Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo Native Trees: Perth’s Best Options
Perth once had flocks so large they blackened the sky. Today, the Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo is endangered, its food sources are disappearing, and your backyard may be one of the last places it can find a meal. Here is what you can do — and how the WA Government will pay you $150 to do it.
There is a moment, if you have ever seen it, that stays with you.
A flock of Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos moving overhead — their slow, rolling wingbeats, the white flash of their tail feathers, that distinctive wailing call that carries across a whole suburb. For many Perth residents, it is one of the few genuine wildlife encounters left in the city.
Those moments are becoming rarer every year.
The Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris) — known to Noongar people as Ngoolark — is listed as endangered under both Federal and Western Australian law. Its population on the Swan Coastal Plain has declined by more than 40% since 2010. WWF Australia’s surveys show an ongoing decline of approximately 15% per year on the Swan Coastal Plain alone.
The cause is straightforward. The birds are running out of food.
What Carnaby’s Actually Eat
Carnaby’s are seed eaters. Their powerful bills evolved specifically to crack open the woody cones of proteaceous plants — Banksia, Hakea, Grevillea, Dryandra. Seeds from these species are the nutritional foundation of their diet on the Swan Coastal Plain.
For decades, the Gnangara Pine Plantation north of Perth provided a critical food supplement. Up to 70% of the entire Perth-Peel Carnaby’s population depended on those pine plantations during the non-breeding season. The plantation is now being progressively cleared, removing a food source that sustained thousands of birds each summer when native seeds are scarce.
The birds are not disappearing because Perth residents do not care about them. They are disappearing because the food has gone — and there is not enough native Banksia and Hakea woodland left in the suburbs to fill the gap.
That is where your backyard comes in.
Why a Single Tree in Your Garden Actually Matters
Perth NRM — the region’s natural resource management body — is explicit about this. Carnaby’s regularly fly 4 to 6 kilometres from their roost sites to find food. Every native tree in every suburban garden within that radius becomes part of their foraging network.
You do not need a bushland reserve. You need one Banksia in your backyard.
Murdoch University’s Ngoolarks Forever Project has documented how individual suburban plantings contribute to connected foraging corridors that keep birds viable between larger habitat patches. The City of Kwinana was selected for the project specifically because suburban gardens in that area were identified as critical feeding links for roosting Carnaby’s.
A single mature Banksia menziesii — Firewood Banksia — can produce multiple large flower cones in a season. Each cone provides seeds for foraging birds from autumn through winter, exactly when the pine plantation food source has been removed and the Wheatbelt breeding season has not yet begun. That timing is not a coincidence. It is why Perth NRM specifically recommends Firewood Banksia as a priority planting for Carnaby’s habitat.
The Species That Make the Difference
Not all native trees feed Carnaby’s equally. The following species are confirmed food sources, confirmed Treebate eligible, and confirmed safe across Perth zones under the DPIRD PSHB biosecurity screen.
Firewood Banksia — Banksia menziesii
Mature height: 3–7m | Treebate eligible: ✓ | PSHB: ✅ Negligible — Non-Reproductive Host
Perth NRM’s top recommendation for Carnaby’s habitat planting. Large red and yellow flower cones from autumn through winter — precisely the season when Carnaby’s need alternative food as pine plantation resources disappear. Adapted to Perth’s sandy grey Swan Coastal Plain soils. Slow growing, drought tolerant, long lived.
Compliance note: Do not buy the dwarf cultivar. It will not reach 3m and your Treebate claim will be rejected. Buy standard Banksia menziesii. Never apply phosphorus fertiliser.
Candle Banksia — Banksia attenuata
Mature height: 4–10m | Treebate eligible: ✓ | PSHB: ✅ Not listed on DPIRD Host List v6
One of the most studied Carnaby’s food plants in the scientific literature. Tall cylindrical yellow flower spikes provide year-round food. A true Swan Coastal Plain endemic — among the most common banksias in the Perth metropolitan area before urban clearing removed most of them. Highly adaptable to Perth’s sandy soils.
Compliance note: Never apply standard phosphorus fertiliser. WA endemic with no geographic eligibility concerns for Treebate.
Bull Banksia — Banksia grandis
Mature height: 5–10m | Treebate eligible: ✓ | PSHB: ✅ Negligible — Non-Reproductive Host
Produces the largest flower cones of any banksia — up to 40cm tall. A significant Carnaby’s food source. Flowers spring through summer, complementing the autumn-winter flowering of Firewood Banksia to create a near year-round food supply if you plant both. Safe for all Perth zones including the Management Zone.
Compliance note: Well-drained sandy soils only. Excellent drainage is non-negotiable. Never apply phosphorus fertiliser.
