Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
Encyclopedia
The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii), also known as Banksian- or Banks' Black Cockatoo, is a large cockatoo
native to Australia
. This species was known as Calyptorhynchus magnificus for many decades until the current scientific name was officially conserved
in 1994. It is more common in the drier parts of the continent. Five subspecies are recognised, differing most significantly in beak size. Although the more northerly subspecies are widespread, the two southern subspecies, the Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo and the South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo are under threat.
Adult Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are around 60 centimetres (24 in) in length and sexually dimorphic
. Males are completely black in colour, excepting their prominent red tail bands; the slightly smaller females are black with yellow barring on chest with yellow grading to red spots over their crest, cheeks and wings and have yellow-orange tail stripes. The species is usually found in eucalyptus
woodlands, or along water courses. In the more northerly parts of the country, these cockatoos are commonly seen in large flocks. They are seed eaters and cavity nesters. As such, they depend on trees with fairly large diameters, generally Eucalyptus. Populations in southeastern Australia are threatened by the reduction in forest cover and by other habitat alterations. Of the black cockatoos, the red-tailed black is the most adaptable to aviculture, although black cockatoos are much rarer and much more expensive outside Australia.
in 1790 as Psittacus banksii, commemorating English
botanist Sir Joseph Banks
. The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo also bears the honour of being the first bird from Eastern Australia illustrated by a European, as a female, presumably collected at Endeavour River
in north Queensland, was sketched by Banks' draughtsman Sydney Parkinson
in 1770. Narrowly predating Latham, English naturalist George Shaw
described Psittacus magnificus from a specimen collected somewhere in the Port Jackson (now Sydney) region. For many years, the species was referred to as Calyptorhynchus magnificus, proposed by Gregory Mathews
in 1927 as Shaw's name had predated Latham's 1790 description. For several decades, Mathews' proposal was accepted by many authorities, although it was unclear whether the original Port Jackson reference had actually referred to the Red-tailed Black or, more likely, the Glossy Black Cockatoo. In 1994, an application to conserve
Calyptorhynchus banksii as the scientific name was accepted by the ICZN
. The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is the type species
of the genus Calyptorhynchus
, the name of which is derived from the Greek
calypto-/καλυπτο- "hidden" and rhynchus/ρυγχος "beak". The change was first made by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest
in 1826.
In 1827 Jennings, proposed the name Psittacus niger for the bird. The binomial combination
had already been used by Carolus Linnaeus
for the Lesser Vasa Parrot
in 1758, and by Johann Friedrich Gmelin
for the Palm Cockatoo
in 1788; it was thus invalid even though both other species were already known by different names at the time. Alternate common names include Banks' Black Cockatoo, Banksian Black Cockatoo, or simply Black Cockatoo. Indigenous people of the central Cape York Peninsula
have several names for the bird: (minha) pachang in Pakanh; (inh -) inhulg in Uw Oykangand
; and (inh -) anhulg in Uw Olkola. (The bracketed prefix (inh- or minha) is a qualifier
meaning 'meat' or 'animal'.) Ngarnarrh or KarnamarrTo are terms used by the Gunwinggu
of Arnhem Land
. In Central Australia
, southwest of Alice Springs, the Pitjantjatjara term for the subspecies C. b. samueli is iranti. Karrak is a Noongar
term derived from the call for the southwestern race C. b. naso.
by their significant sexual dimorphism
and calls of the juveniles; one a squeaking begging call, the other a vocalization when swallowing food. The Red-tailed was the only Black Cockatoo whose genetic material was used in a key molecular study of Cockatoo systematics in 1999 as only overall relationships between cockatoo genera were being examined and only one Black species was necessary. Five subspecies are recognised, two of which are vulnerable. They differ mainly in the size and shape of the beak, the overall bird size and female colouration:
), while females weigh slightly less at 615–870 grams (1.25–1.75 lb).
