With enormous ears, a pointed snout and powerful digging claws, the greater bilby looks almost designed for life in Australia’s arid interior. This nocturnal marsupial searches underground for insects, seeds, bulbs and fungi, then leaves behind burrows and disturbed soil that benefit other species. Once found across much more of Australia, bilbies are now Vulnerable—but breeding, predator-free sanctuaries and reintroduction projects are helping bring them back.
With enormous ears, a pointed snout and powerful digging claws, the greater bilby looks almost designed for life in Australia’s arid interior. This nocturnal marsupial searches underground for insects, seeds, bulbs and fungi, then leaves behind burrows and disturbed soil that benefit other species. Once found across much more of Australia, bilbies are now Vulnerable, but breeding, predator-free sanctuaries and reintroduction projects are helping bring them back.
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1. The greater bilby is a Vulnerable Australian marsupial
The animal usually called a bilby is the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis). It is a marsupial, meaning females raise their young in a pouch, and it is classified as Vulnerable under Australia’s national environmental protection framework.
Its surviving natural populations are scattered across parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. Conservation programs have also established or supported translocated populations in places including New South Wales and South Australia. That does not mean bilbies are widespread across the continent: their present distribution is far smaller and more fragmented than their historical range.
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The greater bilby is also known by many Indigenous names, including Ninu, Ngalku, Nyarlku and Walpajirri. Names are connected to particular languages and Countries, so they are best used with the relevant local cultural context rather than treated as interchangeable labels.
2. Its huge ears and strong claws are survival adaptations
A bilby’s appearance is unusually distinctive. It has:
- soft blue-grey fur and a pale underside;
- very large, rabbit-like ears;
- a long, narrow, pointed snout;
- strong forelimbs and digging claws; and
- a long tail, often marked with dark and pale bands.
The ears help a bilby detect sounds and are also important for releasing heat in a hot environment. Its pointed snout can probe soil and leaf litter, while its claws open the ground in search of food and help excavate shelter.
Size varies, particularly between individuals and sexes. Large males can weigh approximately 2.5 kilograms. The Australian bilby recovery plan records a maximum male head-and-body length of about 550 millimetres; the tail adds substantially to the animal’s overall length. These are approximate maximum measurements, not the size of a typical adult bilby.
3. Bilbies are nocturnal animals that live in burrows
Greater bilbies generally emerge after twilight and forage at night, when temperatures in their often arid habitats are lower. During the day, they shelter in burrows that protect them from heat and provide some defense against predators.
A bilby may dig a burrow that spirals down into the soil, sometimes with more than one entrance. Burrows can be several metres long, although their exact dimensions vary with the soil and habitat. The animal may use more than one burrow within its home range rather than remaining in a single permanent shelter.
Bilbies are ground-dwelling mammals associated with arid and semi-arid environments, including areas dominated by spinifex grasslands. Their nighttime activity also reflects a trade-off: the darkness and cooler conditions make foraging safer and less stressful, but it does not eliminate the risk posed by introduced predators.
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The greater bilby is an opportunistic omnivore. It does not depend on one narrow food source. Depending on the season and what is available at a particular site, a bilby may eat:
- termites and ants;
- beetles, grasshoppers, spiders and insect larvae;
- seeds;
- bulbs and tubers;
- fungi; and
- occasionally reported prey such as small lizards.
Its long snout and digging claws work together when it feeds. A bilby can smell or detect food below the surface, then excavate small pits to reach it. Because rainfall, plant growth and insect activity change across the desert, the balance between animal and plant foods changes too. Describing bilbies as insect-eaters alone misses an important part of their biology.
5. Bilby pregnancy lasts only about two weeks
Greater bilbies have an unusually short pregnancy: gestation lasts roughly 12 to 14 days. Litters usually contain one or two young, although three can occur.
As with other marsupials, a newborn bilby is extremely undeveloped. It moves into the mother’s pouch, where it remains for approximately 75 to 80 days. After leaving the pouch, the young bilby is still dependent. The mother keeps it in, or returns it to, a maternal burrow and continues to suckle it for about another two weeks.
That means the two-week pregnancy is only the beginning of development. The young animal’s pouch and burrow care last much longer, allowing it to complete important growth in a protected environment.
