Tuesday, 10 March 2026
10 / 03 / 2026 PERTH WA – One evening can help what happens to these birds in the future— but volunteers need to register by 22 March.
Merryn Pryor has been counting black-cockatoos at dusk for years. She knows the conspicuous calls that signal their approach towards a roost site, and the way even experienced volunteers hold their breath and start counting. She also knows what the numbers have been telling her.
“Numbers of Baudin’s Black-Cockatoos have declined by 90% over the last few decades,” says Pryor, Coordinator of the Great Cocky Count. “Every year we do this survey, we’re not just collecting data — we’re bearing witness to what’s happening to these birds. And right now, they need every person we can get out there to help monitor them and identify critical habitat.”
With registrations closing on Sunday 22 March, BirdLife Australia is making a final call for volunteers across south-western Western Australia to join the 2026 Great Cocky Count — the largest single survey of black-cockatoos in WA — taking place at sunset on Sunday 12 April.
The survey is straightforward. Volunteers stand near known roost sites — tall trees where cockatoos gather to sleep — and count the birds as they fly in at dusk. No experience is required. Workshops have been running now across Perth and the south-west to prepare first-time participants. Counters are needed at sites from Chapman Valley in the north to Esperance along the south coast.
What those volunteers are counting has never been more precarious. All three species monitored by the Great Cocky Count are in serious decline. Baudin’s Black-Cockatoo is classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo is listed as Endangered under state and federal legislation, while Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos are listed as Vulnerable. The Great Cocky Count is one of the primary tools scientists and conservationists use to track whether populations are stabilising — or still falling.
The Count started as a focused Perth survey for Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos and has grown over two decades into a region-wide citizen science event, now covering sites right across south-western WA, and focusing on all three southwest black-cockatoo species. The annual snapshot of black-cockatoo populations feeds directly into advocacy for habitat protection and land-use planning.
BirdLife Australia is also asking the community to report any roost sites they know about before the Count. “A roost site is an area with tall trees where black cockatoos congregate at dusk to sleep overnight,” says Pryor. “They can be in remnant bushland, urban parks, or private properties. If you know of one in your area, please tell us — it could be added to this year’s survey.”
The Great Cocky Count is supported by funding from the Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program.
Registrations close Sunday 22 March and can be made at: https://birdlife.org.au/events/great-cocky-count
The last in-person workshop before registrations close is being held in Mount Barker on Saturday 14th March from 1.00pm – 3.30pm. Hosted by Oyster Harbour Catchment Group.
Alternatively join the Great Cocky Count Online Webinar from anywhere on Tuesday 17 March at 6pm.
Media contact: Merryn Pryor BirdLife Australia
Tel: 08 9383 7749 greatcockycount@birdlife.org.au
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