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.
The 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires burnt large tracts of the trees that South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoos need to survive, such as the she-oaks they feed in. By restoring their habitat, we can help these birds survive for generations to come.
South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoos occur from eastern Victoria to south-eastern Queensland; 38% of this range was burnt by the 2019–20 bushfires.
Glossies feed almost exclusively on the cones of she-oak trees (Allocasuarina and Casuarina), which need to be at least 5 years old to produce cones.
The fires also damaged old, hollow-bearing trees — potential breeding sites for Glossies. Without appropriate breeding sites, their population will continue to decline.
BirdLife Australia is collecting vital data on the birds and their habitats so they can be better protected.
Each female Glossy Black-Cockatoo (‘Flossy’) has a unique arrangement of yellow facial feathers. We can use these facial feathers, along with tail panels, to help identify individual birds.
BirdLife Australia is collecting photos of Flossies in East Gippsland to develop a photo library, which can be used to identify individuals based on their facial feathers. This will help us understand how Flossies move through the landscape, informing habitat management activities.
If you have photos of Flossies in East Gippsland, you can send them to GlossyBC@birdlife.org.au with the date and location (GPS coordinates if possible) the photos were taken, to support the protection of these birds and their habitat.
Photos will be classified and stored in BirdLife’s Flossy database, so they can be assigned an ID and compared to other photos.
Photos will not be used or distributed publicly without the photographer’s permission.
This project supports the bushfire recovery of South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoos in East Gippsland by protecting their short-term food supply and increasing their long-term food security.
We are working with communities in East Gippsland community, as well as government agencies and non-government organisations, to protect unburnt stands of she-oaks and plant new trees to replace some of those that were lost in the fires.
We are also identifying sites with a deficit of natural hollows, where we can install specially-made ‘cockatubes’ that the birds can use for breeding.
Importantly, BirdLife Australia is also collecting vital information about the birds and their habitat requirements so they can be better protected in the future.
This project is funded by the Australian Government’s Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Program, and by donations to BirdLife Australia’s bushfire appeal. Landcare Serpentine/Jarrahdale donated 38 cockatubes to the project, and these were transported from Western Australia to East Gippsland by the Australian Defence Force.
The Glossy Project – Coffs Coast is a citizen science initiative which supports the bushfire recovery of South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoos and their habitats on the Coffs Coast in NSW.
The Great Glossy Count is a citizen science event that collects data across the distribution of the Vulnerable South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoo.