6. Bilbies are ecosystem engineers
Every bilby’s digging can alter the ground around it. Foraging pits loosen and turn over soil, while burrows disturb and aerate deeper layers. These changes can improve opportunities for water to infiltrate the soil and help cycle nutrients.
Digging can also create small depressions where seeds, spores and moisture collect. In this way, bilbies can influence the availability of resources for plants and soil organisms. Their abandoned burrows may provide shelter for insects, reptiles, birds and small mammals.
For these reasons, conservation agencies describe bilbies as ecosystem engineers: animals whose physical activities modify habitat in ways that affect other species. This does not mean that every bilby has a precisely measured or identical impact. The ecological effect varies with soil, rainfall, vegetation and bilby density, but the general role is well supported.
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Bilbies once occupied a much broader area of Australia. Their decline resulted from several pressures acting together rather than from one isolated cause.
- Feral cats, foxes and wild dogs: These introduced predators can kill bilbies, especially young or dispersing animals.
- Rabbits: Rabbits compete for food and shelter and can degrade vegetation through grazing. They may also occupy or alter suitable refuge sites.
- Habitat fragmentation: When suitable habitat is broken into isolated patches, populations become more vulnerable to local disasters and have fewer opportunities to exchange genes.
- Changed fire regimes: Fires that are too frequent, too extensive or poorly timed can remove the mix of vegetation and cover that bilbies need.
- Other introduced herbivores: Grazing pressure can reduce food and shelter and change the structure of arid habitats.
Predator control is especially important. A habitat may appear suitable on a map, but a population is unlikely to persist if cats and foxes can reach it in significant numbers. Effective recovery therefore combines habitat management with measures that reduce predation and competition.
8. Conservationists are bringing bilbies back
Bilby recovery programs use several complementary approaches:
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- Predator-free sanctuaries: Fenced or otherwise protected areas can exclude feral predators and provide safer places for bilbies to breed.
- Captive breeding: Zoos and conservation organizations maintain carefully managed breeding programs that can supply animals for release and preserve husbandry knowledge.
- Translocation: Bilbies may be moved from one location to another when the receiving habitat has been assessed and threats can be managed.
- Reintroduction and monitoring: Released animals are tracked and their survival, breeding and movements are assessed over time.
- Threat management: Predator control, rabbit management, fire planning and habitat protection improve the odds that a released population will persist.
Projects documented by Taronga and Australian conservation agencies include breeding and release work, while New South Wales initiatives have returned bilbies to protected landscapes. These efforts aim to restore both the species and some of the ecological functions associated with its digging.
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Why bilbies matter
The greater bilby is more than a memorable Australian animal with oversized ears. Its short pregnancy, flexible diet and specialized burrows reveal how well it is adapted to difficult environments, while its digging helps reshape the soil and creates refuge for other wildlife.
Protecting bilbies requires more than releasing animals into suitable-looking habitat. Long-term recovery depends on controlling introduced predators and competitors, maintaining connected habitat, managing fire and grazing, and monitoring reintroduced populations carefully. The species’ story is one of serious decline, but also of active recovery and the possibility of restoring an important desert ecosystem engineer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Australian bilby eat?
The greater bilby is an opportunistic omnivore. It eats termites, ants, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders, insect larvae, seeds, bulbs, tubers and fungi. Small lizards have also been reported as food. Its diet changes with season and local availability.
Is a bilby a marsupial?
Yes. Bilbies are marsupials. Their pregnancy lasts only about 12 to 14 days, but the young remain in the pouch for roughly 75 to 80 days and continue receiving care and milk in a maternal burrow afterward.
Why are bilbies important to the ecosystem?
Bilbies dig burrows and foraging pits that loosen and aerate soil, help water infiltrate the ground and create places where seeds, spores and moisture can collect. Abandoned burrows may shelter other animals, which is why bilbies are often called ecosystem engineers.
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The greater bilby is classified as Vulnerable under Australia’s national environmental protection framework. Its remaining natural range is restricted to parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland, with conservation populations also established or supported elsewhere.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: The greater bilby is a Vulnerable, nocturnal Australian marsupial whose digging, flexible diet and unusual reproduction make it ecologically distinctive. Feral predators, rabbits, habitat fragmentation and altered fire regimes remain major threats, while predator-free sanctuaries, captive breeding and carefully monitored reintroductions are helping rebuild populations.
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