Keeping popular lockyer bird off threatened species list

Native animals are in decline due to the drought, and man-made threats

MIDDAY MEAL: A glossy black cockatoo snacking in a she-oak tree. Picture: Diane Guthrie

YOU'VE probably heard the sound and wondered what was happening - the harsh crack of splintering seeds, followed by the gentle chorus of a black-feathered bird.

This is the work of the Glossy Black Cockatoo, foraging for food in the branches of a she-oak.

This experience could soon become a thing of the past, as this unique species edges closer to the threatened list.

The Glossy is just one of nearly 500 native species across Australia facing a population decline.

A number of these animals make their home in the Lockyer Valley, including the Koala, Black-breasted Button-quail, Powerful owl, Collared delma, and the Brush-tailed rock wallaby.

These animals are threatened by increasing temperatures and less rainfall due to the drought, but also have to contend with the man-made obstacles of habitat loss, and predation from introduced animals such as cats, dogs and foxes.

The Lockyer Uplands Catchments Inc have devoted themselves to the cause of preserving the habitats that these animals call home.

"Understanding the threats to some of these species, and doing something about it is what motivates us,” LUCI president Diane Guthrie said.

LUCI are aiming to spread awareness about their activities ahead of National Threatened Species Day on Saturday, September 7, which is the date the last known thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) died in captivity in 1936.

"As a date marking the extinction of an Australian animal, it is a day to draw attention to Australian plants and animals that are currently at risk of extinction,” Diane said.

Since 2017, the group have been conducting a focused study on the Glossy Black Cockatoo, undertaking six monthly surveys on a number of properties, and in a local conservation park.

The project is mentored by Dr Guy Castley of Griffith University, and supported by Lockyer Valley Regional Council.

The Glossy is the smallest of the black Cockatoo variants, and is less raucous than its larger cousins.

"It is pure magic to be present in a stand of she-oaks and watch and hear a Glossy family cracking seed cones and quietly calling back and forth,” Diane said.

Though it is not yet officially classed as a threatened species, the Glossy is still facing a declining population, and is particularly vulnerable due to a restricted diet of seeds from she-oak trees.

They are also at risk due to their need for hollows in living or dead trees for nest-building, and their low reproductive rate of only one fledging a year.

"Ensuring an ongoing supply of feed trees in the landscape will be critical to keeping the Glossies in our area,” Diane said.

She said that many landholders regard the she-oak as a messy tree with little value, and urged people to resist the urge to 'tidy up' their property.

LUCI members have started a collection of local she-oak seeds for propagation, and will be inviting landholders to plant a patch of Glossy feed trees to support the population.

"The Glossy is a beautiful and unique Australian bird,” Diane said, "We'd like the Lockyer to remain one of its strongholds, rather than become another region of ever decreasing and threatened habitat range.”

To learn more about LUCI's activities, and how to help protect the habitat of native animals, visit: www.lockyeruplandscatchmentsinc.wordpress.com