised requirements around breeding is what is most likely limiting the population, coupled with impacts from predation (reducing breeding success).
Brolga have pretty predictable behaviours, they gather together in large flocks over autumn and then disperse in pairs to nesting sites over spring to raise their chicks. These birds are the very definition of ‘creatures of habit’ and they flock to specific zones and then return to the same one or two wetlands to nest year after year. They are also highly monogamous and mate for life. Their use of habitat is governed by an annual cycle, linked closely to seasonal conditions, as the handy diagram below shows:
Like the Brolga, at NGT we have a specific interest in seasonal and ephemeral wetlands – those shallow swamps and meadows that are so common across the flatter parts of Victoria and SA. We know that these types of wetlands are incredibly biologically productive, adapted to respond quickly to the arrival of rainfall, with rapid germination and growth of wetland plants and explosions of invertebrates who, like frogs and even some fish, have their own means of surviving the dry times.
This explosion of life is what makes these wetlands perfect for breeding Brolga – lots of plant matter (for building nests), deep enough to put off foxes, but not too deep for a wading bird (30-50 cm), plenty of varied food, including plants, insects, freshwater crayfish, frogs (and whatever else you can fit down your throat!). An ideal Brolga breeding wetland might be large or small, although there are some indications that if there’s a choice, Brolga will preferentially use larger wetlands. But, they’ll also use smaller sites if there are other wetlands, and plenty of foraging habitat for their chicks, situated nearby. In fact they can spend a fair amount of time moving around between wetlands where they occur in clusters, and no doubt this is important for foraging. For a bird that forms large flocks at certain times of the year, they are very territorial when breeding, and have large home ranges (over 200 ha) in size.
Now, while we don’t go around restoring wetlands purely for the benefit of one species (even Brolga), we do know that Brolga have responded positively at many of the sites we have restored.
Let’s have a look at just a few of our wetland restoration success stories and what they’ve meant for Brolga
This blog post shares some of our observations about what wetland restoration activities have meant for this species across various sites we’ve worked on, and what that tells us about what the species needs more of in the future.
Private wetlands on farms near Dartmoor, Victoria (at Mumbannar and Drik Drik)
Over the years, we have worked with dozens of farmers to enhance and restore wetlands on their properties. At sites owned by two different farmers near Dartmoor (near the Strathdownie flocking zone), all that was needed to enhance the habitat at these two modestly-sized seasonal, shallow wetlands on these private properties was to install fencing to better manage livestock grazing. This, in turn, allowed for the recovery of wetland vegetation and reduced disturbance, which has made these wetlands more suitable for Brolga to breed successfully at both sites.
Just look at the image of one of these sites a few years after fencing, in the example below, where spontaneous recovery of wetland vegetation has been complemented by some supplementary revegetation planting around the wetland edge. What was once a bare ‘puddle in a paddock’ is now a diverse, highly productive wetland with plenty of nesting material, that complements the aesthetics of the surrounding farm. The pair of Brolga that successfully bred here in spring 2023 are shown below which their chick foraging in the paddock around the wetland. These two photos were taken on the same day in October 2023 (note that this site was dry in 2024 due to the failed winter rains last year).
Green Swamp, Victoria
NGT’s Green Swamp Restoration Reserve is within the Willaura flocking zone and has many of the characteristics that Brolga like in a flocking site – semi-permanent water, when everything else is drying down, plenty of aquatic vegetation and ready access to foraging habitat in the nearby paddocks.
NGT restored the hydrology of Green Swamp in 2014 with the support of the previous landholder, and since 2019 this amazing wetland has been formally protected as an NGT Restoration Reserve. Since it was restored, the site has slowly become more and more important for Brolga flocking with the largest count of 260 birds sighted there in 2022 and between 60 and 200 birds at various times over 2024. This means that this one site, at times, hosts up to 20% of the Victorian population, a pretty amazing turnaround for a site that had been drained!
Walker Swamp, Victoria
It’s a completely different story over at NGT’s restored Walker Swamp Restoration Reserve which is a mere 5 km away. While the main swamp is semi-permanent, it is a very different type of wetland, with lots of shallow vegetated margins, but also a large area of open water with less emergent vegetation. However, the great thing about Walker Swamp is the diversity of habitat on offer and the size of the various wetlands across the property and the adjacent Grampians National Park and Brady Swamp Wildlife Reserve. The Walker Swamp property makes a perfect case for why a diversity of wetlands types (of different sizes, shapes, character and depths) nearby make for good Brolga habitat. So while it doesn’t make the cut as a flocking site, it’s highly suitable as a breeding site, with expanses of feeding habitat, and its proximity to the Green Swamp flocking site probably means it is prime real estate that was easy for the birds to find once it was restored.
