WA has three species of black cockatoo and two of these are iconic residents of the Wheatbelt.
The Carnaby’s cockatoo and the Red-tailed black cockatoo can be found in various parts of the Wheatbelt.
Many people are surprised to hear that all three species of black cockatoo are considered threatened and urgent recovery actions are underway to ensure their survival.
The white tailed Carnaby’s cockatoo spend their summers on the swan coastal plain but from July they return to the Wheatbelt to breed.
These large and loud birds mate for life and rely on tree hollows to raise their usually single chick. They can only use hollows that are a specific size and these are only found in eucalypts that are over 100 years old.
Years of land clearing and continual decline in the remaining bush means that breeding hollows are getting harder to find. The birds also face competition for those hollows from other birds such as galahs and corellas.
To further compound the problem the black cockatoos have very specific food needs and have to be able to find food close to the nesting site. They feed on shrublands that include banksia, hakea, grevillea and eucalypts. They have also adapted to feeding on garden species such as Cape Lilac and pine trees.
Wheatbelt NRM with the support of the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program are working with farmers across the Wheatbelt to ensure the future for these birds.
Wheatbelt NRM project officer Alex Griffiths is excited about the project.
“Everyone I talk to loves the black cockatoos but often don’t realize they are in trouble. By protecting bushland with tree hollows, planting food sources and even installing artificial nesting hollows we can help them. Lack of breeding success means many of the birds we see now are old and there are few youngsters replacing them.”
Wheatbelt NRM are keen to hear about any black cockatoo sightings and have a very simple online survey that community members can fill in.
Alex said, “This online survey helps us collect information on where the birds are, how many there are and what they are doing. This will allow us to take action now to protect them.”
The survey can be found at www.wheatbeltnrm.org.au/survey123
Media contact: Alex Griffiths, Wheatbelt NRM 0419 275 037.