Artificial nest boxes are often used to help threatened wildlife – especially when they’re habitat has been cleared. But when it comes to Glossy Black-Cockatoos on mainland Australia, we have no evidence that artificial nest boxes have worked.
Despite decades of effort and a growing number of installations across Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT and Victoria there are no confirmed records of Glossy Black-Cockatoos successfully nesting in artificial structures – such as nests and hollows – on mainland Australia.
That’s why the Recovery Team for the South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoo is now running a survey to gather evidence, insights and observations from people who have installed nest boxes or artificial hollows for Glossies.
Whether you’re a landholder, community group, researcher, or council officer – if you’ve installed or monitored a nest box for Glossies, we’d love to hear from you. The short survey, being coordinated by the Glossy Black Conservancy on behalf of the national Recovery Team will take 5-10 minutes to complete.
Take the 5–10 minute survey here
Findings will help build a clearer understanding of how nest boxes are being used, where they’re installed, what designs are being trialled, and what outcomes – if any – have been observed. General findings will be shared via the Glossy Black Conservancy at the 2026 national forum and will inform future Recovery Planning. Sensitive details (such as the location of active nests or artificial structures on private land) will not be made public.
If you’d prefer to share your information another way, you can contact Recovery Team Coordinator Samantha Morris, sam@wombatcreative.com.au or 0421 709 519.
Why This Matters
On Kangaroo Island, nest boxes have played a pivotal role in helping the local Glossy Black-Cockatoo population recover. Widespread habitat loss due to bushfires has made installed nest boxes crucial to nest success.
Following 2019 bushfires, 80% of nesting attempts on Kangaroo Island were in artificial hollows. It’s a decades-long success story, built on monitoring, adaptation, and a deep understanding of local flock behaviour.
But the same success hasn’t yet been demonstrated on the mainland – and we don’t know why.
Are there still enough natural hollows in some regions? Are the boxes being placed too far from flock territories or breeding sites? Could competition from other species or environmental conditions be limiting their use?
The truth is: we don’t know. That’s why your input is so important.
By sharing your experience – whether successful or not – you’ll help us understand the bigger picture and guide more effective, evidence-based conservation for one of Australia’s most charismatic species.
This survey builds on conversations started at our 2024 national forum, where experts from across the Glossy’s range shared insights into artificial nesting – watch the full session recording here.