Walker Swamp was restored in 2019 and we had our first confirmed Brolga chick in 2021. Since then we have had at least one pair at Walker Swamp a good proportion of the time. Occasionally we have even had two pairs or more checking out different parts of the Reserve. Our last confirmed chick was in October 2023. Although conditions last year were possibly too dry for successful breeding at the site (as the vast shallow wetland margins didn’t inundate) we are optimistic that with some good autumn and winter rainfall we will see more Brolga recruitment at the site this year.
Hutt Bay, South Australia
At NGT’s Hutt Bay Wetland Restoration Reserve, we had a pair of Brolga turn up and nest in late 2022, soon after site hydrology was restored. This behaviour is common when we restore wetland hydrology and tells us that young birds are limited for choice in the landscape as a result of the broadscale drainage of wetlands – likely looking for and trying out breeding habitat as it becomes available. Coastal freshwater wetlands are often ignored as Brolga habitat but, as Brolga are certainly regularly sighted at and have bred in the nearby restored wetlands of Pick Swamp (part of the Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park) and Long Swamp (in the Lower Glenelg and Discovery Bay Ramsar site), they are certainly important habitats in the southern parts of Western Victoria and Southern SA.
At NGT we don’t only restore wetlands on our own land, in fact, across the range of Brolga we have restored more than 70 wetlands, most of these on farms (like the first two examples above) or within plantation land, where the dominant land use is grazing, plantation and occasionally cropping. As outlined in the first example above, a number of these sites are now providing improved habitat and great outcomes for Brolga.
What do Brolga need to thrive?
Restoring the quality and extent of wetland habitat, across both large and small wetlands – either singularly or in clusters, wherever they occur in the landscape is good for wetland species. For Brolga, we know that it’s not only hydrology that impacts the bird’s preferences for usable habitat.
Brolga need habitat for breeding that has the right depth profile – up to about 50 cm, a plentiful supply of nesting material – generally rushes, sedges and other water plants, and good availability of food. Eggs and chicks are vulnerable to predation, so having feeding habitat nearby is essential to prevent the parents from having to leave the nest to feed. And while they’ll eat just about anything they can swallow, the research indicates that wetland plants (especially those with tasty tubers) as well as frogs and invertebrates are all important food sources, all found at their best in healthy wetland habitats.
If the hydrology of a wetland is good – and if it still gets regularly wet, then the best way to make it Brolga-friendly is to remove stock (at least over winter and spring) to allow the native wetland vegetation to thrive. If you’re fencing a wetland put the fence as far as you can manage from the wetland, as Brolga are unfortunately prone to getting entangled and (as one of the examples above illustrates) need room to forage on the dry land around a wetland as well. If you are lucky enough to have nesting birds, thinking about how to optimise your fox control program while the chicks are young and vulnerable would be helpful (they fledge at about 3 months of age).
Annual Brolga population monitoring
Each year the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) undertake a census of the South West Victorian population in March/April. The census involves trained observers visiting known flocking sites on specific days to make an official count. They also record the number of young birds, an important consideration, telling us how well the species has been breeding. We are still waiting to hear about the 2025 numbers, but you can read more about change over time on the SWIFT.net.au webpage, which has a good summary.
The southern Victorian population count was 879 birds in March 2024, which is a very good number, likely boosted by average to above average rainfall for a couple of years from 2021 resulted in better short-term recruitment – noting that wetter years can also help to temporarily mask the impact of the loss of wetlands in the landscape due to artificial drainage.
If you’re in Brolga territory, we hope you enjoy watching these iconic birds in natural and restored wetlands. In fact, if you have a natural wetland area that may be suitable for Brolga on your own property, and would like us to take a look with you this winter to see what is possible, then please get in touch with our Wetland Restoration Ecologist Ayesha: by email – – or call 0429 021 500.
At NGT, we’re continuing to enhance as many wetlands as we can to support this graceful and iconic bird, including the newly announced NGT Reserve (Wirey Swamp Restoration Reserve) that we’re hoping to secure this June, with your help.
All donations over $2 are fully tax-deductible.
