South eastern Red tailed Black Cockatoo Recovery Project

20/08/2026

See the post below if you are wondering what to do for pet chickens and birds.

Do you have chickens or pet birds at home?

Join our free online community webinar to learn practical steps you can take to help protect your flock from H5 bird flu.

Hear from South Australia's Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Skye Fruean, along with representatives from the Department for Environment and Water, and SA Health, as they discuss:

• the current H5 bird flu situation and preparedness measures in place
• how H5 bird flu spreads and the signs to look out for
• simple biosecurity measures you can put in place at home.

Register to attend:
📅 Tuesday 25 August
🕡 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Backyard poultry & pet bird owner webinar registration: birdflu.sa.gov.au/community-forums

Visit birdflu.sa.gov.au for the latest updates.

Remember, if you see sick or dead birds or other wildlife, do not touch them.

🚫 Avoid contact
📝 Record what you see.
📞 Report it to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

13/08/2026

Have you seen a red-tail? We'd love to know!

Every sighting of a South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo helps the Recovery Team better understand where these birds are moving, feeding, and breeding. This information is vital for protecting the species and improving our knowledge of their habitat needs.

If you spot Red-tails, please record as much of the following information as possible:
• Date and time of the sighting
• Number of Red-tails observed
• Accurate location (GPS coordinates preferred, or detailed road, track, landmark, or map reference)
• What the birds were doing (feeding, flying, drinking, roosting, etc.)
• Your contact details so we can verify the record if needed

Report your sighting
- Online: http://redtail.com.au/report-a-sighting.html
- Hotline: 1800 262 062
- BirdLife Australia's Birdata app

Note: Visit https://birdata.birdlife.org.au/ to download the BirData app, set up an account, and for instructions on how to use the app. Red-tail sightings can be recorded as a General survey – Incidental survey.

Your observations help us build a clearer picture of Red-tail movements across Victoria and south-eastern South Australia. Every sighting counts!

Photo credit: Chris Farrell Nature Photography

This project is funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by the Wimmera CMA, Glenelg Hopkins CMA and the Limestone Coast Landscape Board, members of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel

12/08/2026

There are increasing detections of H5 bird flu in Victoria.

📍 There have now been detections at:

Phillip Island
Mornington Peninsula
Mildura
Warrnambool
Yambuk
Hamilton

These cases are in addition to known locations in south-west Victoria, the Great Ocean Road region and Melbourne's south-east.

You can help by continuing to:

🚫 AVOID contact with sick or dead wild birds or wildlife and their environment.
📝 RECORD what you see, including:

Location
Species
Number of animals affected

📞 REPORT online or by calling the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

Report:
⚠️ Clusters (5 or more) of sick or dead wild birds of any species, anywhere in Victoria.
⚠️ Even one sick or dead:

Wild seabird, waterbird, shorebird or bird of prey
Marine mammal (e.g. seal, sea lion or dolphin)

🔬 We will assess each report and determine whether testing and sampling are required based on the location and species involved.

Not all reports will lead to an investigation, collection or testing. Where further action is required, we may contact you for more information or arrange collection and testing.

🐔 Poultry housing requirement reminder

A poultry housing requirement for flocks of 50 or more birds remains in place in coastal and southern Victorian shires, including metropolitan Melbourne.

📢 We will continue monitoring the situation and provide further information as it becomes available.

08/08/2026

Such a fabulous group of kids to work with, all doing their bit to help provide more future food trees for our beautiful South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos ❤️🖤. A big thank you to the landholders for providing sites for habitat plantings, tree well contractor Dale for digging wells to make planting efforts much more efficient, my planting crew for providing additional support to students to complete plantings and of course all the students and teachers from Apsley Primary School involved on the day. Well done everyone👏🏻🤩🌱

25/06/2026

H5 Bird Flu detected in SA

The recent detection of H5 bird flu in South Australia is a reminder that we all can play a role in protecting our native wildlife. The current cases are isolated but it's a reminder that we need to remain aware.

If you’re unsure what to do, check out the post below with helpful graphics and guidance.

