Satellite tracking of rehabilitated wild Baudin's cockatoos, Calyptorhynchus baudinii: a feasibility trial to track forest black cockatoos

Baudin's cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus baudinii, is a threatened forest black cockatoo species, endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. In this study we fitted tail-mounted satellite transmitters to two female Baudin's cockatoosthathadundergonetreatmentandrehabilitationatPerthZooandKaarakinBlackCockatooConservationCentre to investigate the feasibility of satellite tracking this species. Both birds were released in Kelmscott, Perth, into an area frequently visited by a flock of wild Baudin's cockatoos. Both telemetry units provided reliable datasets, with one bird moving,250kmsouthfromthereleasesite.ThesuccessofthistrialopensthewaytoaddresskeyobjectivesintheForest Black Cockatoo Recovery Plan, including: postrelease survival of rehabilitated birds, flock movement, habitat use, and the identification of critical feeding and breeding habitat. Most importantly, it demonstrates that satellite transmitters can be successfully used to locate and track forest black cockatoo species, which are otherwise difficult to monitor.