Juvenile Red-tailed Black Cockatoos resemble females until puberty, which occurs around four years of age, but have paler yellow barred underparts. As the birds reach maturity, males gradually replace their yellow tail feathers with red ones; the complete process takes around four years. As with other cockatoos, the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo can be very long-lived
in captivity; in 1938, ornithologist Neville Cayley
reported one over fifty years old at Taronga Zoo
. Another bird residing at London and Rotterdam Zoos was 45 years and 5 months of age when it died in 1979.
Several calls of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos have been recorded. The bird's contact call is a rolling metallic krur-rr or kree, which may carry long distances and is always given while flying; its alarm call is sharp. Displaying males vocalize a sequence of soft growling followed by a repetitive kred-kred-kred-kred.
, sheoak and Acacia
woodlands, to dense tropical rainforests. The bird is dependent on large, old eucalypts for nesting hollows, although the specific gums used vary in different parts of the country.
Cockatoos are not wholly migratory, but they do exhibit regular seasonal movements in different parts of Australia. In the northern parts of the Northern Territory, they largely leave areas of high humidity in the summer wet season
. In other parts of the country cockatoo seasonal movements tend to follow food sources, a pattern recorded in Northern Queensland, and New South Wales. In southwest Western Australia, both extant subspecies appear to have a north-south pattern; northwards after breeding in the case of subspecies naso, while movements by subspecies samueli in the wheatbelt can be irregular and unrelated to the seasons.
Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are diurnal, raucous and noisy, and are often seen flying high overhead in small flocks, sometimes mixed with other cockatoos. Flocks of up to 500 birds are generally only seen in the north or when the birds are concentrated at some food source. Otherwise, they are generally rather shy of humans. In northern and central Australia, birds may feed on the ground, while the two southern subspecies, graptogyne and naso, are almost exclusively arboreal. They tend to fly rather slowly with intermittent deep flapping wingbeats, markedly different to the shallow wingbeats of the similar Glossy Black Cockatoo. They also often fly at considerable height.
seeds. There is a specific relationship between the species and larger-fruited species of gums. These vary across Australia but include the Marri in Southwest Western Australia, Darwin woolybutt E. miniata
across the north of the country, E. baxteri
in Victoria and the bloodwood species Corymbia polycarpa
and C. intermedia
in Queensland. Cockatoos bite off branchlets with clusters of seed capsules, then hold them with their feet while chewing and harvesting seeds before littering the ground with debris. Among other seeds and nuts consumed are those of Acacia
, Allocasuarina
, Banksia
, Grevillea
and Hakea
, as well as berries, fruits and various insects and grubs. Cockatoos have adapted to eating some introduced plants such as the doublegee (Emex australis
). There is some evidence of consumption of wild radish
(Raphanus raphanistrum), wild turnip (Brassica tournefortii
) and melon (Citrullus
or Cucumis
).
and other crops at Lakeland Downs
in Far North Queensland
. Here the cockatoos, in flocks of up to several hundred birds, have learned to sever the peanut plants above ground level before pulling the peanuts out of the ground by their stems and shelling them. They also damage electrical cables on pivot irrigators
.
These birds are listed internationally under Appendix II of CITES, which allows international trade in live wild-caught and captive-bred specimens, if such exports are not detrimental to wild populations. However, the current Australian restrictions on commercial exports from Australia are not imposed by CITES. C. b. graptogyne is also specifically listed as endangered on the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
.
Status of the Red-tailed Black-cockatoo as a species, and as a subspecies, also varies from state to state within Australia. For example:
in bird smuggling. High demand and high transit mortality mean that many more birds are taken from the wild than actually sold. In 1997, the Northern Territory Government's
Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts (NRETA) proposed a management plan of C. b. macrorhynchus to stem the illegal trade in eggs and nestlings. This subspecies, which is relatively abundant in the territory's northern part, was thought plentiful enough to sustain limited harvesting of young for commercial purposes. This involved the protection of selected 'harvest zones' and the capping of harvest at 600 eggs or hatchlings per year; all captive birds were to be marked with microchips. Separate permits would be issued for collection and export, as well as keeping one as a pet.
