Featherdale Wildlife Park: Zookeeper Chad cares for Australia’s rarest collection of birds

The rarest collection of birds in Australia, including the rare glossy black cockatoo, can be found in the heart of western Sydney under the care of a social media star.

Western Sydney is home to arguably the rarest collection of birds in Australia. which are cared for under the watchful eye of social media star ‘Zookeeper Chad’.

Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park, located in Doonside, features more than 1000 birds and about 150 different species, including a number of rare and endangered Australian birds such as the glossy black cockatoo.

Chad Staples, who looks after Featherdale’s breeding and boasts more than 370,000 social media followers as ‘Zookeeper Chad’, said most people come to see koalas, crocodiles and wombats but end up spending most of their time at the aviaries, encapsulated by the colours and sounds.

“It is the colour, the noise and activity that draws them in. We have so much feedback on the richness of our bird collection, it is second to none,” he said.

“With continual threats to habitat in the wild, it’s important that Featherdale maintains its focus on birdlife as an integral part of its collection, as a safeguard for these critical species for the future.”

The Glossy Black Cockatoo at Featherdale Wildlife Park.

The Doonside wildlife park welcomes chicks of rare bird species, most recently breeding a Glossy Black Cockatoo, a species considered the rarest cockatoo in Australia.

As a result of the 2020 bushfires the Glossy Black Cockatoo population was reduced to about 200 breeding adults as they nest in highly flammable casuarina trees leading to the species to be classified as ‘vulnerable’.

Mr Staples said the breeding of the Glossy Black Cockatoo was critical in efforts to keep the rare species alive and potentially return it to the wild.

“Over the years I have been involved in many specialised breeding of these rare birds and our role is to ensure the best genetic diversity in the captive population possible so if there is ability to put them back in the wild we have good healthy strong animals,” he said.

“All birds are in some form of breeding program to ensure we aren’t just maintaining the population but building it with the ability to then send these birds all around the country to ensure we don’t lose these species in this generation and the ones to come.”

Mr Staples said birds were the most complex animal to look after.

“Every day birds continue to amaze me and I believe anyone who wants to do this as a career should start with birds,” he said. “They are some of the smartest and they have very complex social dynamics, very regimented breeding cycles and complex child rearing.”

Featherdale is also home to other rare and significant bird species such as the superb and swift parrot, the jabiru, regent honeyeater, plumed whistling duck and the rose crowned fruit dove.

Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park will turn 50 years old this year and with the business committed to its thriving rare collection of birds.