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Pink Cockatoo (Cacatua leadbeateri)

The Pink Cockatoo is a medium-sized, ground-feeding cockatoo of arid and semi-arid inland Australia. On development sites, the main risks are removal of large hollow-bearing trees, loss of feeding woodland and shrubland, disruption of movement corridors, fire impacts and reduced access to surface water.

Conservation status

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Endangered.

Breeding season

Timing varies with local food, water and weather conditions. The clearest seasonal pattern in the supplied sources is breeding from about August to November, while movements in arid areas can occur whenever food and water availability changes.

Before clearing, inspect hollow-bearing trees and nearby feeding and movement habitat during the breeding period, and confirm whether a hollow is active or recently used. Seasonal timing may vary with local conditions.

  • Breeding: Nesting occurs through the second half of the year, with breeding commonly recorded from August to November. Pairs usually return to the same area and use widely spaced hollows.
  • Young: Eggs are incubated for about 24 to 26 days. Both adults feed and care for the chicks, which are reported to become independent at about eight weeks.
  • Movement: Birds may remain in the same area where water is reliable, but can be partly nomadic in arid areas and move in response to food and water availability.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing or disturbance near occupied hollows is most likely to harm the species during the August to November breeding period, when eggs, nestlings or dependent young may be present.

Identification

The Pink Cockatoo is an unmistakable inland cockatoo with mainly white plumage, salmon-pink underparts and a prominent banded crest. It is often seen on the ground near food or water, rather than only in tree canopies.

Adults are mostly white, with salmon-pink colouring on the sides of the head, neck and underparts. The long crest appears white when folded, but shows broad red and yellow bands when raised and spread.

The body is about 39 cm long and adults weigh about 365 to 480 g. The bill is grey and robust, and the bare skin around the eyes is white.

Size: About 39 cm.

Weight: About 365 to 480 g.

Plumage: Mainly white, with salmon-pink sides of the head and underparts.

Crest: White when folded, with red and yellow bands when raised.

Identification: Similar species and sex

The Pink Cockatoo is smaller than the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and slightly larger than a Galah. The combination of white upper plumage, salmon-pink underparts and a red and yellow banded crest separates it from both species.

Sex can be assessed from iris colour in adults, although field conditions may make this difficult. Males have a black iris and females have a reddish-brown iris. Juveniles have a dark brown iris.

Identification: Calls and field signs

The call is described as a distinctive stammering whinny or a far-carrying, three-note creaking call. Record the call and obtain photographs where possible, as other large cockatoos may occur in the same inland habitats.

Look for feeding birds on bare or sparsely vegetated ground near seed-bearing shrubs, trees and water. Breeding evidence includes large tree hollows with chewed or enlarged entrances, fresh wood chips or bark below the hollow, and repeated adult activity at a hollow.

The supplied sources do not provide diagnostic descriptions of Pink Cockatoo tracks, scats, sloughs or eyeshine. These signs should not be used alone to confirm presence.

Distribution: National range

The eastern subspecies occurs across inland Queensland, New South Wales, north-west Victoria and eastern South Australia. Its distribution is broad, but occupancy is uneven and has contracted in some areas.

The eastern subspecies occurs in the Murray-Darling, Eyre and Bulloo river basins, from Isisford and Roma in Queensland, through western New South Wales to north-west Victoria and eastwards into South Australia.

In New South Wales, it occurs regularly as far east as about Bourke and Griffith, with sporadic records farther east. The New South Wales profile lists records or predicted occurrence across the Brigalow Belt South, Broken Hill Complex, Channel Country, Cobar Peneplain, Darling Riverine Plains, Mulga Lands, Murray Darling Depression, New South Wales South Western Slopes, Riverina and Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields bioregions.

The subspecies had disappeared from the Adelaide and Mount Mary Plains in South Australia by the 1950s. The supplied conservation assessment estimates that only 20 to 30 percent of the former range remains occupied.

Distribution: Known nesting areas and population trend

A major known nesting area is in Pine Plains, Wyperfeld National Park, Victoria. Nest trees in that area declined markedly during monitoring, and wildfire also removed many hollow-bearing trees.

The population estimate is considered unreliable, but available evidence indicates a severe decline. Reporting rates have fallen across the core bioregions, and breeding habitat continues to be lost or degraded.