Other experts raised serious concerns with the management plan; the famed psittacine biologist Joseph Forshaw
opposed it on several grounds. He expressed concerns that, given the birds' long lifespan, recruitment problems may be masked for many years, by which time recovery of the cockatoo population may be impossible. He also feared that increasing supply would lower prices and hence lower profitability for those involved. Other groups such as the Avicultural Federation of Australia (AFA) raised concerns that populations may be aging due to lack of breeding sites, so they may be especially vulnerable to loss of juveniles which, again, may not be apparent for many years. They also feared that since adults mate for life, a bird whose partner was taken may not mate again. To date the plan has not been implemented; the Australian Senate
inquiry into the Commercial Utilisation of Australian Native Wildlife concluded in early 1998 that routine capture and commercial use of adult wild birds should be prohibited.
and unlikely to breed. The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is the most commonly seen of the Black Cockatoos in captivity, and can be hardy and long lived if given plenty of space. Until now, most birds in captivity have been of subspecies C. b. banksii and C. b. samueli. Birds were often previously bred without much attention to subspecies of origin. However, with an increase in interest in conservation, more aviculturists are concerned about maintaining the integrity of the separate subspecies in cultivation, and so avoid crossbreeding.
The birds breed easily in captivity and can lay eggs every 3 weeks between February and November. Once the female has one egg in her nest, she will not lay another. An egg takes about 30 days to hatch. The eyes of the young open around 3 weeks and the yellow down will show black pin feathers at about 6 weeks. The best time for hand raising is at about 10 weeks when their black feathers are in place but the tail feathers are still short. Young birds fledge after about 4 months and both sexes have the colouring of their mother. Mature male birds will become aggressive to young male birds at puberty (4 years); they must be separated if caged.
, was the official mascot of the 2006 Commonwealth Games
held in Melbourne
. Promotion coincided with an implementation of initiatives to ensure the survival of the South-eastern subspecies graptogyne, as well as increased environmental awareness at the games. A traditional story from western Arnhem Land
tells of Black Cockatoo and her husband Crow, who are Bird-people, sprouting black feathers after becoming afflicted with a sickness from across the sea to the north. In fear of being buried underground, they transform into birds and fly high in the sky. In the folklore of the Tiwi people
, the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is said to accompany the dead to heaven.
Cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...
native to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. This species was known as Calyptorhynchus magnificus for many decades until the current scientific name was officially conserved
Conserved name
A conserved name or nomen conservandum is a scientific name that has specific nomenclatural protection. Nomen conservandum is a Latin term, meaning a "name which should be conserved"...
in 1994. It is more common in the drier parts of the continent. Five subspecies are recognised, differing most significantly in beak size. Although the more northerly subspecies are widespread, the two southern subspecies, the Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo and the South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo are under threat.
Adult Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are around 60 centimetres (24 in) in length and sexually dimorphic
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
. Males are completely black in colour, excepting their prominent red tail bands; the slightly smaller females are black with yellow barring on chest with yellow grading to red spots over their crest, cheeks and wings and have yellow-orange tail stripes. The species is usually found in eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
woodlands, or along water courses. In the more northerly parts of the country, these cockatoos are commonly seen in large flocks. They are seed eaters and cavity nesters. As such, they depend on trees with fairly large diameters, generally Eucalyptus. Populations in southeastern Australia are threatened by the reduction in forest cover and by other habitat alterations. Of the black cockatoos, the red-tailed black is the most adaptable to aviculture, although black cockatoos are much rarer and much more expensive outside Australia.
