Saving the red-tailed black cockatoo

Australia rallies to save the south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo

by: logan jimenez

Photo Credit: Geoff Whalan/Flickr

Cockatoos are beautiful birds. Black cockatoos are strikingly beautiful birds. The south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo is possibly the most gorgeous of the black cockatoos. Sadly, the south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo, a subspecies of the red-tailed black, is also one of the most endangered. There are only about 1500 of these birds left. 

According to ABC Australia, the government has stepped up to help save the species from going extinct. The government, according to ABC South East SA, is committing $3.2 million (about $2.3 million USD) to help regenerate habitat, plant feed, and nest sites. 

This is fantastic news because the south-eastern black cockatoo is one of the pickiest eaters of the cockatoo family. 

​What caused the south-eastern black cockatoo numbers to drop so drastically? 

For starters, they are only found in south-east South Australia and south-west Victoria. Anytime an animal is only found in a limited area, geographically, they are at a higher risk to go extinct if something goes awry. 

Imagine you only like to eat one or two types of food and someone comes in and sets fire to the only grocery store in town. What are the chances you are going to find that one or two types of food that you like in the burning rubble? Slim to none. 

That is exactly what has happened to these birds. Due to deforestation, the food they need to survive is increasingly difficult to find. To make matter worse they are also losing the places they make their nests when their habitat is being destroyed to make room for agriculture.

Thankfully it is not just the Australian government trying to save the south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo from going extinct. Organizations such as BirdLife Australia are working hard to save these beautiful birds.

They sponsor community-wide nest counts which is a great way to get everyone involved! During this annual event groups of volunteers go searching for nests. Volunteers do not need prior experience. How often can you walk in off the street and help save a species from extinction? 

Time may be running out for the south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo, but thankfully time has not run out yet. There is still time to save this bird. Thankfully for the south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo, there is a large network of people in Australia and around the world fighting to save it from going the way of the dodo. 

To get involved please support BirdLife Australia's Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo project and consider supporting the World Parrot Trust.