Estimated mature individuals: About 15,000, with a plausible range of 10,000 to 20,000.

Estimated decline: About 54 percent over three generations based on average reporting rates. A separate comparison estimated a 67 percent decrease from 50,000 mature individuals in 2000 to 15,000 in 2011, although reliability was low.

Area of occupancy: Estimated at about 225,000 km², with a range of 150,000 to 300,000 km².

Extent of occurrence: Estimated at about 850,000 km², with a range of 800,000 to 900,000 km².

Nest tree decline: In one Victorian nesting area, the number of nest trees fell by 91 percent between 1995 and 2014.

Habitat: Vegetation communities

Pink Cockatoos use dry inland habitats where food, suitable nesting trees and surface water occur within reach of one another. They may use intact woodland, remnant vegetation and corridors through cleared or farmed areas.

Preferred habitats include arid and semi-arid woodlands dominated by mulga, mallee and box eucalypts, slender cypress pine and belah.

The species also uses remnant vegetation around agricultural land, River Red Gum and Black Box stands, sand plains and dunes, Acacia shrubland with spinifex ground cover, and some Banksia heathlands.

The species is associated with inland Australia and can be partly nomadic in arid areas, moving in response to food and water availability.

Habitat: Habitat structure

Retain large old trees and medium-sized trees that can provide future hollows. Slender cypress pines used for nesting are often more than 80 years old and are preferably 130 to 140 years old.

Maintain vegetated links between nesting, feeding, drinking and resting areas. In fragmented country, Pink Cockatoos may travel along roadside remnants and other corridors, although conservation advice recommends corridors away from roadsides where possible.

Surface water must be readily accessible. Vegetation immediately beside water points provides cover and resting places for drinking birds.

Typical nesting tree age: Often more than 80 years old, preferably 130 to 140 years old.

Water requirement: Habitats are generally within easy reach of fresh surface water.

Habitat: Site assessment points

Search not only the proposed clearing footprint but also nearby woodland, water points and connected remnants that may be used for feeding or movement.

A treeless area may still be relevant if it lies between hollow-bearing trees, food resources and water. Habitat assessment should consider the surrounding matrix and the effect of the project on movement between resource patches.

Foraging habitat: Diet

Pink Cockatoos usually forage on the ground or close to water. They feed mainly on seeds, but also take plant material and invertebrate food.

The diet includes seeds of native shrubs and trees, especially cypress pines, as well as seeds of saltbushes, wattles, grasses, herbaceous plants, native and exotic melons, crops and weeds.

Other recorded foods include roots, bulbs, tubers, fruit, flowers, pollen, buds and insect larvae.

Foraging habitat: Foraging behaviour and extent

Birds generally forage in pairs or small groups. Flocks of hundreds may gather where food is abundant.

Foraging is commonly on the ground or near water, with birds using woodland floors, shrubland, sand plains, agricultural remnants and other open areas containing seeding plants.

A breeding pair has a home range of about 30 km². Retain feeding areas and the vegetation connecting them to water and nesting trees.

Home range: About 30 km² for a breeding pair.

Group size: Usually pairs or small groups, with flocks of hundreds possible where food is abundant.

  • Inspect ground beneath cypress pines, wattles, saltbushes and other seed-bearing plants for recent feeding activity.
  • Protect seeding food plants and native ground cover from clearing, heavy grazing and unnecessary vehicle disturbance.
  • Check nearby water points and connected remnants when assessing the likely use of a proposed work area.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding depends on large, old trees with suitable hollows and sufficient food and water nearby. Breeding pairs are widely spaced and may return to the same area in successive seasons.

Pairs usually remain together throughout the year and generally renest in the same area each season. Unlike some other cockatoos, Pink Cockatoos do not nest close to other breeding pairs.

Both adults are involved in incubation and care of the young. Adults feed and preen the chicks, which are reported to become independent in flight and food searching at about eight weeks in the supplied general species account.

Breeding season: August to November, with nesting occurring through the second half of the year.

Clutch size: Usually 3 to 4 eggs.

Incubation: About 24 to 26 days.

Age at maturity: Females around 3 years and males around 4 years, according to the supplied species account.

