Exciting news! The Cockatoos in the Hood Biocollect project page has officially launched!
Here’s a bit of information about the project and what you can do to help. Please be aware that there might still be some bugs that need squashing, so please be patient!
You can find the link here at Cockatoos in the Hood!
What is Cockatoos in the Hood?
Cockatoos in the Hood is a PhD project investigating the recent range expansion and urbanisation of the threatened forest red-tailed black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii naso) in Perth, Western Australia. Once restricted to the Jarrah forest, there are now numerous red-tails hanging out in the urban areas of Perth. Perhaps you have some in your neighbourhood?
What is the purpose of this citizen science project?
In order to fully understand what the red-tails are doing here in Perth, and how they are adapting to urban life, I need to know when they arrived and how they have spread over the landscape. Historic records are patchy, and don’t provide as much information as I would like. Without a time machine it’s very difficult to get a good idea of what has actually happened. Fortunately, I have the next best thing. Citizen Scientists!
So, what can I do to help?
Thanks for asking! There are a few ways you can help out with this project, and you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your couch (unless you want to!).
I am after any and all records of forest red-tailed black-cockatoos over the entire range of the subspecies, not just in urban areas. This includes the Jarrah forest, and the whole southwest corner of WA (see map).
1. Photos
Are you a photographer? Did you know that every photo you’ve taken of a red-tail is a piece of data, just waiting to be entered into a database as a record? As long as you know the date and location of where the photo was taken, you can enter your photos as records. How cool is that? These are the records I am most excited about getting, as so many people take photos of things, but they never think to enter the photo as a record.
2. Birdling lists
Are you a birdwatcher? If so, maybe you have birdwatching lists that include red-tails that you just haven’t got around to entering into a database. I’d love it if you could enter the red-tail records into the database so we can use the information.
3. Current sightings
I am also interested in current sightings of red-tails, especially as it seems like more and more birds are moving into the city each year. So, if you’re out and about and you see some red-tails, please enter the info into the database!
4. Cape lilac
One of the red-tails’ favourite urban foods is the seeds of the cape lilac tree. I also want to map the current distribution of cape lilac trees in Perth and the southwest. If you know the location of a cape lilac tree, please enter it into the cape lilac database using the cape lilac reporting form.
What makes a good record?
To be usable, all records must have at least the date and location of the red-tail sighting, but if possible there is additional information that we would love to have.
– Date
– Location (GPS coordinates. If you only have a street address you can get the coordinates from Google Maps)
Additional information that would be great to have:
– Time of day
– Number of birds
– Age and sex of birds
– Behaviour
– Tree species (if feeding or roosting)
Thank you!
Parrot Tracks 