Learn to love your wild neighbours
Our area is hime to a wild range of plants and animals. On this page you'll find information about native species, invasive pests, and the various ways we're keepng our ecosystem healthy.
It's important to remember they while some native animals can be annoying, they are protected by law. We have to be able to live with our local animals and to find solutions that suit both our needs.
- Australasian Bittern (vulnerable);
- Black Bittern (vulnerable);
- Black-chinned Honeyeater (vulnerable);
- Bush Stone-Curlew (endangered);
- Flesh-footed Shearwater (vulnerable);
- Freckled Duck (vulnerable);
- Glossy Black Cockatoo (vulnerable);
- Olive Whistler (vulnerable);
- Osprey (vulnerable);
- Pink Robin (vulnerable);
- Powerful Owl (vulnerable);
- Regent Honeyeater (endangered);
- Speckled Warbler (vulnerable);
- Square-tailed Kite (vulnerable);
- Swift Parrot (endangered); and
- Turquoise parrot (vulnerable).
Importance of native bees and pollinators
Pollinators such as bees and insects provide essential ecosystem services, they are responsible for the majority of the pollination of flowering plants, both in urban and rural areas.
Australia has around 1,700 species of native bees. Most of these are solitary bees. Meaning that they do not have queens and workers. Just one female mates with a male and then builds an individual nest for her eggs. Key species of solitary bees you can find in your yard are Blue Banded Bees, Resin Bees, Leafcutter Bees and Teddy Bear Bees.
Australia also has 11 species of social native bees. One local to our area is the native bee Tetragonula carbonari. It is a small, black stingless bee that helps pollinate plants, especially native plants. Tetragonula can be kept in a hive in your garden and are a fantastic asset. They pollinate plants that are close to their hive, they do not sting, and they can display fascinating behaviour. By supporting native bee populations, we can assist the maintenance of an essential pollination service. To learn more about these fascinating insects visit Sugarbag Bees.
Bee friendly gardens
You can help support native bee populations by planting bee friendly gardens in your yard. Click here to download recommendations for pollinator plants from the Australian Native Plant Society. You can also check out our Native Garden Guide. This guide can assist you with choosing the right plants for your yard.
You can also set up a bee hotel to encourage native bees to your garden. This helps to create a safe place for solitary bees to nest.
Bees in schools
Since 2018 more than 18 Tetragonula carbonari native bee hives have been placed in schools throughout Canterbury-Bankstown as part of our native bee program. This program assists with increasing native bee numbers in our area, assists the gardens at the schools to thrive as well as hands-on learning about bees!
Check out the video below of a hive that was re-homed to Canterbury South Public School.
We are currently not placing hives in schools. If you would like to express your interest, please contact tarah.slattery@cbcity.nsw.gov.au
Domestic honey bees are not native to Australia but are often kept on public and private lands for honey production and pollination of food crops and fruit trees. Regulation for the keeping of domestic honey bees (Apis mellifera) in the City of Canterbury Bankstown is outlined in the Local Orders Policy.
Contact
For more information, call Council's Customer Service Centre on 9707 9000.
- Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea) is listed as an endangered species under the Threatened Species Conservation Act (TSCA) and has been recorded at Coxs Creek, Greenacre.
- Common Bent-wing Bat (Miniopterus schreibersii) is listed as a vulnerable species under the TSCA and has been recorded as roosting at Potts Hill Reservoir.
- Grey-headed Flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) is listed as a vulnerable species under the TSC Act and is known to occur in the Bankstown area.
- Cumberland Plain Large Land Snail (Meridolum corneovirens) is listed as an endangered species under the TSCA and is also known to occur in the Bankstown area.
Spring is the time to be alert, but not alarmed, about swooping birds.
A number of native bird species are territorial. Magpies, butcherbirds, noisy miners and masked lapwings (plovers), establish and protect a territory during the breeding season. They may act aggressively toward other birds, domestic pets and people they perceive as threats to their nests and chicks.
For most of the year these birds are not aggressive, but for a few weeks while they are nesting, they can defend their territory vigorously. People walking past may be seen as 'invaders' of the territory, prompting the bird to fly low and fast over the person, clacking their bills as they pass overhead. The experience of a bird swooping can be quite alarming, but it’s usually only a warning. Only occasionally will a bird actually strike the intruder on the head with its beak or claws.
If a bird swoops:
- Walk quickly and carefully away from the area, and avoid walking there when birds are swooping.
- Walk in groups where possible as the birds often target individuals.