Lifespan: Up to about 50 years in the supplied species account.

Generation length: About 21.9 years.

Nest spacing: About 444 m apart on average in Victoria, with a minimum of 50 m. A New South Wales profile records nests as at least 1 km apart.

Breeding habitat: Breeding tree requirements

Nests are in large hollows, often in slender cypress pines and other old trees. Suitable hollows take a long time to form, so removal of a currently unused hollow-bearing tree can reduce future breeding capacity.

Recorded preferred hollow dimensions include an average entrance of 13.3 by 27.7 cm, an average depth of 53.9 cm and an average nest chamber floor diameter of 18 cm. Nest trees had an average diameter at breast height of 72.5 cm.

Protect the nest tree, nearby shade and cover, access routes, feeding habitat and surface water. Avoid treating an isolated hollow tree as separate from the surrounding habitat used by the pair.

Hollow entrance: Average 13.3 by 27.7 cm, horizontal by vertical.

Hollow depth: Average 53.9 cm.

Nest chamber floor: Average diameter 18 cm.

Nest tree diameter: Average diameter at breast height 72.5 cm.

Sheltering habitat: Hollows and trees

The supplied sources provide most detail on nesting hollows rather than separate roost structures. Shelter and safe movement are associated with old trees, woodland remnants, vegetation corridors and cover near water.

Large hollows in old trees provide nest sites and may also provide important shelter. Hollows are often in slender cypress pines more than 80 years old, with preferred trees about 130 to 140 years old.

Retain hollow-bearing trees, dead or fire-affected trees that remain structurally suitable, and smaller trees that may develop hollows in the future. Do not remove a tree solely because no current nest is visible.

Common nesting tree age: More than 80 years, preferably 130 to 140 years.

Average nest tree diameter: 72.5 cm diameter at breast height.

Sheltering habitat: Cover and movement

Maintain woodland remnants and vegetated corridors between nesting, feeding and drinking sites. Vegetation beside water points provides cover and resting places for birds approaching to drink.

The conservation advice recommends corridors that provide cover and are preferably away from roadsides. The sources do not provide a separate roost tree specification or a measured roost distance.

  • Keep connected vegetation between hollow-bearing trees, food plants and water.
  • Retain smaller trees and shrubs beside water points where they provide cover for drinking birds.
  • Avoid isolating hollow-bearing trees within broad cleared areas.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main threat is loss and degradation of habitat, particularly the loss of large hollow-bearing trees. Project impacts can continue beyond the clearing footprint if they remove food, water, movement routes or future nest trees.

Clearing removes feeding habitat, hollow-bearing trees and the vegetation used to move between food, water and nesting areas.

Fragmentation can leave breeding pairs with insufficient habitat within their approximately 30 km² home range. It can also isolate old trees from the younger trees needed to replace them.

Large hollows take a long time to form. Retaining only small replacement trees will not provide an immediate substitute for an existing hollow-bearing tree.

  • Map and retain all hollow-bearing trees and potential future hollow trees within and near the work area.
  • Maintain connected vegetation between nesting, feeding and drinking resources.
  • Assess indirect habitat loss from access tracks, compounds, easements and increased edge disturbance.

Threats: Fire, grazing and regeneration loss

Wildfire, tree fall and land clearing can remove hollow-bearing trees. Fire also reduces food resources and may leave nesting areas unusable.

Grazing by stock, rabbits, feral goats and high kangaroo numbers can suppress regeneration of trees, shrubs and native grasses. This reduces future hollow supply and feeding habitat.

Longer droughts, more frequent heatwaves and more extreme fire weather are expected to increase pressure on habitat and survival.

  • Protect unburnt habitat and refuges beside recently burnt areas from further clearing or disturbance until recovery has occurred.
  • Control grazing pressure and protect regenerating cypress pine and other future hollow-bearing trees.
  • Plan works and fire management to retain food, cover and water during dry periods.

Threats: Water, roads and disturbance

Pink Cockatoos require fresh surface water within easy reach of nesting and foraging habitat. Drought, loss of water points or changes to nearby vegetation can reduce access to food and water.

Vegetated corridors may include roadside remnants, but the conservation advice recommends movement corridors away from roadsides where possible. The supplied sources do not quantify road mortality, so road effects should be assessed site by site.

