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Program: Woodland Birds

Southwest Black-Cockatoo Recovery

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.

Photographed by Heather Beswick

South-western Australia is home to three species of black-cockatoos – Baudin’s Black-Cockatoo, Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo and the Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo – all listed as threatened under state and federal legislation.

Key points

  • In the last 50 years, the population of Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos in the Perth–Peel area has declined by about 50%
  • Their range has contracted by up to a third; similar contractions have been estimated for Baudin’s and Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos
  • Though black-cockatoos are long-lived, few chicks survive to adulthood. The destruction of nesting sites makes it more difficult for them to breed, so the population is likely to be ageing.

Finding solutions for a cockatoo crisis

The black-cockatoos of south-western Australia face many threats, including:

  • Clearing vegetation used for feeding and roosting
  • Competition for nesting hollows from Galahs, corellas and feral bees
  • Stock trampling revegetation and degrading remaining nesting trees
  • Illegal poaching and persecution
  • Road strike

It may take decades to turn things around, but BirdLife Australia is implementing various different campaigns to build a sustainable future for these birds.

We are building a black-cockatoo recovery

BirdLife Australia is conducting various campaigns and projects to restore the populations of these charismatic birds:

  • Community engagement programs and education
  • Supporting private landholders to preserve and restore priority remnant vegetation
  • Funding to support fencing, revegetation, erect artificial nesting hollows, establish permanent watering points, control weeds and competitors
  • Identification and prioritisation of nesting sites for recovery actions
  • Data collection and nest monitoring
  • Encouraging and assisting landholders, industry and communities to implement cockatoo-friendly management practices
  • Facilitating the implementation of Voluntary Management Agreements, to help solidify commitment to conservation and secure habitat for the species

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Related information

Video
BirdLife Australia's work to help our much-loved cockies
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