Baudin's Black Cockatoo (Zanda baudinii)

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Western Australia, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Identification

This is a large black cockatoo with a reported body length of 55 to 60 cm, wingspan of about 110 cm and weight of 630 to 750 g. Identification in the field should be supported by the bird's call, flight pattern, bill shape, tail pattern and comparison with the other black cockatoos that occur in south-western Australia.

The supplied material does not provide a detailed plumage description, sex-specific field marks or a diagnostic comparison of adults and juveniles. Record clear photographs, calls, flight direction, flock size and habitat when possible.

Baudin's Black Cockatoo is a member of the genus Zanda. The scientific name should be checked carefully in reports because Carnaby's Black Cockatoo is Zanda latirostris, while the Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is Calyptorhynchus banksii naso.

Body length: 55 to 60 cm.

Wingspan: About 110 cm.

Weight: 630 to 750 g.

• Use the full scientific name, Zanda baudinii, in fauna reports and clearing records.
• Do not rely on a generic record of black cockatoo where the species cannot be separated confidently.
• Refer uncertain records to an experienced black cockatoo observer or qualified ecologist.

Identification: Calls and field signs

The species has recorded calls and flight calls, but the supplied documents do not provide call descriptions or sonograms. Calls should therefore be recorded where possible and checked against a reliable reference.

The development material identifies potential black cockatoo breeding trees and hollows as relevant survey features. Trees with hollows that could support breeding should be retained where practicable and assessed before clearing.

• Record the time, location, direction of travel and habitat for every sighting or call detection.
• Inspect large trees for hollows and other evidence of black cockatoo use before clearing.
• Treat a possible breeding hollow as a fauna constraint until its suitability has been assessed.

Distribution: Range information available

The supplied sources place Baudin's Black Cockatoo in south-western Australia. They do not provide a complete state-by-state distribution, mapped bioregion list, population estimate or population trend.

The documented breeding latitude range is approximately 34.9 degrees south to 33.5 degrees south. The reported range area is 5,966.31 square kilometres.

The source describes the species as Australian and identifies a restricted range. It does not name all occupied Western Australian bioregions or provide confirmed records from other Australian states.

Documented breeding latitudes: 34.9 to 33.5 degrees south.

Reported range area: 5,966.31 square kilometres.

State information: Western Australia is the state identified in the supplied listing information.

• For project assessments, check current Western Australian occurrence records and regional survey data rather than assuming absence from unsurveyed habitat.
• Map records by habitat type, flock movement and direction of travel because birds may use forest, woodland and orchard resources.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

The supplied documents do not identify named strongholds, subpopulations, abundance estimates or a population trend. The species is listed as Endangered, so records from suitable habitat should be treated as significant for project planning.

A project may affect habitat even when birds are not present during a particular survey. The development material records potential breeding trees and breeding hollows as relevant impact features.

• Use regional records, targeted surveys and habitat mapping together when defining the assessment area.
• Record both occupied trees and suitable unoccupied trees because breeding resources may be used intermittently.

Habitat: Vegetation and structure

Baudin's Black Cockatoo is associated with moist, heavily forested habitats dominated by marri, karri and jarrah. It also uses orchards and wandoo woodland.

The documented habitat includes moist forest with Eucalyptus calophylla, Eucalyptus diversicolor and Eucalyptus marginata, as well as orchards and wandoo woodland.

Large trees with potential breeding hollows are a key development-site feature. In one assessment, 1,053 potential black cockatoo breeding trees were identified within the development envelope and 951 were avoided.

Recorded habitat: Moist, heavily forested areas, orchards and wandoo woodland.

Named dominant trees: Marri, karri and jarrah.

Potential breeding trees in one development envelope: 1,053, of which 951 were avoided.

• Map marri, karri, jarrah and wandoo vegetation before clearing.
• Identify large hollow-bearing trees and retain them where practicable.
• Assess connected forest, woodland, orchard and rehabilitation areas as potential habitat rather than assessing isolated trees only.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The supplied documents do not provide an elevation limit, rainfall threshold or temperature limit. The documented breeding latitude range is 34.9 to 33.5 degrees south.