Construction noise, lighting, vehicle movement and repeated access near an active hollow may disrupt breeding or displace birds from otherwise suitable habitat.

  • Maintain natural water points and avoid removing vegetation that gives cover at the water's edge.
  • Locate access routes and temporary work areas away from active nest trees and connected feeding habitat where practicable.
  • Check whether a project will interrupt movement between water, food plants and hollow-bearing trees.

Threats: Hollow competition and disease

When hollow availability is limited, competition for nest sites increases. Competition with introduced species is identified as an information and research priority.

Psittacine beak and feather disease is a monitoring concern for the subspecies. The supplied sources do not provide a confirmed population-level impact estimate for Pink Cockatoos.

Illegal nest-robbing and trapping are also listed as threats in the New South Wales profile.

  • Do not block, fill or modify a suitable hollow without specialist advice and required approvals.
  • Report suspected disease or unusual mortality through the relevant state wildlife authority.
  • Do not publicise the exact location of active nests where this could increase disturbance or collection risk.

Survey methodology: 1. Daytime habitat and site assessment

No species specific survey effort or survey guideline is provided in the supplied documents. Surveys should therefore target the Pink Cockatoo's known habitat, nesting hollows, feeding areas, water points and movement routes, and should be adjusted to local conditions and the relevant state survey requirements.

Map all mature trees, hollow-bearing trees, water points, feeding areas, woodland remnants and vegetated links within and around the proposed disturbance area.

Give particular attention to mulga, mallee, box eucalypt, slender cypress pine and belah woodlands, and to remnant vegetation beside agricultural land.

Record trees with large hollows and assess whether hollows could meet the preferred nest dimensions: an average entrance of 13.3 by 27.7 centimetres, average depth of 53.9 centimetres and average nest chamber floor diameter of 18 centimetres.

Record the diameter at breast height of potential nest trees, noting that monitored nest trees averaged 72.5 centimetres and that suitable cypress pines are often more than 80 years old, preferably 130 to 140 years old.

Inspect the surrounding area for feeding signs, seed resources, tracks, feathers, chewed cones, droppings and regular flight paths to water.

Typical home range: About 30 square kilometres

Typical nest spacing: At least 50 metres in Victoria, with an average of 444 metres; nests in the western subspecies averaged 2,732 metres apart

Water requirement: Birds remain within easy reach of fresh surface water

Survey methodology: 2. Dawn and dusk observation

Undertake repeated observations from concealed positions overlooking retained woodland, likely nest trees, feeding areas and water points.

Use the first and last parts of the daylight period when birds are likely to move between roosting, feeding, nesting and drinking areas.

Record all detections, including birds flying over the site, because the subspecies uses corridors between food, water and roosting resources.

Record the number of birds, flight direction, time, behaviour, location, habitat used and any association with a hollow-bearing tree.

Give additional attention to pairs and small groups, while also recording larger flocks because groups of hundreds may occur where food is abundant.

Usual social grouping: Pairs or small groups, with larger flocks possible where food is abundant

Detection call: A distinctive stammering whinny or far-carrying, three-note creaking call

Survey methodology: 3. Nest hollow inspection

Inspect potential nesting trees from the ground before clearing, construction or access track formation.

Use qualified personnel and suitable equipment where a closer inspection is required, and do not climb or enter a hollow unless authorised and trained to do so.

Treat a large hollow as occupied or potentially occupied until inspection and seasonal observations provide a defensible basis for determining otherwise.

Look for fresh chew marks, feathers, droppings, bark wear, nesting material, alarm calls, repeated bird movements and adults entering or leaving a hollow.

Plan inspections around the breeding period, because nesting is reported through the second half of the year and breeding is reported from August to November.

Clutch size: Usually 3 or 4 eggs

Incubation: About 26 days

Nest tree size recorded in the advice: Average diameter at breast height of 72.5 centimetres, with a range of 34 to 149 centimetres

Survey methodology: 4. Targeted feeding, water and movement searches

Search ground-feeding areas around cypress pines, wattles, saltbush, native grasses, melons and other plants producing seed, fruit, roots or bulbs.

Survey water points and the vegetation immediately around them, including smaller trees that may provide cover and resting places.

