Planting food for Ngoolarks
Planting the right trees to give food and night-roosts to black cockatoos is a powerful way for us to help make sure we can “keep Carnaby’s flying” and have our “Ngoolarks forever”. What’s more, it might mean a visit from these charismatic birds.
Black cockatoos rely on vegetation, because their diet consists predominantly of seeds from nuts and cones. In Perth, most of the bushland and food for Ngoolarks is gone, and they urgently need more food. We can help by setting up our gardens to be Ngoolark-friendly. We can also ask our schools, workplaces and councils to plant Ngoolark-friendly spaces.
Plant a "Carnaby's Cafe"
The right native trees and shrubs to plant are ones which black cockatoos love to eat, and which grow well in local soils. Planting a variety of plants in your ‘Carnaby’s café’ also provides choice for Ngoolarks, and gives them food at different times of year, and over the short and longer term. A mix of plant species is also more robust against plant pests and extreme weather events.
If you have space for taller native trees, choose marri and jarrah. They provide important Ngoolark food and, over time, places to roost. Pine trees are also a favourite non-native Ngoolark tree (for both food and roosting), so keep them if you have them! Ngoolarks also love macadamia nuts, so in Perth (where there is not enough native vegetation left), macadamia trees make a good choice for high-energy food.
Native shrubs and small trees from the Proteaceae family (particularly banksias and hakeas) provide good cocky food and can look beautiful in gardens. The best ‘cocky food’ species are listed below. Plant seedlings rather than seeds.
Planting for Ngoolark safety
Just as important as the right type of tree, is planting in the right locations. Black cockatoos are big birds, so when they take flight, it takes them a while to gain height (like planes); this is dangerous if they are flying out of bushes or small trees right beside busy roads, as they may not be able to gain enough height to clear the traffic.
To protect Ngoolarks, when planting any plants that they like to eat (see the list below), follow these recommendations about planting setback distances from road verges:
- In quiet suburban streets (speed limit 50km/hr or less), plant at least 3-5m back from road verges.
- For busy roads (speed limit higher than 50km/hr), plant at least 10m from road verges.
- Never plant black cockatoo food plants on median strips; this is too dangerous for the birds.
Banksias
- Slender banksia (Banksia attenuata)
- Swamp banksia (Banksia littoralis)
- Firewood banksia (Banksia menziesii)
- Acorn banksia (Banksia prionotes)
- Oak-leaved banksia (Banksia quercifolia)
- Showy banksia (Banksia speciosa)
- Parrot bush (Banksia sessilis)
Larger trees
- Marri (Cormbia calophylla)
- Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata)
- Coastal blackbutt or Pricklybark (Eucalyptus todtiana)
- Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster)
- Radiata pine (Pinus radiata)
- Macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia)
Hakeas
- Two-leaved hakea (Hakea trifurcata)
- Wavy-leaved hakea (Hakea undulata)
Top tips
- Plant local species, particularly banksia and hakea
- Plant all Ngoolark food plants away from road verges, driveways and median strips
- Provide safe water options for all native birds
And don’t forget water!
Ngoolarks need access to clean fresh water, particularly as Perth’s climate gets hotter. Ngoolarks will drink out of ponds, water troughs and garden bird baths, so if you have water sources, make sure they are regularly topped up with clean fresh water. Avoid having water sources close to places where Ngoolarks could get injured (they will drink rain-water out of pot-holes in driveways, roads and car parks, so these should always be filled in). For more information, see ‘the Value of Water’ tab.