Wildlife
The transition of Willoughby from bushland to a city has taken hundreds of years and nearly 90% of the land has now been cleared for development. This has meant that an unknown number of plants and animals are now extinct from the area. There used to be kangaroos, koalas and emus, but without a place to live they can no longer be found.
Willoughby’s natural biodiversity includes the superb lyrebird, powerful owl, swamp wallaby, sugar gliders, echidnas and common tree snake, red-crowned toadlet and native bees, beetles and other pollinators. Careful bushland management and wildlife friendly backyards are needed to ensure that they do not also become extinct from the local area.