See the Kangaroo Island Glossy Black-Cockatoo 2022 Census Report to find out more. It is likely that flock sizes are now re-adjusting to the lower food availability in some areas post-fire. In 2021, 377 glossies were counted, and flock sizes in some of the areas most heavily impacted by the bushfires were lower than in 2020. It is likely that the long-term conservation work carried out for this species, which has increased the population size and range over the years, has meant glossies are more resilient to this natural disaster than they would have been without management. Now more than ever the glossy-black cockatoos need your help! In partnership with Nature Foundation, we have developed a fund that allows people to donate directly to the recovery program.Īmazingly, 454 glossies were counted in the population census post-fire in 2020, indicating mortality as a direct result of the bushfires was low. Post-fire habitat surveys have revealed that at least 54 % of the glossies sheoak feeding habitat and 38.5 % of all known nests were destroyed in the bushfires. The 2019-2020 bushfires on Kangaroo Island have had a significant impact on the glossy black-cockatoo population on Kangaroo Island. Graph of Glossy Black-Cockatoo Population Census Counts Thanks to this work, the Kangaroo Island Glossy black-cockatoo recovery program has been one of Australia’s most successful conservation programs, and work by the recovery program and the local community had increased the KI glossy population from less than 200 in 1995 to around 454 in 2020. We install and maintain over 100 nest boxes across Kangaroo Island. Lack of nesting hollows in some areas.We plant thousands of drooping sheoaks each year on private property to increase feeding habitat on Kangaroo Island. Loss of drooping sheoak feeding habitat.We control these species at nest sites to reduce competition. Galahs, little corellas and feral honeybees all compete with glossies for hollows, and little corellas and galahs have been recorded smashing glossy eggs and have been implicated in the killing of small nestlings. Our staff protect every known nest from possum predation by installing and maintaining tree collars around nest trees. Predation of eggs and nestlings by abundant brushtail possums.The main threats to the population, and the management we undertake, are: The egg is incubated for 30 days, and after hatching the nestling is cared for by its parents for a further 90 days before it fledges. They lay a single egg in a clutch and can only rear one clutch to fledging per year. Glossy black-cockatoos are also unique, in that they have a very low reproductive rate. The 2019-2020 bushfires have now meant that a great deal of both feeding and nesting habitat have been lost. The population has more than doubled but glossies still depend on habitat restoration and nest protection to survive, and are conservation dependent, meaning without our help they will likely become extinct. Recovery efforts for the species began in 1995, when the population was at a low of 158 individuals. Being a dietary specialist, this species is highly sensitive to changes in the amount or quality of sheoak seeds, and only occur where drooping sheoak is plentiful. This subspecies feeds almost exclusively on the seeds of the drooping sheoak ( Allocasuarina verticillata), and nests in hollows in large old-age Eucalyptus species. The glossy black-cockatoo we have on Kangaroo Island is a separate sub-species to those found in eastern Australia ( Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus) and is classified as Endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. (Image: Mike Barth) Helping Kangaroo Island glossy black-cockatoos Image above: A young glossy black-cockatoo (centre) with it's parents.
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