Taxonomy and naming
The species complex was first described by the ornithologist John LathamJohn Latham (ornithologist)
John Latham was an English physician, naturalist and author. He was born at Eltham in Kent, and was the eldest son of John Latham, a surgeon there, and his mother was a descendant of the Sothebys, in Yorkshire....
in 1790 as Psittacus banksii, commemorating English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
botanist Sir Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
. The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo also bears the honour of being the first bird from Eastern Australia illustrated by a European, as a female, presumably collected at Endeavour River
Endeavour River
The Endeavour River on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia, was named in 1770 by Lt. James Cook, R.N., after he was forced to beach his ship, HM Bark Endeavour, for repairs in the river mouth, after damaging it on Endeavour Reef...
in north Queensland, was sketched by Banks' draughtsman Sydney Parkinson
Sydney Parkinson
Sydney Parkinson was a Scottish Quaker, botanical illustrator and natural history artist.Parkinson was employed by Joseph Banks to travel with him on James Cook's first voyage to the Pacific in 1768. Parkinson made nearly a thousand drawings of plants and animals collected by Banks and Daniel...
in 1770. Narrowly predating Latham, English naturalist George Shaw
George Shaw
George Shaw was an English botanist and zoologist.Shaw was born at Bierton, Buckinghamshire and was educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, receiving his M.A. in 1772. He took up the profession of medical practitioner. In 1786 he became the assistant lecturer in botany at Oxford University...
described Psittacus magnificus from a specimen collected somewhere in the Port Jackson (now Sydney) region. For many years, the species was referred to as Calyptorhynchus magnificus, proposed by Gregory Mathews
Gregory Mathews
Gregory Macalister Mathews CBE was an Australian amateur ornithologist.Mathews made his fortune in mining shares, and moved to England around 1900....
in 1927 as Shaw's name had predated Latham's 1790 description. For several decades, Mathews' proposal was accepted by many authorities, although it was unclear whether the original Port Jackson reference had actually referred to the Red-tailed Black or, more likely, the Glossy Black Cockatoo. In 1994, an application to conserve
Conserved name
A conserved name or nomen conservandum is a scientific name that has specific nomenclatural protection. Nomen conservandum is a Latin term, meaning a "name which should be conserved"...
Calyptorhynchus banksii as the scientific name was accepted by the ICZN
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 28 members from 20 countries, mainly practicing zoological taxonomists...
. The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
of the genus Calyptorhynchus
Calyptorhynchus
Described by French naturalist Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest in 1826, the genus Calyptorhynchus has five species. They are all mostly black in colour, and the taxa may be differentiated partly by size and partly by small areas of red, grey and yellow plumage especially in the tail feathers...
, the name of which is derived from the Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
calypto-/καλυπτο- "hidden" and rhynchus/ρυγχος "beak". The change was first made by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest
Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest
Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest was a French zoologist and author. He was the son of Nicolas Desmarest and father of Anselme Sébastien Léon Desmarest...
in 1826.
In 1827 Jennings, proposed the name Psittacus niger for the bird. The binomial combination
Binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
had already been used by Carolus Linnaeus
Carolus Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
for the Lesser Vasa Parrot
Lesser Vasa Parrot
The Lesser Vasa Parrot or Black Parrot Coracopsis nigra is a black coloured parrot native to Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, and Seychelles. It is one of two species of vasa parrots, the other being the Greater Vasa Parrot C. vasa; although, the subspecies C. n...
in 1758, and by Johann Friedrich Gmelin
Johann Friedrich Gmelin
Johann Friedrich Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist and malacologist.- Education :Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp Friedrich Gmelin in 1748 in Tübingen...
for the Palm Cockatoo
Palm Cockatoo
The Palm Cockatoo , also known as the Goliath Cockatoo, is a large smoky-grey or black parrot of the cockatoo family. It is the only member in subfamily Microglossinae and the only member of the monotypic genus, Probosciger...
in 1788; it was thus invalid even though both other species were already known by different names at the time. Alternate common names include Banks' Black Cockatoo, Banksian Black Cockatoo, or simply Black Cockatoo. Indigenous people of the central Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
have several names for the bird: (minha) pachang in Pakanh; (inh -) inhulg in Uw Oykangand
Uw Oykangand language
Kunjen is a Paman language spoken on the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, Australia, by the Uw Olkola and Uw Oykangand people. The two dialects, Uw Olkola and Uw Oykangand, are very close, being mutually intelligible and sharing 97% of their core vocabulary.A small dictionary of Kunjen has been...