• Use local habitat condition and verified records to assess suitability where elevation or climatic data are not available.
• Do not exclude suitable forest or woodland solely because the site is outside the documented breeding latitude range.

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding sites

Baudin's Black Cockatoo is an arboreal granivore that feeds on plant seeds. The supplied sources identify forest, woodland and orchard habitats but do not provide a complete list of food plants or a measured foraging distance.

The recorded diet is plant seed, with feeding described as arboreal granivory. Marri, karri, jarrah and wandoo habitats are therefore relevant when assessing retained and cleared areas.

Orchards are also identified as habitat. Project assessments should consider productive food trees outside the formal development footprint if birds use them during construction or operation.

Trophic level: Herbivore.

Feeding guild: Granivore.

Feeding location: Arboreal.

Recorded food type: Plant seed.

• Map mature seed-producing trees within and around the work area.
• Record feeding birds, feeding height, tree species and the direction of movement between feeding sites.
• Include retained trees and proposed rehabilitation in the foraging habitat assessment.

Foraging habitat: Rehabilitation value

Revegetation can take several years to establish, but the development assessment notes that the time until black cockatoo foraging benefit is likely to be at least 10 years and possibly longer. Establishment time must not be treated as the same as the time until useful food resources are available.

Expected time to foraging benefit from rehabilitation: Likely at least 10 years and possibly longer, depending on conditions.

• Specify the plant species, planting locations, establishment time and expected time to foraging benefit in rehabilitation plans.
• Use completion criteria that measure plant establishment and the development of suitable foraging resources separately.
• Do not claim immediate replacement of mature foraging trees through new plantings.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Baudin's Black Cockatoo breeds in tree hollows. The supplied material identifies potential breeding trees and five hollows considered likely to be suitable for breeding in one development assessment.

The species is recorded as laying 1.5 to 2 eggs. The supplied sources do not state incubation duration, fledging period, breeding months or the size and age requirements of nesting trees.

The recorded age at first reproduction is about 3.3 years. Average and maximum ages are reported as 13.6 and 47 years respectively.

Breeding season: Not specified in the supplied documents.

Clutch size: 1.5 to 2 eggs.

Incubation: Not specified in the supplied documents.

Age at first reproduction: About 3.3 years.

Average recorded age: 13.6 years.

Maximum recorded age: 47 years.

• Survey and assess hollow-bearing trees before clearing.
• Record hollow location, entrance characteristics, internal condition and evidence of current or previous use.
• Plan works around confirmed or potentially suitable breeding hollows in accordance with project approval conditions.

Breeding habitat: Hollow resources

One assessment identified five hollows likely to be suitable for black cockatoo breeding. The offset discussion proposed 10 artificial hollows to address potential breeding hollow loss.

The documents do not provide a minimum hollow entrance diameter, hollow depth, tree diameter or preferred tree species for nesting. These details should be established from current species-specific guidance before field implementation.

Potentially suitable hollows identified in one assessment: 5.

Artificial hollows proposed in the offset discussion: 10.

• Treat all potentially suitable hollows as breeding resources until assessed.
• Include breeding hollows in impact calculations separately from foraging habitat.
• Where artificial hollows are proposed, document their number, design, placement, installation timing and monitoring requirements.

Sheltering habitat: Trees and roost resources

The supplied documents do not describe roost trees, non-breeding shelters, ground cover, burrows or refuge dimensions. For this tree-roosting cockatoo, field assessments should focus on retained forest structure, mature trees and hollow-bearing trees.

The habitat information identifies heavily forested areas, orchards and woodland, while the development material identifies potential breeding trees and hollows. These features should be retained and assessed as part of the species' shelter and habitat requirements.

No dimensions are provided for roost trees, nest hollows or other shelter features.

• Map mature trees and hollow-bearing trees within the clearing footprint and adjacent retained habitat.
• Inspect trees that may be used by birds before felling, pruning or high-noise construction begins.
• Retain connected tree cover where practicable between feeding and breeding areas.

Sheltering habitat: Operational controls

Where clearing or construction occurs near retained habitat, fauna spotter catchers should monitor trees and canopy areas for birds before and during works. The supplied sources do not specify a species-specific disturbance distance.

