I was inspired by bundiibirds post about his local cockatoos, and I wanted to introduce you to mine!
I am in Perth, Western Australia, and in our tiny pocket of the world lives a cockatoo found no where else— The Carnaby’s Cockatoo!
They are beautiful, majestic, enormous creatures! They are black with a white tail. 50 or so years ago, it is said that huge flocks of Carnabys ‘blackened the skies’ over Perth. Sadly now, they are an endangered species, and are declining at a rate of 15% every year due to habitat loss.
Our government has just released its draft urban development plan for the Perth region (it is currently open for public comment), and sadly they are not doing enough to preserve the habitat for Carnaby’s cockatoo (and many other species of plants and animals!). At this rate, it is predicted Carnaby’s Cockatoos will be extinct within the next 5 to 10 years.
It makes me so sad!!
Here are some photos of the glorious creatures - I was lucky enough to receive a visit by a small flock to a tree outside my house earlier this year. They were pulling off bark to eat the grubs underneath. Interestingly, I had seen them in that same particular tree last year (even though the street is lined with the same variety of tree). They memorise their feeding places (as well as drinking and nesting sites). Carnabys will usually return to the same tree to nest every year (they require 100+ year old gum trees with hollows). Sadly, often times they return to the site to find that tree is gone, due to clearing for urban development.
I would be so grateful to anyone who could take the time to have a look at this link and make a submission to our government! I know most of the folks on this forum are not in Australia, so perhaps receiving some international (as well as national) attention will be what our government needs to see that people will not stand for the extinction of a species!
Birds you love
I am in Perth, Western Australia, and in our tiny pocket of the world lives a cockatoo found no where else— The Carnaby’s Cockatoo!
They are beautiful, majestic, enormous creatures! They are black with a white tail. 50 or so years ago, it is said that huge flocks of Carnabys ‘blackened the skies’ over Perth. Sadly now, they are an endangered species, and are declining at a rate of 15% every year due to habitat loss.
Our government has just released its draft urban development plan for the Perth region (it is currently open for public comment), and sadly they are not doing enough to preserve the habitat for Carnaby’s cockatoo (and many other species of plants and animals!). At this rate, it is predicted Carnaby’s Cockatoos will be extinct within the next 5 to 10 years.
It makes me so sad!!
Here are some photos of the glorious creatures - I was lucky enough to receive a visit by a small flock to a tree outside my house earlier this year. They were pulling off bark to eat the grubs underneath. Interestingly, I had seen them in that same particular tree last year (even though the street is lined with the same variety of tree). They memorise their feeding places (as well as drinking and nesting sites). Carnabys will usually return to the same tree to nest every year (they require 100+ year old gum trees with hollows). Sadly, often times they return to the site to find that tree is gone, due to clearing for urban development.
I would be so grateful to anyone who could take the time to have a look at this link and make a submission to our government! I know most of the folks on this forum are not in Australia, so perhaps receiving some international (as well as national) attention will be what our government needs to see that people will not stand for the extinction of a species!
Birds you love
