Researchers in Western Australia's Mid West have found a link between canola planting and numbers of the threatened Carnaby's cockatoo.
Denis Saunders began studying the endangered bird with the CSIRO at Coomallo Creek, east of Jurien Bay, in 1969 and believed numbers had increased since the uptake of farmers in the region growing canola.
The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment said numbers of the Carnaby's cockatoo around the state had declined over 50 per cent in the past 50 years, largely due to land clearing.
But alongside the installation of artificial nesting boxes in 2011, Dr Saunders said an increase in canola crops around Coomallo Creek had seen breeding attempts for the beloved cockatoo rise three-fold to 120 breeding attempts in 2019.
"And what was interesting is before 1996 I had never seen a female younger than four years old attempt to breed, but [in 2019] we were getting three-year-old's breeding," he said.
"There was obviously ample food, because the birds were producing fledglings which were really in good, healthy condition.
"Canola has been a godsend to them."
Canola's appeal a mystery
Dr Saunders said he was not sure what made canola such a sought after feed for the cockatoo, but said the season overlapped with the bird's mating season which assisted in boosting numbers.
"I don't know why canola, and not wheat, barley or oats which they don't eat but are grown in large quantities around their range.
"But they'll even eat it green, and once it's harvested there's always grain lying around on the ground.
"So the canola growing season and the breeding season of the birds overlap greatly, so the timing is right for them as well."
'Not enough to be a problem' for crops
Despite their affection for the winter seed, Dr Saunders said farmers in the area should not be concerned for their crops.
"What Carnaby's cockatoo eats would be considerably less than what is spilt on the ground during the harvesting process," he said.
"There are not enough to be a problem.
"And the dealings I have with farmers, by and large, most of them have a great deal of affection for the bird."
Dr Saunders said he would like to see farmers given financial incentives to grow sacrificial canola crops for cockatoos.
