Woodland bird populations are declining rapidly, with more than 40 species at risk of extinction. The Woodland Birds Program aims to stop and reverse this trend before it's too late.
The Woodland Birds Program aims to enhance the conservation of all threatened and declining woodland species. We do this through either single-species recovery work (e.g. Swift Parrot, Regent Honeyeater and Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo recovery projects) or multi-species projects like Birds on Farms.
With improved on-the-ground management practices and protection of woodland habitats we have been able to reduce the threats our woodland birds face.
The Woodland Birds CAP brings together experts in ecology, species recovery, government bodies, community groups and environmental NGOs. It is a response to current and long-lasting threats to our temperate woodlands and threatened birds.
Read the fact sheet on our Temperate Woodland Bird Conservation Action Plan, or read the detailed plan here
Both the Swift Parrot and Regent Honeyeater are Critically Endangered, and the Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo is Endangered. The outcomes achieved by targeting these species will also benefit:
The program implements a range of recovery actions for the Swift Parrot, Regent Honeyeater and Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo. We work closely with the recovery team for each species on projects like:
Initiatives to revegetate temperate woodlands are already underway at places like Clarkesdale Sanctuary, near Ballarat, in Victoria. This sanctuary provides a best-practice model for private landholders to rehabilitate land for threatened and declining woodland birds.
BirdLife Australia has been working on black-cockatoo recovery actions since 2001. In Western Australia, we are working with local communities, landholders and land managers to secure the protection and conservation of the three species of black-cockatoos across the South West.
Since 2008, hundreds of zoo-bred Regent Honeyeaters have been released into the wild — a strategy that's working, with many of the birds not only surviving, but breeding.
Birds on Farms assists rural landholders to identify, appreciate and manage birds and their habitats on their properties.
Home to a number of threatened birds, ‘The Mallee’ is a semi-arid zone centred on the Murray Mallee region of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. It supports extensive and intact old-growth Mallee vegetation, although it has been affected by widespread habitat clearance and bushfires.
South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoos had around 38% of their range impacted by the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires. This project supports the post-bushfire recovery of the species in East Gippsland by protecting their short-term food supplies and increasing their long-term food security.
BirdLife Australia is working with the Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council to restore mistletoe to burnt woodlands in the Hunter Valley by planting mistletoe seeds, which will provide vital food and nesting resources to boost the Regent Honeyeaters' survival.
Volunteer to undertake surveys on an allocated rural property once every 3 months, and share your bird skills with landholders.
Swift Parrots are one of the only parrots in the world that migrates every year, making the long journey from Tasmania to mainland Australia in search of flowering gum trees. Yet, bushfires and continued native forest logging threaten this incredible bird's existence.
The Critically Endangered Swift Parrot is mostly bright green, with a dark-blue patch on the crown. Breeds in Tasmania and migrates to the mainland for winter.