; and (inh -) anhulg in Uw Olkola. (The bracketed prefix (inh- or minha) is a qualifier
Grammatical modifier
In grammar, a modifier is an optional element in phrase structure or clause structure; the removal of the modifier typically doesn't affect the grammaticality of the sentence....
meaning 'meat' or 'animal'.) Ngarnarrh or KarnamarrTo are terms used by the Gunwinggu
Gunwinggu
Kunwinjku, also spelt Gunwinggu or Gunwinjgu and also known as Bininj Gunwok or Mayali, is an Australian Aboriginal language in northern Australia...
of Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land
The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
. In Central Australia
Central Australia
Central Australia/Alice Springs Region is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory. The term Central Australia is used to describe an area centred on Alice Springs in Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Centralia; likewise the people of the area are sometimes called Centralians...
, southwest of Alice Springs, the Pitjantjatjara term for the subspecies C. b. samueli is iranti. Karrak is a Noongar
Noongar
The Noongar are an indigenous Australian people who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast...
term derived from the call for the southwestern race C. b. naso.
Classification
The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo's closest relative is the Glossy Black Cockatoo; the two species form the subgenus Calyptorhynchus within the genus of the same name. They are distinguished from the other Black Cockatoos of the subgenus ZandaZanda
Zanda may refer to:* a subgenus of three species of black cockatoo within the genus Calyptorhynchus* Zanda County, county in Tibet*Zanda, Tibet, seat of Zanda County*Zanda,...
by their significant sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
and calls of the juveniles; one a squeaking begging call, the other a vocalization when swallowing food. The Red-tailed was the only Black Cockatoo whose genetic material was used in a key molecular study of Cockatoo systematics in 1999 as only overall relationships between cockatoo genera were being examined and only one Black species was necessary. Five subspecies are recognised, two of which are vulnerable. They differ mainly in the size and shape of the beak, the overall bird size and female colouration:
- C. b. banksii is found in Queensland and, rarely, in far northern New South Wales; it is the largest subspecies by overall body size and has a moderate-sized bill. It merges with subspecies macrorhynchus around the Gulf of CarpentariaGulf of CarpentariaThe Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
. It has disappeared from much of its former range in northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland. - C. b. graptogyne, (Endangered) known as the South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, is found in southwestern VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and southeastern South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
in an area bordered by Mount GambierMount Gambier, South AustraliaMount Gambier is the largest regional city in South Australia located approximately 450 kilometres south of the capital Adelaide and just 17 kilometres from the Victorian border....
to the west, PortlandPortland, VictoriaThe city of Portland is the oldest European settlement in what is now the state of Victoria, Australia. It is the main urban centre of the Shire of Glenelg. It is located on Portland Bay.-History:...
to the south, HorshamHorsham, VictoriaHorsham is the largest city by population and regional centre of the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia and is approximately north-west of Melbourne via the Western Highway. At the 2006 census, Horsham had a population of 14,125. Horsham is in the federal Division of Mallee...
to the northeast and BordertownBordertown, South AustraliaBordertown is a small South Australian town near the Victorian border. It is where the Dukes Highway and the railway line, the two main routes between Adelaide and Melbourne, cross Tatiara Creek....
to the north. The smallest of the five subspecies, it was only recognised as distinct in the 1980s. It is predominantly dependent on stands of Eucalyptus baxteriEucalyptus baxteriThe brown stringybark is a eucalypt which is native to Australia's southeast, occurring from southern New South Wales through Victoria and into the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island of eastern South Australia. It is a medium-sized tree which can reach 40 m in height. The rough stringy bark...
