A walk through the Wallum with Spencer and the Glossy Black-Cockatoos
By Jennifer McMillan 2 April 2023
Spencer Hitchen is a 12-year-old on a mission to conserve habitat for one of Australia’s rarest cockatoo species.
A dirt path bordered by she-oaks, melaleuca and banksias opens to an untouched area of heathland. Red-backed fairy-wrens dance between the branches, christmas bells grow along the path and the glossy black-cockatoos visit for an afternoon drink. The glossy black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami lathami) is native to eastern Australia, including parts of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT. The species is listed as vulnerable to extinction under Queensland, New South Wales and ACT legislation and also nationally.
There is also another subspecies (Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus) endemic to Kangaroo Island in South Australia which is listed as endangered under South Australian legislation and nationally. The third subspecies (Calyptorhynchus lathami erebus) found in northern Queensland is listed only on a state level as vulnerable to extinction.
South-east Queensland has some of the most significant populations left in Australia. On Gubbi Gubbi Country, in the coastal suburb of Sunrise Beach, a pocket of critical habitat remains where the glossies gather in numbers up to 40. They flock here to feed on their favoured feed trees, gather to drink at their favoured watering hole and bring their fledglings to teach them how to survive. Spencer is a local 12-year-old raising awareness of the need to protect the glossies and the wallum habitat they rely on.
“If we all protect and care for our local environment it will add up to saving the planet,” Spencer says.
Wallum habitat supports a range of native species, including various bird, reptile, and mammal species. It is also home to a number of threatened and endangered species, such as the wallum sedge-frog and eastern ground parrot. The Wallum is critical habitat for the grey-headed, little red and black flying-fox – all keystone species that play a critical role in supporting this ecosystem and many others.
The reason Spencer is studying this habitat is for his love of the glossy black-cockatoo that need help to persist in this landscape. They are known to be one of the fussiest eaters in the bird world, feeding exclusively on the cones of the she-oaks (Allocasuarina and Casuarina). She-oaks are a common sight throughout the glossies range, but the glossies favour particular trees over others. They return to their favoured feed trees year after year. Allocasuarina trees are dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers grow on separate individual trees. The seeds that glossies eat are produced only by female trees. The feed trees can be identified by the leftover cones, called ‘orts’, the glossies drop to the floor after feeding on them. Spencer is working with community members to identify, map and gather data on the feed trees to protect the habitat.
At the end of our walk, three young male glossy black-cockatoos glide through the sky to land on the branches of a nearby eucalypt. The bright red and black barring in their tails fan out as they fly, and their glossy coat of black feathers shines out against the pale branches and green leaves.
Spencer, his mother Maxine and I look up and watch the glossies in silence. When I ask Spencer what he wants to do when he’s older he says, “what I’m doing now”.
Positive actions:
If you live near glossy habitat, planting feed trees in your garden might attract them to your garden to forage. The she-oaks take around 10 years to be suitable for the glossies. If you already have She-oak trees in your garden it is important to preserve them. Check out the Glossy Black Conservancy’s helpful fact sheets on protecting and providing resources for Glossy Black-cockatoos in urban areas.
If you don’t live near glossy habitat, research other cockatoos in your area and what trees you can plant to support to support Australia's 5 species of Black-Cockatoos.
Jen worked as a vet nurse while studying environmental science and completing her master's degree in Journalism. She loves bushwalking, storytelling, caring for baby animals, Australian birds and river red gums. Jen works on the National Tree Day campaign and Planet Ark's Seedling Bank.
