Carnaby's breaks record

Carnaby’s breaks record

The Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo of Western Australia is a migratory species, undertaking regular seasonal movements each year, heading from drier inland areas of the state towards the coast as the cooler weather sets in.

Although the timing of these movements is reasonably predictable, the distance that these birds fly is less so, with most birds flying no further than 150 kilometres or so between breeding grounds and their near-coastal wintering areas. Indeed, according to the ABBBS database, the longest-recorded distance ever flown by a Carnaby’s was 169 kilometres, between the grounds of Murdoch University in Perth and Boyanup State Forest, in the state’s far south.

However, a keen observer recently saw (and photographed) a Carnaby’s on a farming property in the Chapman Valley, in the state’s Midwest. The bird had previously been fitted with an individual metal band on its leg, and by closely examining the photographs taken of the bird, it was possible to make out the individual numbers engraved on the leg-band, and thus determine the identity of the cocky. It didn’t take too much more investigation to discover that the bird was far from Coomallo, north of Perth, where it had been banded — 200 kilometres away! A new world record!

If you'd like to contribute to Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo conservation, why not register to take part in this year's Great Cocky Count, to take place on Sunday 3 April. Registrations close on 13 March.

That's not all we're doing to save Carnaby's Black-Cockatoos. BirdLife Australia has joined with other organisations to mount a campaign to protect Carnaby's and other threatened black-cockatoos in Western Australia.

Western Australia’s peak environmental groups, scientists, doctors and Indigenous Elders have launched a campaign to ‘Save The Black Cockatoos’ with a petition handover to the Minister for Environment Reece Whitby and Labor MLC Stephen Pratt at Parliament House, which took place on Tuesday 22-2-22. Stephen Pratt agreed to submit the petition to the Upper House.

Unfortunately, an accompanying rally that had been planned for the day had to be cancelled due to COVID 19.

Birdlife Australia, The WA Forest Alliance, The Conservation Council of WA, The Wilderness Society and the Urban Bushland Council are calling for an investigation into why current ‘Recovery Plans’ are not being instigated, leading to a massive loss of habitat and drop in numbers of black-cockatoos.

So degraded and reduced is the natural habitat of the black-cockatoos, they have moved into plantations to find sufficient food to survive. Birdlife Australia’s Black-Cockatoo Recovery Manager, Rochelle Steven, said that hundreds of Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos currently obtain half of their food from the Gnangara pine plantation, but despite their reliance on this food source, the last few thousand hectares of pines in the plantation are due to be chopped down over the next 2 years — without being replaced with banksia woodland, or any other alternative food source.

“Removing this food supply could result in a massive starvation event,” she said.

https://birdlife.org.au/media/carnabys-breaks-record/

Posted on March 17, 2022 05:42 AM by kezzza4 kezzza4

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