Glossy Black Feed Trees
Glossy Black Feed Trees
Landholders plant 1000 Allocasuarina diminuta for the Glossy Black Cockatoo
Community Participation -
LP015-007
The issue
During the drought of 2018-20 it was noticed that many of the local feed trees for the Glossy Black Cockatoo's that call the Conimbla National Park area home had died. We were very concerned about the impact this would have on the birds into the future.
In this area the Glossies feed almost exclusively on Allocasuarina diminuta (Broombush Sheoak). This is quite a small tree growing from 1-5m tall with the fruits that the birds feed on being about 5-20mm long and 5-12mm wide. These trees grow in low-nutrient sandy or rocky skeletal soils derived from sandstone. In the Conimbla area they also grow in patches or groups and the plants can be male, female or both. So they need to be close enough together to be wind pollinated.
The solution
Locals wanted to do something to help the Glossies and ensure they would have more feed trees in extra locations in the future. It is hoped this will help to secure the population and have alternatives in case of further drought or fires that could occur in the area.
Mid Lachlan Landcare collected seed from known feed trees that the Glossies had recently fed from. The Weddin Community Nursery have then propagated the seed so that we were able to plant 1000 trees across five properties.
The impact
These trees are not yet big enough to supply the Glossies with seed from the fruits but we now have a further five locations in which Glossies will potentially find food in the future. The project and the work of one particular community member has helped raise awareness and interest in this important Glossy Black Cockatoo population leading to further projects being developed. It will be exciting to see what more we can do in the future for this special Cockatoo.
Key facts
- Five landholders involved
- 1000 Allocasuarina diminuta trees planted
- Seed collected from local feed trees
- plants propagated at the Weddin Community Native Nursery