Author Talk: Creating Black Cockatoo Friendly Suburbs with Dr Christine Groom

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 the endangered Carnaby’s cockatoo — one of Perth’s most recognisable and charismatic birds — Christine will share how thoughtful planning, landscaping, and even small changes in home gardens can provide vital food, water, roosting, and breeding opportunities. From local councils to backyard gardeners, everyone has a role to play in creating greener, cooler, and more biodiverse neighbourhoods. While inspired by Perth’s black cockatoos, the strategies Christine presents can be applied to help similar species across Australia thrive, ensuring these much-loved birds remain a part of our urban landscapes for generations to come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. Christine Groom is a member of Birdlife Australia. She is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia. Christine 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 and in 2020, Christine was awarded a Diploma of Landscape Design.

This workshop is brought to you by the City of South Perth Libraries. For more information contact us or visit our website