• Use the approved fauna management plan and any species-specific permit conditions to set exclusion distances.
• Stop work if a bird is injured, trapped, displaced from a hollow or repeatedly attempting to return to a tree being disturbed.
• Record observations of roosting, nesting and flock movement for the site fauna register.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

Baudin's Black Cockatoo is Endangered. For development projects, the clearest documented risks are loss of foraging habitat, loss of breeding trees and hollows, delayed replacement of food resources, and changes to habitat condition caused by groundwater drawdown.

Clearing can remove mature foraging trees, potential breeding trees and hollows. In one development envelope, 1,053 potential breeding trees were identified and 951 were avoided, showing the scale at which tree retention may affect project impacts.

The development material states that direct offset calculations should consider both foraging and breeding habitat. It also notes that rehabilitation may not provide foraging resources for at least 10 years.

Potential breeding trees in one project: 1,053.

Potential breeding trees avoided in that project: 951.

Likely time to foraging benefit from rehabilitation: At least 10 years and possibly longer.

• Apply avoidance and minimisation before relying on rehabilitation or offsets.
• Map mature food trees and hollow-bearing trees before finalising the clearing footprint.
• Assess fragmentation and loss of movement routes between forest, woodland, orchard and breeding habitat.
• Do not count newly planted vegetation as an immediate replacement for mature foraging habitat.

Threats: Hydrology and vegetation condition

The development material identifies groundwater drawdown as a potential indirect impact on Western Ringtail Possum habitat and describes groundwater management and vegetation monitoring. The same type of hydrological change may also affect forest and woodland condition used by black cockatoos, but the supplied documents do not quantify a species-specific response for Baudin's Black Cockatoo.

• Assess groundwater-dependent vegetation where drawdown may extend beyond the clearing footprint.
• Monitor groundwater levels and vegetation condition where required by the project management plan.
• Include indirect changes to mature food trees and retained habitat in impact assessments.

Threats: Fire, roads, predators and disease

The supplied documents do not identify species-specific effects of fire, roads, predators or disease. These pressures should still be checked in project risk assessments because they may affect birds using cleared, fragmented or actively constructed areas.

• Record road mortality, injured birds and predator activity during construction monitoring.
• Manage waste, food and open excavations to avoid attracting predators or trapping fauna.
• Assess proposed fire management against the retention of mature trees and hollow-bearing trees.
• Follow approved hygiene and disease-control procedures when handling birds, nest materials or artificial hollows.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat assessment and tree survey

Baudin’s Black Cockatoo is an endangered, forest-associated cockatoo that uses moist forests dominated by marri, karri and jarrah, as well as orchards and wandoo woodland. The supplied documents do not provide a species-specific Australian survey guideline or minimum effort, so survey design must be set by project risk, habitat quality, approval conditions and advice from the relevant wildlife authority.

Map all suitable habitat before field surveys, including moist forest, marri, karri, jarrah, wandoo woodland and orchards.

Record mature food trees, hollow-bearing trees, recent feeding signs, flight paths, roosting areas and connections to retained habitat.

Inspect trees for hollows that could support breeding. The project material identifies potential black cockatoo breeding trees and treats breeding hollows as an offset issue.

Adult length: 55 to 60 cm

Key habitat described: Moist, heavily forested areas dominated by marri, karri and jarrah, plus orchards and wandoo woodland

Diet described: Plant seeds, with arboreal granivorous feeding

• Use systematic transects or complete-area searches across all proposed clearing and access areas.
• Record survey date, start and finish time, weather, observers, transect length, area searched, habitat condition and GPS locations of records and habitat features.

Survey methodology: 2. Daytime searches and feeding-sign surveys

Search suitable habitat during daylight for flying, feeding and roosting birds, and inspect marri, karri, jarrah and other food trees for fresh feeding debris beneath the canopy.

Treat repeated feeding records, concentrations of food trees and regular flight paths as higher-use areas that require additional assessment before clearing.

