Critically endangered Plains-wanderers, one of the most unique birds in the world, has a brighter future thanks to farmers Andy and Judy McGillivray who have protected 239 ha of the birds’ grassland habitat on the Patho Plains in northern Victoria, on Yorta Yorta Country.

Plains-wanderers are ground-dwelling birds that are found only on grasslands in inland eastern Australia.

They are ranked number one in the world out of 9,983 bird species on the Zoological Society of Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered bird list. They have no close relatives anywhere in the world and are the sole member of an ancient avian family, the Pedionomidae.

The quail-sized bird has declined precipitously over the last decade, and there are fewer than a thousand left across the country.

Andy and Judy, who have already safeguarded 200 ha of Plains-wanderer habitat on two properties, said agreeing to protect another property was common sense.

“Ours is one of the best privately-owned parcels of land for this bird in the world,” Andy said.

“It’s a little bit of paradise for them, and I get a really nice feeling knowing that I’m protecting them. Protecting the land hasn’t changed the way I farm at all, so they’re a no brainer. Helping these important birds is not costing us anything.”

Andy and Judy have protected their land with conservation covenants through Trust for Nature. A conservation covenant is a voluntary, legally binding and permanent agreement that requires landholders to actively manage their land.