19 April, 2011 6:00PM AWST

Carnaby's black cockatoos are adapting to a new habitat in the South West

The threatened birds are increasingly seen in the jarrah forest and along the coastal plain.

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According to Peter Mawson, principal zoologist with the Department of Environment and Conservation, the birds may be responding to climate change.

The Carnaby's are distinguished by the white splash under the tail feathers and have a classic cocky call, says Peter.

Numbers have declined by more than 50 per cent in the last half century, he says, largely due to the extensive clearing of critical breeding habitat in the wheatbelt.

Since the end of WWII, 18 million hectares of land has been cleared in the wheatbelt, he notes. So while the birds still have important breeding habitat in the wheatbelt, particularly in the salmon gum or wandoo, they are increasingly found in the South West.

"What we've noticed in the last 20 years is an increase in the numbers of birds that are using the jarrah forest and the coastal plain - from Bunbury, Busselton and down around the Capes.

"They appear to be spending all of their year here; they don't appear to be moving back into the wheatbelt."

Adequate foraging areas within 12km of the breeding sites are necessary for the birds to survive, he adds.

The move to the coast could be something forced upon the species but it could also be a response to the drying climate as well, says Peter. "With a 30 per cent reduction of rain in the wheatbelt, it may be that it's too hard to find the food they need."

"The question is, if the climate keeps changing, where do they go from there? It's a bit hard to go offshore."

The Carnaby's black cockatoo is a species of a interest to a lot of people, says Peter, with schools and community groups taking an interest in how to help the birds through food in the backyard

To make the information easier to find, DEC has put together a Carnaby's page on its website. "We thought we would consolidate it all with all the key documents on one page and links to other relevant sites," says Peter.

For instance, the web page provides links to help people choose which species to plant to provide food for the birds. "It tells you what would do well in relation the soil type you've got and the rainfall you currently get.

"With our drying climate even on the Swan Coastal Plain, it's very challenging to keep the traditional azaleas and camellias. So people are happier to plant native species.

"The beauty about them is that once you get them established, you can ignore them during the summer."

Carnaby's move around in response to food supply, explains Peter. "They need to do that. If an area is burned out...that site won't be productive for another four to six years if it's a proteaceous - banksia or woodland - area."

The birds have good memories, he laughs and people who used to have almond trees in the metro area would be able to attest to it.

"The birds would turn up almost to the day when the almonds were ripe, suggesting that they have very good memories and that that knowledge is passed to the birds in each generation."