(brown stringybark), Eucalyptus camaldulensis (river redgum) and Allocasuarina luehmanniiAllocasuarina luehmanniiAllocasuarina luehmannii is a species of she-oak native to Australia. Stands are endangered by farming practices in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, where it is integral to the survival of the endangered southeastern subspecies of the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo for feeding and nesting.The...
(Buloke) for feeding and nesting. These tree species have been all threatened by land clearing and most remaining are on private land; possibly only 500–1000 individuals remain. The subspecies and its habitat are the subject of a national recovery plan. In 2007 local landowners are being reimbursed for assisting in regenerating suitable habitat. - C. b. macrorhynchus, given the name Great-billed Cockatoo by Mathews, is found across northern Australia. Although thought to be widespread and abundant, this subspecies has been little studied. It is also large and has a large beak, as its subspecific name implies. Females lack red colouration in their tails.
- C. b. naso (Near Threatened) is known as the Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo and is found in the southwest corner of Western Australia between PerthPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and AlbanyAlbany, Western AustraliaAlbany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
. This form has a larger bill, and favours Marri (Corymbia (formerly Eucalyptus) calophyllaCorymbia calophyllaCorymbia calophylla is a bloodwood native to Western Australia. Common names include Marri and Port Gregory Gum, and a long standing usage has been Red Gum due to the red gum effusions often found on trunks.It is distinctive among bloodwoods for its very large buds and fruit Corymbia calophylla...
), Jarrah (E. marginata) and Karri (E. diversicolor). - C. b. samueli exists in four scattered populations: in central coastal Western Australia from the Pilbara south to the northern Wheatbelt in the vicinity of NorthamNortham, Western AustraliaNortham is a town in Western Australia, situated at the confluence of the Avon and Mortlock Rivers, about north-east of Perth in the Avon Valley. At the 2006 census, Northam had a population of 6,009. Northam is the largest town in the Avon region...
, and inland river courses in Central Australia, southwestern Queensland and the upper Darling RiverDarling RiverThe Darling River is the third longest river in Australia, measuring from its source in northern New South Wales to its confluence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. Including its longest contiguous tributaries it is long, making it the longest river system in Australia.The...
system in Western New South Wales. Birds of this subspecies are generally smaller with smaller bills than the nominate banksii.
Description
Red-tailed Black Cockatoos measure around 60 centimetres (24 in) in length. The male's plumage is all black with a prominent black crest made up of elongated feathers from the forehead and crown.The bill is dark grey . The tail is also black with two lateral bright red panels. Females are black with yellow-orange stripes in the tail and chest,and yellow grading to red spots on the cheeks and wings. The bill is pale and horn-coloured. The underparts are barred with fine yellow over a black base. Male birds weigh between 670 and 920 grams (1.5–2 lbPound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
), while females weigh slightly less at 615–870 grams (1.25–1.75 lb).
Juvenile Red-tailed Black Cockatoos resemble females until puberty, which occurs around four years of age, but have paler yellow barred underparts. As the birds reach maturity, males gradually replace their yellow tail feathers with red ones; the complete process takes around four years. As with other cockatoos, the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo can be very long-lived
Longevity
The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
in captivity; in 1938, ornithologist Neville Cayley
Neville William Cayley
Neville William Cayley was a celebrated Australian author, artist and ornithologist. He produced Australia's first comprehensive bird field guide What Bird is That?...
reported one over fifty years old at Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo is the city zoo of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Officially opened on 7 October 1916, it is located on the shores of Sydney Harbour in the suburb of Mosman...
. Another bird residing at London and Rotterdam Zoos was 45 years and 5 months of age when it died in 1979.
Several calls of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos have been recorded. The bird's contact call is a rolling metallic krur-rr or kree, which may carry long distances and is always given while flying; its alarm call is sharp. Displaying males vocalize a sequence of soft growling followed by a repetitive kred-kred-kred-kred.
