Local governments want to help
Black cockatoos are among Western Australia’s most iconic, well-loved wildlife. Despite this, they are declining towards extinction, due primarily to a failure to halt the loss of their habitat. Local governments want to know how best to safeguard the black cockatoos in their local area. Decisions made by local governments play a vital role in whether black cockatoo flocks thrive in a particular area, or are lost entirely from some suburbs.
Cumulative impacts
WA’s black cockatoos face a storm of cumulative impacts driving their declines: the clearing of food sources such as marri, jarrah and banksia without sufficient replacement, causing ongoing ‘net loss’ of food; the felling of roost trees and breeding trees which can take centuries to replace; loss of habitat from fires, dieback disease and climate changes; and threats to nest hollows from invasive species such as feral honeybees. Added to this are cumulative direct impacts from vehicle strikes, illegal shooting, lack of fresh, clean drinking water and diseases.
Below, we provide general information and resources for local governments across southwest Western Australia, to help keep their local black cockatoos flying.
Decisions made by local governments play a vital role in whether black cockatoo flocks thrive in a particular area, or are lost entirely from some suburbs.
Providing food for black cockatoos
The #1 thing that local governments can do to safeguard black cockatoos in their area is to ensure they have enough food. This includes:
- Protecting remaining foraging habitat and plant more food, particularly marri, jarrah, banksia and hakea. As well as helping endangered wildlife, this has street beautification and urban cooling benefits (on hot days, streets lined with trees can be 10 degrees cooler than those without trees).
- Plant marri and jarrah in reserves and around parks and ovals. These are important for Carnaby’s cockatoos, and critically important for Baudin’s cockatoos (which feed almost exclusively on marri) and forest red-tailed black cockatoos (which feed mainly on marri and jarrah).
- Plant a diversity of banksia and hakea for Carnaby’s cockatoos. In Perth-Peel, this includes B. attenuata, B. littoralis, B. menziesii, B. prionotes, B. quercifolia, B. speciosa, B. sessilis, H. trifurcata and H. undulata).
- Some Perth-Peel local governments are already safeguarding mature marri, jarrah and tuarts and coastal blackbutt (pricklybark) on private land; particularly where these trees create ‘green corridors’, allowing birds to move safely through suburbs.
- Pine and macadamia should be retained as these are valuable food sources for Ngoolarks (Carnaby’s cockatoos), and pine trees are used as roosts by all three species.
- Encourage the community to plant black cockatoo-friendly gardens and school grounds, and provide online guidance on suitable plants (see resources in links below)
- When planting beside roads, consider bird safety:
- In quiet suburban streets (speed limit 50km/hr or less), plant black cockatoo food species at least 3-5m back from road verges.
- For busy roads (speed limit higher than 50km/hr), plant food species at least 10m from road verges.
- Never plant black cockatoo food plants on median strips; this is too dangerous for the birds.
- Ensure ‘net gain’ of black cockatoo food species by building this into council strategies, policies and plans.
Providing drinking water - Cockitroughs
Black cockatoos prefer drinking clean shallow water which is close to their night roost sites. Black cockatoos can die on hot days without access to drinking water . This threat will grow as Perth’s average temperatures continue to increase. Researchers have also recorded black cockatoo deaths from drinking from water sources that have been contaminated by chemicals.
To reduce these risks, many local governments in both urban and regional areas are now installing a network of ‘Cockitrough’ bird water drinking stations. Cockitroughs are purpose-built elevated platform watering stations, designed by the Town of Victoria Park for black cockatoos (they also support other local birdlife). Information about these bird waterers, including purchasing and installation details, is available from Town of Victoria Park. Points to note include:
- Install Cockitroughs as close as possible to (preferably within 1km of) black cockatoo roosts. Contact BirdLife WA’s black cockatoo coordinator for roost locations: carnabys@birdlife.org.au
- Cockitroughs need potable water to prevent health issues.
- Installation sites should be quiet, away from traffic, carparks and too much human or dog activity, with trees nearby where birds can wait their turn to drink.
- BirdLife Australia can work with local governments to identify the best locations for Cockitroughs in their area.
Maintain roads and verges to reduce vehicle collisions
Cockatoos will drink rainwater from pot-holes in roads and car-parks, and from road verge depressions. Local governments can reduce the risk of collisions between black cockatoos and vehicles by implementing a policy of monitoring and maintaining road surfaces and verges, and providing safe drinking sources for black cockatoos (e.g. Cockitroughs, see above).
Protect roost trees
Black cockatoos need clusters of tall trees, to allow flock members to rest together at night. In Perth and Peel, there are few such roosts left. They are important to retain, along with nearby foraging habitat, particularly habitat within 4km of a roost. BirdLife Australia and DBCA are appropriate authorities to contact for information on roost locations.