- Try to keep an eye on the bird while walking carefully away. These birds are less likely to swoop if you look at them.
- Carry an open umbrella, stick or small branch above your head, but do not swing it as this will only provoke the bird to attack.
- If you are riding a bicycle, get off it and wheel it quickly through the area. Your bicycle helmet will protect your head, and you can attach a tall red safety flag to your bicycle or hold a stick or branch as a deterrent.
Find out more
- Ready supply of food sources including landfill sites and human litter;
- Easy access to fresh water, including artificial wetlands and lakes;
- Availability of suitable nesting and roosting trees in parklands;
- Few natural predators; and
- Intentional feeding by people.
What is Council doing?
What can you do?
More information
To find out more about what Council is doing, read the Australian White Ibis Management Plan.
Contact
What to do if you see an injured GHFF
Damage to fruit trees
Noise, smell and mess
Disease risk
More information
Contact
There are 140 species of land-based snakes in Australia, 100 of which are venomous while 12 can inflict a potentially life-threatening bite. Snakes are not usually aggressive and will only attack if injured or provoked. In fact, most bites occur when people try to catch or kill a snake, or they are attacked by pets such as dogs or cats. Snakes naturally occur in our City and can be in our parks and around waterways. They are particularly visible from October-March when they are basking in the sun or on warm surfaces. Snakes are a part of our healthy ecosystem, but it is important to know what to do if you see one.
What to do if you see a snake
- Remain calm and walk away
- Do not threaten, disturb, annoy or throw anything at the snake
- Secure all pets or keep them on a lead
- Keep children away from the snake
What to do if someone is bitten by a snake
- All snake bites must be treated as potentially life-threatening, even if the bite marks appear superficial. If you are bitten by a snake, call triple zero (000) for an ambulance
- Get the person away from the snake
- Ensure they remain as still as possible, are sitting or lying down and help them to stay calm
- Apply pressure or a pressure immobilisation bandage
- Don’t wash the bite area – venom left on the skin can help identify the snake
For more information on what to do for a snake bite, please visit the health direct website.
Contact
The City of Canterbury Bankstown is home to a wide range of animal (otherwise known as fauna) species. The number of different bird species, in particular is amazing considering the largely urban and developed nature of the area. This diversity is largely due to a variety of available habitats such as bushland, creeks and other open areas.
Threats to native animals
- Loss of suitable habitat including removal of dead wood and trees with hollows;
- Pollution of the natural environment;
- Invasion of bushland by introduced plant species (weeds);
- Attack by, or competition with, feral animals;
- Attack by domestic pets, allowed to roam free (please keep your cats in at night and dogs on a lead when in bushland areas); and
- Loss of appropriate food sources - occurring both through loss of natural bushland and planting of species in gardens that are not native to the area.
Protecting our native animals
How to be a 'backyard buddy'
Sick, injured or orphaned native animals
Do not feed our wildlife
Contact
Why is it bad?
Feeding harms wildlife
- It can make animals sick. Human food, particularly bread, can be very unhealthy for wildlife. This is because these foods are often low in nutrition. Bread and other human food is a fast food option for wildlife. If these foods are eaten too often animals will become sluggish and malnourished.
- It makes animals lazy. Human food is a quick and easy option for animals. Over time they become dependent on artificial food sources and lose their ability to forage for natural food. Young animals may not be taught how to forage naturally and therefore risk starvation and malnutrition.
- It increases their risk of predation. Leftover food can attract pests and vermin, like foxes, that may also prey on young animals.
- It encourages non-native animals into the area. Other animals compete for natural resources with our native animals and may aggressively chase native species out of the area.
Feeding harms our environment
- Causes public health issues. When birds gather together for a quick feed it increases the amount of droppings in an area. This leads to fouling of footpaths and park amenities.
- Pollute our water. Uneaten food rots and causes serious water pollution problems. Artificial feeding also encourages birds to flock in abnormally high number. The droppings of such large numbers causes additional nutrients to be added to the water and often leads to algae problems.
- Attract vermin. Leftover food can attract pests and vermin.
Feeding may harm you
What will they eat?
- Pacific Black Duck - forages in water. Mostly eats seeds, but will also dabble (duck dive) for crustaceans, freshwater snails and water bugs.
- Australian Wood Duck - forages on land and in shallow water. Prefers to eat grasses and clover, but will also eat insects.
- Australian White Ibis - forages in shallow water. Prefers to eat crayfish and mussels, but will also eat insects, frogs and small mammals.
- Laughing Kookaburra - feeds mostly on insects, worms and crustaceans, but will also eat small snakes, mammals and frogs.