You can support early detection by knowing how to respond if you encounter sick or dead wildlife. Learn more here about what symptoms to look out for: https://brnw.ch/21x2eE9

Key tips are to:
● AVOID contact with sick or dead wildlife and their environment. Do not touch, move or approach the bird, and do not allow pets to touch or eat sick or dead wildlife.
● RECORD what you see, the location the animal was found, and take photos or video (if possible) without approaching the bird.
● REPORT any unusual illness or death in wild birds and other wildlife immediately via the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

18/06/2026

The 2026 Annual Cocky Count results are in!

A huge THANK YOU to our incredible 2026 Annual Count volunteers, and all the volunteers who have taken part in the count over the last 30 years.

This year marked 30 years of monitoring the South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, three decades of dedication since 1996. And what a way to celebrate!

A quick summary of the results;
• 218 volunteers across 101 survey groups
• 17 new volunteer groups joined this year
• 4,438 km of habitat covered
• 485+ hours spent surveying
• 1,443 birds recorded across 28 validated sightings
• 8 large flocks (60–250 birds) recorded

While numbers were higher than 2025, this reflects improved detection and effort. Additional survey groups taking part this year boosted survey efforts significantly.

The Annual count forms a critical component of the long-term monitoring of the species. While the count has never been intended as a complete population count, it does provide a minimum population estimate and locates flocks for follow up flock counts which are a vital way of monitoring the population.

The South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo recovery team and BirdLife Australia would like to express sincere thanks to all the volunteers, partners, landholders, and supporters who made this possible - from spreading the word to contributing sightings, stories, and photos.

We can’t wait to do it all again with you next year!

Photo credit: Justin McManus

This project is funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by Glenelg Hopkins CMA, Wimmera CMA and Limestone Coast Landscape Board members of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.



Threatened Species Commissioner
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

15/06/2026

Our Annual Count results are almost out! Keep your eyes out for a post this week.

In the meantime here is a beautiful video of South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos by local tour guide Wayne Caldow. Wayne has a long history with red-tails, having been involved in the early research to build our understanding of these beautiful birds.

01/05/2026

What an incredible milestone — 30 years of the Red‑tail Annual Count, and our biggest wave of volunteers yet!

We’re blown away by the number of people joining us tomorrow to help monitor our much‑loved Red‑tailed Black‑Cockatoos. This community effort has been going strong since 1996, and seeing so many hands raised for the 30th year is truly something special.

A huge thank‑you to everyone who’s stepping up to care for Country and support this long‑running conservation program. Your time, energy, and passion make this work possible.

Here’s to a fantastic count day and an even brighter future for our Red‑tails.

This project is funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by Wimmera CMA, Limestone Coast Landscape Board and Glenelg Hopkins CMA members of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.

01/05/2026

Celebrating 30 years of the Annual Cocky Count - tomorrow!

Since 1996, volunteers across the region have come together each May to help monitor our precious Red‑tailed Black‑Cockatoos. This year marks 30 years of this important community‑driven conservation effort.

Autumn and winter bring the spectacular sight of large Red‑tail flocks, giving us our best chance each year to gather meaningful data. Through the count we gain:

- a minimum flock estimate

- insights into how the birds are using habitat

- a yearly snapshot of stringybark habitat health

Following the annual count, our detailed flock counts help us understand breeding success from the previous season.

We are deeply honoured that Aunty Cathy Munroe of Gunditjmara will welcome volunteers with a ceremony on Saturday. This will take place before the 9am training session in Casterton.

All volunteers are warmly invited. If you have any questions, please contact me on 1800 262 062.

Here’s to 30 years of community, conservation, and caring for Country.

This project is funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by Glenelg Hopkins CMA, Limestone Coast Landscape Board and Wimmera CMA members of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.

Photo credit: Mike Sverns

22/04/2026

Can you be a cocky counter on your farm?

Landholders of southwest Victoria and southeast South Australia: Do you have Southeastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoos visiting your troughs, trees and dams?

The volunteers on May 2 for the annual Red Tail Cocky Count have the public land areas covered, but counting on private land helps get a clearer picture of the number of birds.

You can log sightings at any time online, or take a wander around your paddocks on May 2.

For more information on our recovery project for the SeRtBC visit our website.

South eastern Red tailed Black Cockatoo Recovery Project
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water



This recovery project is funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and is delivered by Glenelg Hopkins CMA, Wimmera CMA, Limestone Coast Landscape Board and BirdLife Australia.