Walk or drive repeatable transects through woodland remnants, roadside vegetation and corridors linking feeding areas to water and nest trees.

Conduct searches in suitable weather and visibility, and record rain, wind, temperature, smoke, fire effects and access conditions because these factors affect detection and bird activity.

Do not rely on one survey method or one visit where the site contains potential nesting hollows or connects retained habitat to food or water.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

The supplied documents do not prescribe a minimum number of survey nights, hours, trap nights, transect length or survey area for project assessments.

  • Use a suitably qualified ecologist to set repeat survey effort that reflects the amount of potential habitat, the number of hollow-bearing trees, the proposed disturbance and the relevant state survey requirements.
  • Survey the full disturbance footprint and connected habitat that could be affected by clearing, noise, lighting, traffic, fire or changes to water access.
  • Record survey dates, start and finish times, weather, observers, methods, effort, locations, habitat condition and detection results.
  • Submit verified records to the relevant state wildlife database, such as the Queensland or New South Wales biodiversity database, and retain the original project records.
  • Report suspected nests, occupied hollows, injured birds, deaths and significant movement routes to the relevant wildlife authority and project environmental officer.
  • Use the current taxonomic and legal name required by the relevant authority, noting that the documents use both Cacatua leadbeateri and Lophochroa leadbeateri.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Before works, identify and retain the habitat features that support nesting, feeding, drinking and movement. Resolve the legal status and approval pathway for the project before any clearing begins.

  • Avoid clearing mature hollow-bearing trees, including trees that are currently dead or fire affected but still contain usable hollows.
  • Retain smaller and medium-sized trees that can recruit into future hollow-bearing trees.
  • Retain cypress pine, mulga, mallee, box eucalypt and belah woodland where it provides nesting, feeding, shelter or movement habitat.
  • Keep vegetation around water points, including smaller trees beside the water's edge, to provide cover for drinking birds.
  • Avoid breaking links between nest trees, feeding areas, water points and roosting sites.
  • Keep project impacts away from retained habitat where practicable, and set site-specific exclusion buffers around occupied or potentially occupied hollows based on specialist advice, machinery type and the risk of noise, vibration, dust and falling trees.
  • Do not assess a tree or patch in isolation where its removal would reduce access to food, water or other nest trees.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and planning

  • Confirm the current Commonwealth status before works because the supplied records are inconsistent: the project input records the species as not listed under the EPBC Act, while the Commonwealth assessment proposes or supports an Endangered listing for the eastern subspecies.
  • Check whether the project may affect a currently listed EPBC species or subspecies and refer the action if the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 requires it.
  • Obtain the relevant state approvals, permits and wildlife authorities before clearing, handling, relocating or disturbing birds, nests or hollows.
  • In Queensland, check the requirements associated with the reported Endangered state listing.
  • In New South Wales, check the requirements associated with the reported Vulnerable state listing and the current Pink Cockatoo profile.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat to be retained, survey methods, exclusion areas, clearing sequence, spotter catcher responsibilities, stop-work triggers, rescue arrangements and reporting.

Before habitat disturbance: Timing and work staging

Reported breeding period: August to November

Nesting season described in the profile: The second half of the year

  • Schedule clearing outside the reported breeding period of August to November where practicable.
  • Do not treat timing alone as proof that a hollow is vacant because nesting is reported through the second half of the year.
  • Stage works so that retained woodland, water points and movement corridors remain available while adjoining areas are cleared.
  • Complete pre-clearance surveys close enough to the clearing date that new occupation, fire damage or storm damage can be detected.
  • Avoid starting works during extreme heat, smoke, high winds or other conditions that could increase stress, fire risk or the chance of an uncontrolled tree fall.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

  • Complete and document a pre-clearance survey of all trees, ground habitat, water points and movement routes within the work area and relevant adjoining habitat.
  • Mark retained trees, occupied or potentially occupied hollows, exclusion areas, water point buffers and access routes before machinery enters the site.
  • Use exclusion fencing where it can protect retained trees, regeneration, feeding areas and water point vegetation without blocking bird movement.
  • Brief all workers on the species' appearance, call, habitat features, stop-work triggers, speed limits and reporting procedure.
  • Position machinery and laydown areas away from hollow-bearing trees, retained vegetation, water points and known flight paths.
  • Confirm the location of the nearest veterinarian, wildlife carer and authorised wildlife handler before clearing begins.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls

