Hollows Are Homes
Helping to create ‘hollows’ while maintaining our invaluable canopy safely.
Do you love seeing native birds in your backyard? Then you already care about tree hollows, even if you didn’t realise it! Hollows are essential to the survival of many Australian species. And not the nests you might imagine, the majority of native birds don’t build twiggy nests, they rely on deep, natural cavities in old trees.
These hollows don’t form overnight. It takes decades, even centuries, for mature eucalypts and other long-lived trees to create suitable homes for wildlife like lorikeets, cockatoos, rosellas, gliders, possums, frogs, owls and more. Many of these species are now threatened, and one of the key reasons is simple: the loss of mature old trees and hollows.
In South East Queensland alone, over 127 species are known to use hollows. Many can’t breed without them.
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How Hollows Form
Hollows form slowly through natural decay, termite activity, storm damage, or lightning. Some birds, like kingfishers and cockatoos, even help shape their own hollows. But most of these natural processes rely on living, mature trees, the kind often cleared for development or removed out of fear. Dead trees can also be retained as habitat stags, where branches are reduced and hollows are carved safely by professionals.
How You Can Help
Urban backyards can be powerful sanctuaries for hollow-dependent wildlife: here’s how you can make a difference:
Preserve mature and old trees with hollows on your property
Consult a conservation arborist about creating hollows in suitable trees
Repurpose salvaged limbs into nest boxes
Install quality boxes made from native timber or plywood
Maintain & monitor any boxes you install
Not every tree needs to be cleared. Many hollow-bearing trees are safe to retain with professional care. By protecting or creating hollows, you’re giving wildlife a chance to stay — right here in our own backyard!