Western Australian Museum
Black Cockatoo Research Project
Over the past eight years, the Museum team, with the support of the Water Corporation, the Tourist Commission along with other State and local government departments, community groups (especially the Bungendore Park Management Committee and Serpentine-Jarrahdale LCDC), volunteers and the general public have been able to sustain important research into the breeding biology of Baudin’s, Carnaby’s and the Forest Red-tailed Black cockatoos.
Information has been gathered on the current distribution, status, relative abundance, habitat preferences, breeding season and diet for each species as well as details of nest trees, incubation period, fledgling period, breeding behaviour and migrations and movements. The public programme Cockatoo Care has also been outstanding in raising public awareness of the plight of these birds through high-level public engagement on the web and over 15,000 observation records received from the public.
Our work on three species of cockatoo – the Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Baudin’s and Carnaby’s Cockatoos – has encompassed a range of conservation issues. These include the identification of threats, help with the establishment of recovery and management plans and an improved understanding of their breeding biology and requirements.
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