Clearing must proceed under direct environmental control. The fauna spotter catcher should work ahead of machinery, maintain clear communication with operators and stop work whenever an animal or habitat feature requires assessment.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, habitat markers, access routes and retained trees before work starts each day.
  • Complete a daily pre-start briefing covering known hollows, water points, movement routes, active work areas and the name of the authorised fauna handler.
  • Keep machinery within approved clearing limits and use the lowest practical speed near retained vegetation and fauna exclusion areas.
  • Clear progressively so the spotter catcher can inspect each work face and so birds can move towards retained habitat.
  • Maintain a clear line of communication between the spotter catcher, machine operator, supervisor and project environmental officer.
  • Stop work if smoke, fire, high winds, extreme heat, poor visibility or unstable trees make fauna detection or safe clearing unreliable.
  • Prevent workers from chasing, cornering, feeding or attempting to capture a free-flying Pink Cockatoo.

During habitat disturbance: Hollow-bearing trees and other habitat features

  • Do not fell a hollow-bearing tree until the spotter catcher and ecologist have confirmed that the tree is within the approved impact area and that required inspections and approvals are complete.
  • Reinspect hollows immediately before felling because birds can enter after the pre-clearance survey.
  • Use staged or controlled felling where approved, and place felled hollow-bearing trees so hollows remain accessible if the approved management plan requires habitat salvage.
  • Inspect felled trees, hollow sections, logs, branches, rocks, ground debris and dense vegetation for birds and other fauna before they are moved or mulched.
  • Retain suitable hollow sections, logs and other habitat features for approved placement in nearby retained habitat.
  • Do not place salvaged habitat where it blocks water access, creates a fire hazard or prevents bird movement.
  • Treat any nest, egg, chick or active hollow as a stop-work matter requiring advice from the project ecologist and the relevant authority.

During habitat disturbance: Animal found during works

  • Stop the activity that could affect the bird and establish a quiet exclusion area around it.
  • Allow an uninjured flying bird to leave on its own where it can move safely to nearby retained habitat.
  • Only an appropriately trained and authorised person may capture, handle or relocate a bird.
  • Relocate an animal only under the approved fauna management plan, to suitable nearby retained habitat with food, cover, water and safe movement routes.
  • Place an injured, shocked or grounded bird in a secure, dark and ventilated container only when authorised and safe to do so, and arrange prompt assessment by a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer.
  • Do not give food or water to a captured bird unless directed by a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer.
  • Record the animal's location, condition, action taken, release or treatment location, time, personnel and outcome.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work when a Pink Cockatoo is inside the clearing area, enters an affected hollow or is injured by the works.
  • Stop work when a nest, egg, chick, fresh nesting sign or repeated adult entry to a hollow is detected.
  • Stop work when an unmarked hollow-bearing tree, movement corridor, water point or other habitat feature is identified within the impact area.
  • Stop work after a tree, log or hollow section falls in an uncontrolled way until the area is checked for injured or trapped fauna.
  • Record daily clearing limits, machinery used, habitat features affected, bird observations, incidents, rescues, relocations, injuries, deaths and corrective actions.
  • Provide records to the project environmental officer and relevant authorities in the form and timeframe required by approvals.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work should confirm that no fauna remains in the disturbed area, that retained habitat is functioning and that all approval conditions and incident responses have been completed.

  • Inspect the cleared area, felled trees, hollow sections, logs, machinery, stockpiles and access routes for trapped, injured or deceased fauna.
  • Reinspect retained hollow-bearing trees and nearby water points after major clearing stages, storms, fire or changes to access.
  • Check that exclusion fencing, tree protection, water point vegetation and movement routes remain intact.
  • Confirm that all salvaged habitat features are located as approved and have not been damaged, buried or removed.
  • Investigate any reduction in bird use, new collision risk, blocked corridor or loss of access to food and water.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained nest trees, feeding areas, water points and movement routes during the periods and at the frequency specified in the approval or fauna management plan.
  • Use repeatable observation points and record bird numbers, pairs, flock size, flight direction, feeding, drinking, nesting behaviour and habitat condition.
  • Monitor both fire-affected and unburnt areas where fire has affected the project site or nearby habitat.
  • Report new feeding sites, breeding sites, occupied hollows, injuries, deaths and significant changes in habitat use to the project environmental officer and relevant wildlife database.
  • Compare monitoring results with the pre-clearance baseline and investigate any decline in use or loss of nesting habitat.
  • Submit final fauna, clearing and incident reports to approval agencies and retain the underlying field records.