• Walk parallel transects through each habitat type, with spacing set so observers can inspect the ground beneath food trees and scan the canopy.
• Repeat searches where visibility, weather or canopy density limits detection.
• Record flock size, behaviour, direction of travel, feeding tree species, approximate tree location and whether birds use retained habitat adjoining the work area.

Survey methodology: 3. Breeding and hollow assessment

Assess every hollow-bearing tree within the clearing footprint and any tree that could fall or be affected by construction activities.

Record hollow entrance height, aspect, estimated entrance size, tree species, tree condition and whether the hollow shows signs of current or recent use.

The project material refers to five hollows likely to be suitable for breeding and to artificial hollows being used as an offset measure, so potential breeding hollows must be considered separately from foraging habitat.

• Use an appropriately qualified arborist or fauna ecologist where hollow inspection from the ground cannot resolve suitability.
• Do not assume that an unoccupied hollow is unused, because absence during one visit does not demonstrate that it has no breeding value.
• Schedule any repeat assessment around the likely breeding period identified by the project ecologist and approval authority, because the supplied documents do not specify breeding months.

Survey methodology: 4. Minimum effort and reporting

Set the final survey effort in the fauna survey plan and justify it against habitat extent, clearing intensity, detectability, season, weather and the consequences of a missed record.

The supplied documents do not state a fixed number of nights, hours, trap nights, transect kilometres or survey dates for Baudin’s Black Cockatoo, and no trapping method should be adopted without species-specific authority advice.

• Use experienced observers familiar with black cockatoo calls, flight behaviour, feeding signs and hollow-bearing trees.
• Record negative results as well as detections, including the area and habitat searched and the conditions during the survey.
• Submit confirmed records and spatial data to the relevant state wildlife database and include them in the project fauna report.
• Retain photographs, GPS files, field sheets, call recordings where used, observer names and copies of permits or approvals.
• Report any suspected breeding activity, injured bird or unexpected concentration of birds to the project environmental officer and the relevant wildlife authority.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Plan the work around the species’ use of forest food resources, breeding hollows and movement routes. Baudin’s Black Cockatoo is listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act and in Western Australia, so clearing decisions must be checked against both Commonwealth and state requirements.

Retain mature marri, karri, jarrah and wandoo trees, hollow-bearing trees and groups of food trees wherever practicable.

Retain connected forest and woodland between feeding areas, roosting areas and potential breeding trees rather than leaving isolated trees.

Avoid clearing orchards or other productive feeding areas where the project can be redesigned or moved.

Treat potential breeding hollows as a separate constraint from general foraging habitat. The project material records that breeding and foraging habitat may both require consideration in offset calculations.

• Map retained habitat, trees and movement corridors on construction drawings and in the field.
• Set project-specific no-go areas and tree protection zones through the fauna management plan and approval conditions.
• Keep heavy vehicles, stockpiles, lighting and temporary facilities out of retained habitat unless specifically assessed and approved.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Check whether the proposed action is likely to have a significant impact on this nationally listed species and obtain any required EPBC Act approval before clearing.

Confirm Western Australian approvals, permits and wildlife authorisations where the project is in Western Australia, and check the equivalent state or territory requirements elsewhere in Australia.

Prepare a fauna management plan that defines survey requirements, clearing limits, fauna spotter catcher powers, stop-work triggers, hollow procedures, injury response and reporting.

Commonwealth listing: Endangered under the EPBC Act

Western Australian listing: Endangered

• Stage clearing so that retained habitat is available before adjoining habitat is removed.
• Set work timing with the approval authority and ecologist because the supplied documents do not specify the species’ breeding months.
• Brief all supervisors, operators and contractors on the species’ identification, habitat constraints and stop-work procedure.
• Include the required offset strategy and land management commitments in project planning where impacts cannot be avoided.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete a pre-clearance inspection immediately before works, focusing on hollow-bearing trees, mature food trees, feeding debris, roosting areas and any birds using the site.

Mark all retained trees, habitat areas, access routes and exclusion zones before machinery enters the site.

Use exclusion fencing where it can protect retained habitat from machinery, vehicles and material storage.

