Fears are held for a diminishing colony of Australia's most melodic songbirds, with just 40 eastern bristlebirds remaining in south-east Queensland.
A study by the University of Queensland has found the bird's population along the southern border ranges, one of just three areas in which they're found, is critically endangered.
UQ researcher Zoe Stone said the small harmonious-sounding bird was threatened by "inappropriate fire regimes" and changes to their habitat.
"They need grassy forest patches within the wet forest, but weeds and lack of burning mean those patches are disappearing," she said.
Ms Stone said reintroducing the rare species to the area will be critical for their conservation but to do so they need to know more about restoring their habitat correctly.
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The birds can also be found on the coastline of central NSW and around the NSW-Victoria border.
