Discovery Session - Creating cockatoo friendly suburbs

Join Dr Christine Groom as she discusses Creating Black Cockatoo Friendly Suburbs, a practical and beautifully illustrated guide to making our suburbs more welcoming to wildlife.

Focusing on one of Perth’s most recognisable and charismatic birds, the endangered Carnaby’s cockatoo, Christine will share how thoughtful planning, landscaping and small changes in your garden can provide vital food, water, roosting and breeding opportunities. Everyone has a role to play in creating greener, cooler and more biodiverse neighbourhoods.

These strategies can also help other local bird species across Australia thrive, ensuring they remain a part of our urban landscapes for generations to come.

About the author

Dr Christine Groom is a member of Birdlife Australia and an Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia. She lives in the Perth hills and Carnaby’s cockatoos regularly visit her garden to feed on and prune the banksias and hakeas planted for them. In 2015, Christine completed her PhD on Carnaby’s cockatoos in urban Perth by satellite tracking study birds and following their daily movements. In 2020 she was awarded a Diploma of Landscape Design.

The 2026 WA Tree Festival is sponsored by the Government of Western Australia, with the support of WALGA and Perth NRM.