Canning Plants 100 Macadamias To Feed Hungry Carnaby's Cockatoos

The City of Canning will plant 100 macadamia trees across ten local parks this spring to give endangered Carnaby's Black-Cockatoos a fast-growing food source.

The City is taking part in Corridors for Carnabys, a program led by gardening expert Sabrina Hahn and UWA Professor Kingsley Dixon AO. The program has identified 12 local government areas in Perth where Carnaby's Cockatoos face a food crisis.

Carnaby's Black -Cockatoos live only in the south-west of Western Australia and are listed as endangered by federal and state governments. There is evidence the birds are starving and their WA population is in steep decline. Numbers have fallen by more than half in 45 years as the bushland they rely on for food and nesting is cleared.

More than 50,000 Banksia seedlings have been planted by Corridors for Carnabys with plans to plant 200,000 Banksia seedlings by 2029.

These native food plants are slow growing and take many years to produce enough food for the cockatoos and that is why the addition of these super -Macadamias is the fastest way to help the population with their immediate food crises.

Released to UWA with support from the University of Queensland and the Macadamia Conservation Trust, the Mach-1 macadamia variety is a compact tree bred to produce large crops of big nuts in as little as two to three years from planting. When native food sources are unavailable, Macadamias are the birds' most favoured treat, and the trees will provide an interim food source until the native plantings mature.

City of Canning crews will plant the trees in small groves in carefully selected locations known to be regularly visited by Carnaby's Cockatoos.

The 100 macadamias form a small (but important) part of the City's annual tree planting program. In 2026 the City planted over 1300 native trees, including Jarrah, Marri, Hakea, Paperbarks, Tuarts and the Flooded Gum. These provide a long-term food source and help secure the future of Carnaby's Cockatoos in Canning.

Mayor Patrick Hall said the project would make a real difference for a local icon.

"Carnaby's Cockatoos are part of what makes Canning special, and right now they are struggling to find enough to eat and the population is in decline " Mayor Hall said.

"I have known Professor Dixon for more than 30 years and when he asked for my help I was pleased to be able to assist him to coordinate the distribution of the se critically important macadamia trees across key local governments.

"When approached, the immediate and positive response from the Mayors and CEOs of those local governments, particularly my colleagues in the South East Corridor Councils Alliance, is testament to the remarkable work being done in the local government sector to save the Carnaby's Cockatoo."