Learn which birds are doing well, which birds need help and what you can do to make a difference.
What is Bird Week? Every October Bird Observation and Conservation Australia (BOCA) hosts Bird Week with the goal of inspiring all Australians to take action and get involved in bird conservation efforts. The celebration of Bird Week dates back almost 100 years when October 28 was designated as the first ‘Bird Day’. Each year BOCA strives to increase public awareness of specific groups of birds that have some members that are doing well and visible - and some members that need our help. This year the focus is on Australia’s wealth of parrot species. Parrots and cockatoos are collectively referred to as "parrots".
Why Parrots? Boasting 55 species of parrots, Australia is home to approximately one-sixth of the world’s range of parrots. Unlike their relatives around the world that inhabit forests, Australia’s parrots have evolved to live in a variety of habitats - from forests to the desert. Of Australia’s many parrot species, the iconic - and gregarious - Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is adaptive and impossible to miss. However, other species, including the Orange-bellied Parrot, are secretive and extremely sensitive to changes in the environment.
How can you join in the fun? Enter the online line competition and identify a different parrot every day of Bird Week. Report parrots that you see near where you live or where you are travelling. Put up a display or hold and activity to tell others about these special birds. Check out the links on this page for resources, information, reporting forms and how to enter our competition.