• Confirm that the fauna spotter catcher, equipment, communication system, first-aid materials and wildlife transport arrangements are ready before clearing starts.
• Reinspect areas if clearing is delayed, the footprint changes or new habitat features are identified.
• Do not clear a tree with a potential breeding hollow until the approved hollow management procedure has been reviewed by the fauna ecologist and environmental officer.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and spotter catcher duties

Clearing must proceed under direct environmental control, with the fauna spotter catcher able to stop machinery immediately. The supplied material focuses on black cockatoo habitat, food resources and breeding hollows, so these features should drive daily controls.

Inspect the work area each day before clearing and confirm that exclusion zones, retained trees and access controls remain intact.

The fauna spotter catcher must remain in communication with the operator and have authority to stop work when a bird, active hollow, injured animal or unassessed habitat feature is found.

Clear in a direction that allows birds and other fauna to move towards retained habitat, provided the method is safe and consistent with the approved fauna management plan.

• Keep machinery outside marked tree protection zones and prevent unauthorised entry into retained habitat.
• Use the lowest-risk clearing sequence available, starting with ground-level vegetation only after the area has been checked.
• Stop work during poor visibility, unsafe conditions or any loss of communication between the operator and fauna spotter catcher.
• Do not chase, harass, catch or handle a healthy flying cockatoo merely to move it from the work area.

During habitat disturbance: Trees and habitat features

Reinspect hollow-bearing trees immediately before felling and check for birds entering or leaving hollows, calling from hollows or showing defensive behaviour.

Manage any tree containing a potential breeding hollow under the approved method, with a qualified person deciding whether work can proceed.

Retain felled habitat features where required by the fauna management plan, and prevent damage to retained food trees and connected woodland.

• Stop work if a hollow is found that was not recorded during pre-clearance inspection.
• Stop work if a dead or injured cockatoo is found beneath a tree or if birds repeatedly attempt to return to a tree being cleared.
• Do not install or relocate artificial hollows unless they are specified in the approved offset or fauna management plan and placed under qualified ecological supervision.

During habitat disturbance: If a bird is found

Keep people and machinery away from the bird and allow the fauna spotter catcher to assess the situation.

Only an appropriately authorised person may capture, handle or transport the bird, and handling must be limited to what is needed for safety, assessment and approved relocation.

Move a healthy bird only when required by the approved management plan, and release it into nearby retained habitat suitable for the species.

• Place an injured bird in a secure, ventilated container and transfer it as soon as practicable to an approved wildlife carer or veterinarian.
• Do not provide food or water unless directed by a veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer.
• Record the location, time, condition, action taken, release location, handler, authorisation and outcome.
• Notify the environmental officer and relevant wildlife authority of any injured, dead or unlawfully handled bird.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

Stop work immediately when a Baudin’s Black Cockatoo is trapped, injured, nesting, attempting to enter a hollow affected by works or exposed to an unapproved impact.

Stop work when clearing reveals an unrecorded hollow-bearing tree, concentrated feeding area, roosting site or habitat connection that changes the assessed impact.

• Resume only after the fauna spotter catcher and environmental officer have assessed the issue and documented the control or approval required.
• Maintain daily records of cleared area, retained trees, birds observed, fauna incidents, stop-work events, habitat features handled and corrective actions.
• Photograph and map any breeding hollow, injury, mortality, feeding concentration or departure from the approved clearing method.

After habitat disturbance: Completion checks

Post-clearing checks confirm that the approved footprint was followed and identify injuries, mortality or habitat damage that was not seen during active clearing. Continue controls until machinery and temporary works are removed.

Inspect the cleared area, retained trees and adjoining retained habitat after each clearing stage and again when the site is safe for close inspection.

Check for injured or dead birds, damaged hollow-bearing trees, damaged food trees, displaced fauna and unprotected habitat edges.

Compare the completed footprint with approved plans and the pre-clearance habitat register.

• Keep exclusion fencing and no-go markers in place until the environmental officer confirms that construction risks have ended.
• Repair or replace damaged controls before the next work shift.
• Escalate any unauthorised clearing, hollow damage, injury or mortality under the project incident procedure and relevant approval conditions.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained habitat and rehabilitation areas for continued use by Baudin’s Black Cockatoo, including feeding activity, flight paths and use of artificial hollows where these form part of an approved plan.

