Bird-enthusiasts across Australia will get their binoculars out this weekend in search of one of the nation's most beautiful birds: the Glossy Black Cockatoo.
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The population of Glossy Black Cockatoos took a severe hit in the devastating 2019 bushfires, and Birdlife Australia are holding the nation-wide citizen science event to see how the species have recovered.
The 'Great Glossy Count' this Saturday will see volunteers logging sightings of the rare birds and their feed trees.
Former president and founding member of the Illawarra Birders Terrill Nordstrom said the species are 'spectacular' but 'rare'.
"They're rare visitors to the Illawarra region, but when you do see them, they're generally along the escarpment," he said.
"There's certainly been a massive population decline. If you go back 100 years, even 50 years, you would have seen many more of them."
The birds, who feed on casuarina trees, have been hit by both a debilitating loss of habitat and a reduction of food supply.
"There's been a massive loss of habitat through fires. These birds nest in large hollows, and when there are severe fires, these hollows are burnt out completely."
The project is partially funded by a grant from the Australian Government's Regional Bushfire Recovery scheme.
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