Eastern Australia and parts of Western Australia are being subjected to the most catastrophic bushfire “season” in recent memory. I say “season” because the fires started much earlier than they usually would, and have been much larger and more extreme than usual. I won’t go into the details because this has been covered already by people much more knowledgeable than I.
Angela Heathcote from Australian Geographic contacted me to ask about the possible response of parrots to the fires, and what people can do to help in the coming months. While she only used a very small portion of the interview for the article, I wrote a small essay, so I thought I would share the full interview here.
The article in question also contains comments from Mark Holdsworth and Maggie Watson, and I’m honoured to be included with such excellent and knowledgeable scientists. You can read the final article here: Australia’s birds have evolved with the continent’s extreme weather, but not under these circumstances.
Can you tell us how Black-cockatoos are faring during these catastrophic bushfires?
The recent catastrophic bushfires occurred within the range of three Black-cockatoo species, the Red-tailed Black-cockatoo in QLD, the Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo in QLD, NSW, and VIC, and the Glossy Black-cockatoo, on Kangaroo Island and in NSW and VIC.
Glossy Black-cockatoo - severely impacted and likely to be struggling. Glossies are diet specialists, which means they feed almost exclusively on Sheoak seeds (Allocasuarina and Casuarina), and many of the Sheoak stands have been completely destroyed in the fires, both on KI and on the east coast. Surviving cockatoos will probably struggle to find suitable food in the months following the fires, unless they can somehow adapt to novel foods, which is something we haven't seen before with Glossies.
Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo - we know from the photos coming out of Mallacoota after the fires that some Yellow-tails were killed in the fires, whether by burning or smoke inhalation. Regarding food, Yellow-tails have adapted well to novel food species, such as pine, so survivors are likely to fare better than the Glossies as they have more food options available to them.
Red-tailed Black-cockatoo - I haven't heard of any Red-tails being affected by the QLD fires, but the range of the banksii subspecies of the RTBC includes the burned area, so it is likely that they were impacted in some way. Again, the Red-tails are not as restricted as the Glossies when it comes to diet or habitat requirements, so I would expect that survivors would be able to manage.
Why is it that parrots have a particular hard time during/after these bushfires?
I wouldn't say that parrots in general have a harder time than any other wildlife, though birds are often impacted by high heat and smoke. There are specific species that will be impacted and will struggle (like the Glossies and Swift Parrots) due to loss of critical resources, but all wildlife will be having a hard time.
You mentioned that food resources are the main issue, post-fire. Can you go into this?
All the Black-cockatoos and parrot species in Australia rely on trees and plants for food. That could be seeds, fruits, flowers, nectar, pollen, grubs found under bark, even leaves. Huge areas of habitat have been lost in these fires, which means a loss of these food resources. Like most species, parrots need to eat every day and won't survive long without food.
Loss of breeding resources, like suitable nest hollows, will also be an issue, but this is less urgent than the loss of food. Birds are able to put off breeding for a year or two if conditions are not suitable for breeding (i.e. after a catastrophic fire event). Many parrot species also take really well to artificial nest hollows, which we (humans) can quickly build and supply. Black-cockatoos and parrots have successfully bred in nest boxes and nest tubes installed in trees and even on poles when no trees are available.
How do you think parrots are/will cope in the aftermath of the bushfires?
Generally, I think that parrot survivors will adapt and cope well enough. Many parrot species found on the east coast are excellent adapters, able to find and exploit novel foods and habitats. Many species are already found in urban areas where they feed on novel foods, like Rosellas eating apples in people's backyards, Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoos eating pine, Gang-gang Cockatoos eating Cotoneaster or Liquidambar in parks and on streets, or Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Corellas digging up lawns to eat onion grass bulbs. I expect that we may see more parrots moving into urban areas in the near future. Urban areas can provide safe havens for wildlife as they are often not subjected to extremes like bushfires (especially larger urban centres) and can provide a wide range of resources for adaptable species.
The more specialised and habitat restricted species, like the Glossy Black-cockatoo, are already struggling. Sometimes specialised species can adapt to new foods and habitat , but usually that happens over time (as seen with Red-tailed Black-cockatoos moving into urban Perth and feeding on novel foods). The Glossies don't have time to learn and adapt slowly. Desperation may push them to be adventurous and try new things, but at this point we can't really predict how they will respond.
What should be the main priority for those looking to conserve Australia’s unique parrots after these bushfires?
In the very short term, provide water for birds, following the guidelines from Birdlife Australia and Birds in Backyards. Be wary about providing food without approval or recommendation from Birdlife, as food (especially wet food like sprouted seed or fruits and veges) can facilitate the spread of disease (like Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease) and can also grow mould very quickly in hot weather. Birds are very sensitive to fungal infection, so even the smallest amount of mould can be deadly.
As for long-term conservation, plant food and habitat species now! We need to replace what was lost as soon as possible as the trees and plants need time to grow and mature enough to produce food and develop nest hollows. If you have land and are able to plant food and habitat trees, then do so. Take part in revegetation and restoration programs. Support conservation groups and researchers working on impacted wildlife species. We won't know exactly what has been lost and how to respond until we can get out there to survey burned areas.
Birdlife Australia Fire Appeal
Ecological Society of Australia Ecosystem Recovery Fund
A patch of the Jarrah forest in southwestern WA following a fire.