Grass-leaf Hakea — Hakea multilineata
Mature height: 3–4m | Treebate eligible: ✓ | PSHB: ✅ Negligible — Non-Reproductive Host
Hakea seeds are a documented Carnaby’s food source. This species is the most compact safe option on this list — ideal for smaller blocks where a full-sized Banksia is not practical. Deep pink to red flower clusters from winter to spring. Upright and slender.
Compliance note: Confirm plant label shows Hakea multilineata before purchasing. Never apply phosphorus fertiliser.
Pincushion Hakea — Hakea laurina
Mature height: 4–6m | Treebate eligible: ✓ | PSHB: ✅ Not listed on DPIRD Host List v6
Striking spherical crimson and cream flowers from autumn through winter. Hakea seeds are a Carnaby’s food source, and this species is not listed on the DPIRD PSHB host list — making it one of the lowest-risk choices available for any Perth zone. Dense upright habit for screening and privacy.
Compliance note: Buy tree-form stock — not the shrub form. Never apply phosphorus fertiliser.
The Numbers That Matter
The Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo situation is serious and the data is verifiable:
The population has declined by more than 50% over the past 45 years. On the Perth-Peel Coastal Plain, surveys show a decline of approximately 42% since 2010 — roughly 5% per year. Over two thirds of their Banksia woodland feeding habitat on the Swan Coastal Plain has been cleared. The Gnangara Pine Plantation, which sustained up to 70% of the Perth-Peel population in the non-breeding season, is being progressively removed.
The birds are not yet gone. But they are being squeezed into a shrinking network of food sources — and suburban Banksia plantings are documented as genuine contributors to that network.
The Lollapalooza Effect — Three Converging Forces in One Purchase
This is the rare decision where three good outcomes converge simultaneously.
You get $150 back from the WA Government through the Treebate program — reducing the financial cost of planting to near zero for most Perth residents.
You add a genuine food source to the foraging network of an endangered species that flies through Perth suburbs every year looking for exactly what you are planting.
You plant a tree that is built for WA conditions — no supplemental irrigation once established, no exotic pest issues, no incompatibility with Perth’s sandy soils.
One decision. Three wins. That is not a marketing angle. That is just the honest arithmetic of the situation.
What You Cannot Plant
Two species often associated with Carnaby’s feeding must not be recommended for any Perth homeowner navigating this decision.
Corymbia ficifolia (Red Flowering Gum) — Carnaby’s do feed on Corymbia seeds, but this species is a confirmed High Reproductive Host on the DPIRD WA PSHB Host List v6. It is a hard-stop for Management Zone customers and requires Manual Review for Containment Zone. Given the extent of the Perth Quarantine Area, we cannot recommend it as a general Carnaby’s planting choice.
Agonis flexuosa (WA Peppermint) — Not a primary Carnaby’s food source, and a permanent hard-stop on our platform due to PSHB host list status. Do not plant it regardless of what other sources recommend.
How to Claim Your $150
Planting a Banksia or Hakea for Carnaby’s habitat is straightforward to claim under the Treebate program.
Step 1: Purchase your tree from a WA commercial nursery. Must reach 3m+ canopy at maturity.
Step 2: Get a tax invoice showing the nursery’s business trading name, WA ABN, full botanical name of the species, purchase date on or after 28 July 2025, total price with GST shown separately. No handwritten invoices. No EFTPOS receipts only.
Step 3: Photograph the plant label at the nursery showing the species name. Keep it safe.
Step 4: Plant the tree in the ground on your private WA property.
Step 5: Submit via the ServiceWA app — Discovery tab → Offers → Treebate. Payment within approximately 7 business days.
Key rules: One claim per person for the entire program through 2029. Every eligible adult in your household can claim independently. Pot plants do not qualify — the tree must go in the ground.
Use our Tree Selection Tool to confirm your chosen species passes the PSHB biosecurityscreen for your specific suburb before you buy.
A Final Note
Perth NRM put it plainly: even a small patch of habitat can make a big difference. Carnaby’s fly 4 to 6 kilometres from their roosts to find food. Every Banksia planted in that radius adds to their survival network.
The WA Government’s Treebate program runs until 2029 with up to 10,000 rebates available each year. The Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo does not have that kind of time to wait.
Plant the Banksia. Claim the $150. The birds will find it.
Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo population data sourced from WWF Australia, Urban Bushland Council WA Great Cocky Count data, and published peer-reviewed research (Stock et al., 2013, PLOS ONE). Perth NRM Carnaby’s planting recommendations verified at perthnrm.com (February 2026). PSHB susceptibility data sourced from DPIRD WA Host List Version 6, 30 June 2025. Treebate program rules verified against DWER FAQ (18 September 2025) and ServiceWA Treebate page (12 March 2026). treebate.com.au is an independent guide and is not affiliated with DWER or the WA Government. Final rebate approval rests solely with DWER and ServiceWA.