Three of WA’s Black-cockatoo species are threatened with extinction and we urgently need to work together to identify and protect their critical habitat such as roosting sites, nest trees, hollow-bearing and dead standing trees as well as their food and water sources so these birds can have a future.
It’s breeding time now for all three of our southwest Black-Cockatoo species – Carnaby’s Cockatoo (Short-billed Black-Cockatoo), Baudin’s Cockatoo (Long-billed Black-Cockatoo) and Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo.
The National Trust is working with Birdlife Australia to report Black-Cockatoo sightings throughout the southwest on National Trust protected properties and other incidental sightings. We are keen to draw on your knowledge to find out what areas Black-Cockatoos are using in the region.
Any information on roosting (sleeping), nesting and water source areas is extremely valuable so please share this information with the National Trust or through Birdlife Australia’s Black-Cockatoo Community Wisdom survey, Water Point survey and/or the Breeding Range Survey form on the Birdlife Australia website: http://www.birdlife.org.au/projects/southwest-black-cockatoo-recovery or you can report your sightings to Birdlife Australia’s national database: https://birdata.birdlife.org.au/
If you need any assistance to report the presence of Black-Cockatoos on your covenanted property or around the southwest then please contact Melissa Howe, Natural Heritage Officer, on 0419 014 357 or melissa.howe@ntwa.com.au
BLACK-COCKATOO BREEDING AND NESTING FACTS
- All Black-Cockatoo species depend on nesting hollows to breed
- Black-cockatoos nest in dead and live trees
- Eucalypt trees are the most favoured nest trees for Black-Cockatoos
- Studies have revealed hollows suitable for Black-Cockatoos do not begin to appear in eucalypts until they were over 200 years old
- Some nest trees used by Black-cockatoos are estimated to be 300–500 years of age
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR IN BREEDING AND NESTING SEASON:
- Keep a lookout for lone male birds or flocks of mostly males out feeding. This is a good indicator females are breeding in the area.
- Male Black-Cockatoos will feed the female several times a day when she is nesting.
- The female will come out of the nesting hollow to get a feed from the male. They will be close to the nest tree.
- Freshly chewed marks around the entrance of hollows can indicate a tree used for nesting
- Juvenile Black-Cockatoos will stay with their parents for 12 months or more after fledging
- If a pair raises a chick successfully in a hollow, they will try and use the same hollow again next time they nest. If the chick does not survive, they will try a different hollow, usually nearby.