Distribution and habitat
The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo principally occurs across the drier parts of Australia. It is widespread and abundant in a broad band across the northern half of the country, where it has been considered an agricultural pest, with more isolated distribution in the south. It is found in a wide variety of habitats, from shrublands and grasslands through eucalyptEucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
, sheoak and Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
woodlands, to dense tropical rainforests. The bird is dependent on large, old eucalypts for nesting hollows, although the specific gums used vary in different parts of the country.
Cockatoos are not wholly migratory, but they do exhibit regular seasonal movements in different parts of Australia. In the northern parts of the Northern Territory, they largely leave areas of high humidity in the summer wet season
Wet season
The the wet season, or rainy season, is the time of year, covering one or more months, when most of the average annual rainfall in a region occurs. The term green season is also sometimes used as a euphemism by tourist authorities. Areas with wet seasons are dispersed across portions of the...
. In other parts of the country cockatoo seasonal movements tend to follow food sources, a pattern recorded in Northern Queensland, and New South Wales. In southwest Western Australia, both extant subspecies appear to have a north-south pattern; northwards after breeding in the case of subspecies naso, while movements by subspecies samueli in the wheatbelt can be irregular and unrelated to the seasons.
Behaviour
Diet
Although Red-tailed Black Cockatoos feed on a wide variety of native and introduced grains, the mainstay of their diet is eucalyptusEucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
seeds. There is a specific relationship between the species and larger-fruited species of gums. These vary across Australia but include the Marri in Southwest Western Australia, Darwin woolybutt E. miniata
Eucalyptus miniata
The Darwin woollybutt is a eucalypt which is native to Australia's Top End, found from Cape York in north Queensland across through to the Northern Territory into the Kimberley Region of northern Western Australia. It is a medium-sized tree which can reach 15–25 m in height. The bark is soft and...
across the north of the country, E. baxteri
Eucalyptus baxteri
The brown stringybark is a eucalypt which is native to Australia's southeast, occurring from southern New South Wales through Victoria and into the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island of eastern South Australia. It is a medium-sized tree which can reach 40 m in height. The rough stringy bark...
in Victoria and the bloodwood species Corymbia polycarpa
Corymbia polycarpa
Corymbia polycarpa or the long-fruited bloodwood is a bloodwood native to Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales; more specifically it is found across northern Australia and into northwestern New South Wales.It is a medium-sized tree which can reach 10–18 m in height...
and C. intermedia
Corymbia intermedia
Corymbia intermedia or the pink bloodwood is a bloodwood native to Queensland and New South Wales...
in Queensland. Cockatoos bite off branchlets with clusters of seed capsules, then hold them with their feet while chewing and harvesting seeds before littering the ground with debris. Among other seeds and nuts consumed are those of Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
, Allocasuarina
Allocasuarina
Allocasuarina is a genus of trees in the flowering plant family Casuarinaceae. They are endemic to Australia, occurring primarily in the south. Like the closely related genus Casuarina, they are commonly called sheoaks or she-oaks, they are notable for their long, segmented branchlets that...
, Banksia
Banksia
Banksia is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones" and heads. When it comes to size, banksias range from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up...
, Grevillea
Grevillea
Grevillea is a diverse genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the protea family Proteaceae, native to Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Sulawesi. It was named in honour of Charles Francis Greville. The species range from prostrate shrubs less than 0.5 m tall to trees...
and Hakea
Hakea
Hakea is a genus of 149 species of shrubs and small trees in the Proteaceae, native to Australia. They are found throughout the country, with the highest species diversity being found in the south west of Western Australia....
, as well as berries, fruits and various insects and grubs. Cockatoos have adapted to eating some introduced plants such as the doublegee (Emex australis
Emex australis
Emex australis, commonly known as doublegee or three-cornered jack, is a herbaceous plant of the Polygonaceae. It is a weed in South Africa and Australia.-External links:***...
). There is some evidence of consumption of wild radish
Wild radish
Wild Radish or Jointed Charlock, Raphanus raphanistrum, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is sometimes claimed to be the ancestor of the edible radish, Raphanus sativus...