Protect and create green corridors
Black cockatoo flock tracking data show that black cockatoos use ‘green corridors’ of trees to move through urban areas, making short flights between nearby trees and tending to avoid areas without trees. It is therefore important to protect existing green corridors, such as along streets, and to plant new corridors. In regional areas, black cockatoos use trees along roads to move safely through cleared landscapes.
Polyphagous shot-hole borer
With respect to managing polyphagous shot-hole borer (PSHB), as of 2024, DPIRD's advice re PSHB (pers. comm. BirdLife Australia 2024) is: "the only trees DPIRD recommends avoiding [planting] are the Preferred Reproductive Host trees for PSHB". It is important to note that the term 'Preferred Reproductive Host trees' refers only to the first 10 trees listed in the following document (current Sept. 2024): PSHB-WA-Host-List.pdf
These trees to avoid planting are:
Box elder maple; Mirror bush; Poinciana; Coral tree; Moreton Bay fig; Port Jackson fig; White mulberry; Black mulberry; London plane tree; Robinia.
The black cockatoo food plants recommended on our webpage are not on the 'Preferred Reproductive Host' list, and therefore all are acceptable to plant, as per this 2024 DPIRD advice.
Contact DPIRD for latest advice.
Protect breeding habitat
Built-up areas of Perth and Peel are not appropriate breeding areas for black cockatoos, due to the dangers of breeding in high-density urban areas. Some peri-urban areas, as well as regional areas, are important breeding areas where is valuable to protect current and future breeding habitat. Black cockatoos nest in large tree hollows in very old trees (typically 200+ years). The loss of current and future breeding habitat, from land-clearing, disease and fire, is a major threat to black cockatoos; and breeding habitat should be protected, including younger trees of appropriate species to provide succession habitat. In DBCA-approved breeding areas, artificial hollows can be installed, however these are not effective for all species, and need regular monitoring and maintenance to avoid becoming death traps. Consult DBCA to identify where it is and is not appropriate to install artificial hollows, and for installation and maintenance requirements.
Develop a data-informed Black Cockatoo Conservation Action Plan
The Keep Carnaby’s Flying – Ngoolarks Forever project has worked with several local governments in the Perth-Peel region to support the black cockatoos in their areas. Among other actions detailed on this website, this includes working with the local government and land-care NGOs to plant fast-growing food trees and install Cockitroughs near roosts.
The project has also developed locality-specific Black Cockatoo Conservation Action Plans for participating local governments, informed by Murdoch University’s flock tracking data and BirdLife Australia monitoring for the local area, to inform each local government’s urban greening actions and other activities to support black cockatoos.
Links to additional resources
- Birdlife Australia: - type ‘black cockatoo’ into the home page Search bar. This will provide a range of information including advice notes on black cockatoos and your property; how to plant black cockatoo-friendly gardens; fact sheets for councils; management of phytophthora (dieback) disease, and other relevant information on black cockatoos in urban and regional areas. Be sure to look at information related specifically to Western Australia’s black cockatoos (as this site will also have information about black cockatoo species from other states).
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions: – type ‘black cockatoo’ into the home page Search bar. This will provide a range of information on Western Australia’s black cockatoos, including links to threatened and priority fauna resources including DBCA advice notes and fact sheets; threats; best practice management guidelines; national species Recovery Plans; and recovery projects for black cockatoos.
- Black Cockatoo Recovery Plans: on the Species Profile and Threats Database – Recovery Plans, search for the black cockatoo species that you are interested in. Note: as of 2024, the Recovery Plans for Western Australia’s three black cockatoo species are outdated, and are in the process of being revised.
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, draft ‘Guide to nationally protected species significantly impacted by paddock tree removal': Australian government website with information and guidance documents regarding the importance, for black cockatoos and other hollow-dependent wildlife, of retaining single mature native trees in open spaces; including regulatory requirements.
- Birdlife Australia— Southwest black cockatoo recovery: information about Birdlife’s recovery program for black cockatoos, including summary information and advice regarding best practice in black cockatoo recovery strategies.
- Nature Conservation – Black cockatoos: information from Nature Conservation’s Threatened Species Protection project to protect black cockatoos in southwest WA.
- Birddata: Birdlife Australia’s online Bird Monitoring Platform using a downloadable app for both android or apple phones; of use for councils wanting to promote citizen science activities for black cockatoo (and other bird) conservation in their LGA.
Photographs on this website are subject to copyright and have been provided by the Murdoch University Black Cockatoo Conservation Management Project , and birdlife photographer Georgina Wilson.