Use the same locations and recording methods where repeat monitoring is required so that changes in use can be assessed.

• Report survey and monitoring results, incidents, mortality, hollow outcomes, retained habitat and rehabilitation progress to the approval authority where required.
• Update the fauna management plan if monitoring identifies repeated bird movements through work areas, loss of food resources or damage to retained habitat.
• Submit confirmed records and significant incident information to the relevant state wildlife database or authority.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and ongoing controls

Apply the approved offset strategy where impacts to foraging habitat or breeding hollows cannot be avoided or mitigated.

The project material indicates that offset calculations should distinguish foraging and breeding values, and that artificial hollows may be used to address potential breeding-hollow loss.

• Do not count a proposed offset until its legal status, management arrangements, location, establishment actions and monitoring requirements are documented.
• Maintain access restrictions, tree protection measures and weed or fire controls in retained and offset areas for the period required by approvals.
• Check that any offset land purchase or management evidence required by the approval has been completed before treating the commitment as delivered.

Rehabilitation actions: Re-establish food habitat

Rehabilitation should restore the food resources and connected forest structure used by Baudin’s Black Cockatoo. The project documents require species lists, establishment timeframes, ecological benefit, locations and completion criteria to be specified, and note that foraging benefit may take at least 10 years or longer.

Use locally appropriate native species that reflect the affected marri, karri, jarrah and wandoo woodland communities and are approved in the rehabilitation plan.

State which planted species are intended to provide cockatoo foraging resources, where they will be planted and when those resources are expected to become available.

Treat establishment of plants as different from ecological benefit: a planting may be established before it provides useful foraging resources.

Time to ecological benefit identified in the project review: Likely to be at least 10 years and possibly longer, depending on environmental conditions

Planting establishment claim reviewed in the project: 5 to 7 years, but this was considered insufficient as a measure of cockatoo foraging benefit

• Set measurable completion criteria for survival, cover, weed control, species composition and development of foraging resources.
• Record planting dates, species, numbers, locations, replacement planting and maintenance actions.
• Protect young plantings from browsing, fire, weeds, vehicle damage and other project-related disturbance.
• Where rehabilitation addresses both cockatoo and other threatened species, keep the species-specific objectives and timeframes separate.

Rehabilitation actions: Breeding habitat and structural features

Retain existing hollow-bearing trees wherever practicable, because planted trees will not provide breeding hollows in the short term.

Where approved offsets address potential breeding-hollow loss, install artificial hollows under a qualified design, placement and monitoring plan.

The project material refers to provision of 10 artificial hollows in an offset assessment, but this number must not be applied to another project without approval-specific justification.

• Map each retained or artificial hollow and record its condition, inspection date and any evidence of use.
• Do not remove, relocate or modify a hollow or nest box without approval and ecological supervision.
• Reinstate logs, coarse woody debris and other cleared structural habitat only where they are safe, suitable for the site and specified in the rehabilitation plan.

Rehabilitation actions: Maintenance, monitoring and success measures

Monitor rehabilitation for plant survival, growth, weed invasion, fire impacts, browsing, unauthorised access and use by cockatoos.

Assess whether food trees are producing the seed resources identified in the rehabilitation objectives, rather than reporting planting completion alone.

Use monitoring results to replace failed plants, repair fencing, control weeds and adjust fire or access management.

• Define monitoring frequency, duration, responsible personnel and reporting triggers in the rehabilitation management plan.
• Include the location of on-site and off-site rehabilitation and the expected time to ecological benefit for each habitat objective.
• Manage fire in accordance with the approved ecological fire and safety requirements, avoiding damage to retained mature trees, hollows and establishing plantings.
• Report rehabilitation results against completion criteria and continue monitoring until the approval authority accepts the outcome.

Sources

• 26320, Australian Government DCCEEW: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/26320.pdf
• Baudin's Black Cockatoo - Zanda baudinii - Oiseaux.net, oiseaux.net: https://www.oiseaux.net/en/oiseaux/baudin.s.black.cockatoo.html