After habitat disturbance: Controls and offsets

  • Maintain tree protection, exclusion fencing, erosion controls, water point protection and access restrictions until the environmental officer confirms that they are no longer required.
  • Repair any damaged retained tree, fence, corridor or water point protection measure promptly.
  • Apply any approved offset, restoration or compensatory habitat requirement for unavoidable loss of nesting, feeding, water or movement habitat.
  • Do not use an offset as a reason to remove an occupied hollow or avoid feasible on-site retention.
  • Include the loss of future hollow recruitment and connectivity in any impact accounting because large hollows take a long time to form.

Rehabilitation actions: Planting and habitat structure

Rehabilitation should restore the linked resources used by Pink Cockatoos: mature and recruiting trees, large hollows, food plants, surface water, cover and safe movement routes.

  • Replant or regenerate locally appropriate mulga, mallee, box eucalypt, slender cypress pine and belah communities where they match the pre-clearing habitat and local soil and rainfall conditions.
  • Retain and protect medium-sized trees so they can develop into future hollow-bearing trees.
  • Protect planted and regenerating cypress pine from stock, rabbits, feral goats and excessive kangaroo grazing where these pressures prevent recruitment.
  • Restore connected bands of vegetation between retained feeding, nesting, roosting and water areas.
  • Maintain food plants that provide seeds, roots, bulbs and other recorded food resources, including cypress pines, wattles, saltbush, native grasses and suitable local melon-producing plants.
  • Control weeds that reduce native food plants, obstruct movement or increase fire risk.

Rehabilitation actions: Hollows, logs and water

Artificial hollow approach: The advice supports trials of artificial hollows, including excavated or augmented hollows, where hollows are limiting

Preferred nest hollow entrance: Average 13.3 by 27.7 centimetres, with recorded ranges of 8 to 30 by 9 to 80 centimetres

  • Retain and place salvaged hollow-bearing limbs, trunks and logs in approved nearby habitat where they can provide shelter or future nesting resources.
  • Use artificial hollows or excavated and augmented hollows only where natural hollows are limiting, with clear objectives, monitoring, maintenance and reporting.
  • Do not assume that a nest box provides the same habitat value as a large old tree.
  • Design or restore water points so birds can reach fresh surface water safely and retain nearby smaller trees and cover for resting and drinking.
  • Keep water points close enough to retained feeding and nesting habitat to support regular access.
  • Prevent sediment, weeds, stock access and project contaminants from reducing the quality of restored water points.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, grazing and predators

  • Prepare fire management that reduces the risk of extensive wildfire while retaining unburnt refuge areas and allowing appropriate ecological fire planning.
  • Protect unburnt habitat within or beside recently burnt ground from further clearing, planned fire and disturbance until it can again support the subspecies.
  • Review fire plans as fire weather and climate conditions change, and use monitoring to adjust management.
  • Manage stock, rabbits, feral goats and kangaroos where grazing prevents regeneration or removes food resources.
  • Control introduced predators and other pest species where they threaten nesting success, food plants or rehabilitation survival.
  • Avoid creating bare, continuous corridors that increase exposure to predators, heat or vehicle collision.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and monitoring

  • Set site-specific targets for survival of planted and regenerating trees, protection of hollow-bearing trees, cover around water points, food plant recovery and corridor continuity.
  • Inspect artificial hollows and salvaged habitat for damage, occupation, weathering and maintenance needs.
  • Monitor Pink Cockatoo presence, pair and flock use, feeding, drinking, flight paths and nesting activity at restored sites.
  • Monitor fire-affected and unburnt rehabilitation areas and record whether birds return to recently burnt areas.
  • Track changes in habitat extent and condition over time and in response to grazing, fire, weeds and management actions.
  • Continue monitoring until the project environmental officer and relevant approval authority accept that the restoration targets have been met.

Sources