RESIDENTS in Collie and the south west region are being encouraged to keep an eye out for three native species of black Cockatoo.
Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos, Baudin’s Black-Cockatoo and the Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo are native to the south west region and have all seen a drop in numbers in recent years due to habitat destruction and other factors.
Cocky’s in Crisis Project Coordinator Tegan Douglas said locals can help with data collection which they use to monitor species numbers.
“Over the next couple of months, all three species should be looking at breeding,” she said.
“The South West Black Cockatoo Recovery Program looks at all three black cocky species that we get in the south west.
“Like most parrots they need hollows in trees to breed in and because they are quite big birds, they need hollows in big, mature trees.”
Ms Douglas said identifying where the mature, hollow trees are in the landscape is useful information.
“The cocky’s, if they breed successfully, will quite often return to the same place in future years,” she said.
“It will be used by the same pair so you can often monitor birds through town, which is really neat.”
Ms Douglas said numbers of all three species are dwindling.
“Unfortunately as far as we can tell numbers are in decline int he south west,” she said.
“We can tell this by using data mostly from the great cocky count, at the moment that data is still the best estimate we have for all three species.
“It was a survey that was designed specifically around Carnaby’s so we are certain of the numbers for them, from what we can tell from the data it applies to the other two species as well.”
Ms Douglas said the two white tailed species, Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos, Baudin’s Black-Cockatoo, only live in the south west of Western Australia.
“Carnaby’s are a little more wide spread, you get them both in the Eucalyptus forest and also extending into Banksia woodland and heath-land as well,” she said.
“Baudin’s Black-Cockatoo tend to be more restricted to the forest areas so areas around Collie for example, but they don’t usually further north than the Perth Hills then extending south past Collie and down to Margaret River we have quite a good population of them.”
The Great Cocky Count happens annually in April, and residents are encouraged to keep an eye on numbers,and habitat all-year round.