- Rainbow Lorikeet - eats nectar and pollen from trees and shrubs, but also eats fruits, seeds and some insects.
- Noisy Miner - mostly feeds on nectar, fruits and insects.
- Eastern Long-Necked Turtle - mainly eats fish, tadpoles, frogs and crayfish.
- Eastern Water Dragon - feeds on small reptiles, worms, frogs, insects, vegetation, fruit, small mammals and molluscs.
- Short-finned Eel - mainly a carnivorous feeder that eats aquatic animals including fish, insects, yabbies, shrimps, molluscs and frogs.
What can I do?
- Do not feed our wildlife;
- Place all unwanted food scraps in tightly lidded bins;
- Plant native plants in your garden to encourage native animals and insects; and
- Teach your friends and neighbours about not feeding our wildlife. Remember wildlife should be admired and respected at a distance.
Contact
Many of our native animals rely on hollows for protection and to breed. In an urban environment mature trees with hollows are scarce, so installing habitat boxes to supplement habitat is crucial to improving local habitats.
In Canterbury-Bankstown, hundreds of habitat boxes have been installed in local reserves to support our hollow-dependent fauna since the program commenced in 2003. These boxes provide habitat options for a variety of animals, including small parrots, possums, gliders, microbats, kookaburras, wood ducks and owls.
Currently there are more than 400 boxes providing supplementary habitat across Canterbury-Bankstown, about half of these were installed more than 10 years ago and are in the process of being replaced. In 2020, a number of habitat boxes were installed in new locations along the Cooks River, including at Boat Harbour, Gough Whitlam Park and Cup and Saucer Wetland. Council aims to install at least 30 new boxes each year (over the next few years) to replace boxes that reach their end of life and add boxes in new locations.
All boxes have an identification number on the side of the box and are inspected annually for public safety, structural integrity and habitat functionality.
If you see something interesting using a habitat box, we’d love to know about it! Simply snap a photo, note the ID number on the side of the box and email cleanandgreen@cbcity.nsw.gov.au
Reserves with habitat boxes
Bankstown / Darani Ward: Bromley Bushland Reserve, Norfolk Reserve, Roberts Road Reserve and Thella Kenway Reserve.
Bass Hill / Bura Ward: Amaroo Reserve, Band Hall Reserve, Bellevue Reserve, Carysfield Park, Dalton Reserve, Jensen Reserve, Kentucky Reserve, Lansdowne Reserve, Louisa Reserve, Maluga Passive Park, Manahan Reserve, Mirrambeena Regional Park, O'Neill Park, Rose Reserve, Sefton Golf Course, The Crest, Thornton Reserve and Walshaw Park.
Canterbury / Budjar Ward: Albert Park, Boat Harbour, Canterbury Park, Cooks River Foreshore, Croydon Park, Earlwood car park, Euston Park, Ewen Park, Gough Whitlam Park, Heynes Reserve (Cup and Saucer Wetland), Lees Park, Mildura Reserve, Pat O'Connor Reserve, Peace Park, Rosedale Reserve, Sando Reserve, Second Avenue Bushland, SJ Harrison Reserve, Sutton Reserve and Waterworth Park.
Revesby / Bunya Ward: Amberdale Reserve, Churchill Reserve, Cutting Reserve, Deepwater Park, Dilke Reserve, East Hills Park, Flood Reserve, Gordon Parker Reserve. Kelso Park South, Kelso Waste Management Facility, Keys Reserve, Lambeth Reserve, Marco Reserve, Monash Reserve, Montgomery Reserve, Morgans Creek Reserve, Newland Reserve, Padstow Park, Picnic Point Reserve, Prince Reserve, Richardson Reserve, River Reserve, Roma Reserve, Rorie Reserve, Salt Pan Reserve, Smith Park, Sylvan Grove Native Garden, Vale of Ah Reserve, Virginius Reserve and Whittle Bushland Reserve.
Roselands/ Bunmarra Ward: McLaughlin Oval, Riverwood Wetland, Salt Pan Reserve and Wiley Park.
There are seven Endangered Ecological Communities in Canterbury Bankstown, which are gazetted under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act (TSC Act 1995).
These include:
- Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest;
- Shale/Gravel Transition Forest;
- Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest;
- Shale/Sandstone Transition Forest;
- River Flat Eucalypt Forest; and
- Coastal Saltmarsh.
While these are our listed ecological communities it does not make our other communities any less precious. Mangroves along both the Cooks and Georges Rivers are susceptible to pollution and climate change