Having detected the birds at two new locations – one on private land, one public – Hartnett said they planned to keep searching for more birds in the volcanic landscape to the west of Melbourne.
Dr Karen Rowe, the curator of birds at Museums Victoria Research Institute, said the song meter technology allowed researchers to survey multiple sites simultaneously.
Dolby, who runs birdwatching tours and offers tips on finding rare birds via his guide books, said plains-wanderers could easily be mistaken for a buttonquail.
Notoriously elusive and difficult to spot, the rare birds were detected on two pockets of remnant grassland by Zoos Victoria, with the help of AI.
He said the birds relied on camouflage and “crouching down” for survival – a tactic that made it harder for birdwatchers to spot them, but unfortunately easy pickings for foxes.
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