Parrot Totem

Type of Totem:

Corporate Totem

Target Species:

Mid-size parrots and cockatoos, such as the Galah

Location:

26 Cairns Street, Brisbane, Australia

Story:

This Eco-Active Totem is designed to provide a home for mid-sized parrots and cockatoos, such as the Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla). The design is inspired by local orchids of the Pterostylis family, reflecting the delicate beauty and layered structure of these native flowering plants.

Image by Kim Nicolson

Parrots and cockatoos are highly intelligent, social birds that rely on tree hollows for nesting and breeding. However, across much of Australia and Southeast Asia, suitable hollows are becoming increasingly scarce due to habitat loss, competition with invasive species, and expanding urban development.

Images by @wildlife.in.sg and @birdlifephotographyaustralia from left to right.

This Eco-Active Totem provides a secure, elevated, and thermally regulated nesting site that mimics natural tree hollows — offering a vital solution for hollow-dependent species like the Galah, the Tanimbar Corella, and Singapore’s Long-tailed Parakeet.

The Tanimbar Corella (Cacatua goffiniana), native to Indonesia’s Tanimbar Islands and listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, has naturalised in Singapore since the 1980s following releases from the pet trade. Now well-established in parks and wooded areas such as Southern Ridges, Sentosa, Changi, and Pasir Ris Park, these cockatoos seek tree hollows but readily adopt human-made nesting structures.

The totem is also suitable for Singapore’s Long-tailed Parakeet (Psittacula longicauda), a native and threatened species that depends on similar cavity-nesting opportunities and is often displaced by habitat degradation.

Key Design Features

• 100mm Entry Hole with Internal Climbing Ladder: Appropriately sized entrance for mid-sized parrots and cockatoos. An internal climbing ladder also aids movement for both adults and chicks — mimicking the grip texture of natural hollows.

• Ventilation Holes & Protective Hood: Discreet ventilation openings ensure air circulation, while an overhanging hood structure shields the entrance from rain and deters mynas and other potential competitors or predators from flying straight into the nest.

• Sun-Shading : A sculptural, orchid-inspired leaf provides shade over the nest chamber, passively cooling the internal cavity during hot summer months and warming the internal cavity during cold winter months. This maintains stable temperatures for the birds.

• Predator Baffles: Strategically placed at the lower portion of the structure, these prevent ground-based predators such as snakes, cats, and monitor lizards from climbing the totem.

• Planter Base : The base features integrated planters, when filled with soil and native vegetation, help stabilize the totem while supporting local flora and insect life. The soil acts as a natural counterweight, anchoring the structure against wind and external forces.

Each Totem protects wild habitat through a donation to a wilderness conservation charity. A donation matching this Totem's cost will contribute to preserving the habitat of the endangered Night Parrots of Queensland, managed by Bush Heritage Australia.

Sponsors:

Delta Australia Holdings

Having delivered one of Brisbane’s most celebrated buildings, Riparian Plaza, Delta Australia Holdings is proud to lead the team behind 26 Cairns Street Kangaroo Point.

Team:

Design: WOHA: Richard Hassell, Evanne Kok , Chong Siew Way, Lin Bolt

Ecology: bioSEA: Anuj Jain

Technology and Fabrication: Systmz: Ng Joo Kok, Sean Liew

Integrated Greenery: GWS Living: Zac Toh, Sylvia Toh