The Brigalow Belt Bioregion is home to numerous threatened species and ecosystems. Its landscapes range from those of the highlands and foothills of the dividing range, with large national parks and state forests supporting Eucalyptus, Corymbia, Callitris and Angophora-dominated woodlands, to the more fragmented landscapes of the fertile soils, with Acacia, Casuarina and box Eucalyptus woodlands and Dicanthium grasslands persisting as smaller remnants, often highly modified and surrounded by intensive agriculture.
Reptiles are well-represented in the region, with several endemic or near-endemic species including the golden-tailed gecko and brigalow scaly-foot. Other threatened species include the common death adder and the yakka skink. A Recovery Plan for the reptiles of the Brigalow Belt is currently being prepared by the Queensland Brigalow Belt Reptile Recovery Team. Species more commonly encountered include the eastern bearded dragon, the southern velvet gecko and the blue-bellied black snake.
The bioregion has more resident Birds than any other. In the east and through the Carnarvon gorge region, Torresian migrant species and birds of the eastern forests are found, while further west, inland species such as budgerigahs, Australian bustards and crimson chats occur. The common birds of the brigalow woodlands include many species in decline further south, such as yellow thornbills, grey-crowned babblers and eastern yellow robins. Singing, striped and spiny-cheeked honeyeaters, as well as those native villains, the noisy miners, are the common honeyeaters. Large groups of apostlebirds and white-winged choughs make bird surveying a noisy affair. Spotted bowerbirds are more rarely sighted. In the callitris and spotted gum woodlands, white-eared and yellow-tufted honeyeaters are common, along with friarbirds and blue-faced honeyeaters.
Native mammals including koalas, possums and gliders, macropods, bandicoots and small carnivores all occur in the Brigalow Belt. In brigalow ecosystems, we have captured common and narrow-nosed planigales (Planigale maculata and P. tenuirostris) and common dunnarts (Sminthopsis murina). Seven macropod species were observed incidentally during a recent three-day trip to visit some brigalow sites in northern NSW, including red, eastern grey and western grey kangaroos, euros, and black, redneck and whiptail wallabies. Bats, particularly microbats, are a diverse group, with our surveys detecting over 20 species including the little pied bat and the yellow-bellied sheathtail bat. Unfortunately, introduced mammals such as pigs, feral cats and red foxes are also common.