(Raphanus raphanistrum), wild turnip (Brassica tournefortii
Brassica tournefortii
The mustard species Brassica tournefortii is known by the common names Asian mustard, African mustard, and Sahara mustard, and is well-known as an invasive species, especially in California....
) and melon (Citrullus
Citrullus
Citrullus is a small genus of desert vines, among which Citrullus lanatus is an important crop.- Classifications of Citrullus :A = names approved by most authorities, s = approved as synonyms- Citroides Group :...
or Cucumis
Cucumis
Cucumis is a genus of twining, tendril-bearing plants in the Cucurbitaceae family which includes the cucumber, true melons, the horned melon, and Cucumis anguria, the West Indian gherkin...
).
Breeding
The male Red-tailed Black Cockatoo courts by puffing up crest and cheek feathers, and hiding the beak; it then sings and struts, ending in a jump and a flash of red tail feathers toward the female who will most often reply by defensively biting him. Breeding generally takes place from May to September except in the case of the South-eastern subspecies, which nests during summer (December to February). Pairs of the subspecies samueli in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia may produce two broods, while those of South-eastern subspecies only produce one. Nesting takes place in large vertical tree hollows of tall trees. Isolated trees are generally chosen, so birds can fly to and from them relatively unhindered. The same tree may be used for many years. Hollows can be 1 to 2 metres (3–7 ft) deep and 0.25–0.5 metres (10–20 in) wide, with a base of woodchips. A clutch consists of 1 to 2 white, lustreless eggs, although the second chick is in most cases neglected and perishes in infancy.Relationship with humans
Red-tailed Black Cockatoos have been implicated as agricultural pests of peanutPeanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
and other crops at Lakeland Downs
Lakeland, Queensland
Lakeland, Queensland - also known as Lakeland Downs - is a small farming centre in Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia.It is at the junction of the main Peninsula Development Road , and the Mulligan Highway. It is located in the Shire of Cook.It contains a hotel, a cafe, and roadhouse and a...
in Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait...
. Here the cockatoos, in flocks of up to several hundred birds, have learned to sever the peanut plants above ground level before pulling the peanuts out of the ground by their stems and shelling them. They also damage electrical cables on pivot irrigators
Center pivot irrigation
Center-pivot irrigation , also called circle irrigation, is a method of crop irrigation in which equipment rotates around a pivot...
.
Conservation status
The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is protected under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Wildlife Protection) Act 2001.These birds are listed internationally under Appendix II of CITES, which allows international trade in live wild-caught and captive-bred specimens, if such exports are not detrimental to wild populations. However, the current Australian restrictions on commercial exports from Australia are not imposed by CITES. C. b. graptogyne is also specifically listed as endangered on the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and culturally significant places...
.
Status of the Red-tailed Black-cockatoo as a species, and as a subspecies, also varies from state to state within Australia. For example:
- The south-eastern Red-tailed Black-cockatoo subspecies C. b. graptogyne is listed as endangered on Schedule 7 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act (1972) of South Australia. is the smallest of the species with an estimated population of just 1000 birds, it is in danger of extinction.
- C. b. graptogyne is also listed as threatened on the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988). Under this Act, an Action Statement for the recovery and future management of this species has been prepared. However, it should also be noted that the Red-tailed Black-cockatoo is listed under this Act under its previous Latin name, Calyptorhynchus magnificus. On the 2007 advisory list of threatened vertebrate fauna in Victoria, this subspecies is listed as endangered.
- The Red-tailed Black-cockatoo is listed as vulnerableVulnerable speciesOn 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
on the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995)
Illegal smuggling
Like many Australian cockatoos and parrots, the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is threatened by the thriving illegal tradeWildlife trade
The international wildlife trade is a serious conservation problem, addressed by the United Nations' Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES, which currently has 175 member countries called Parties. The 15th meeting of the Parties took place in Doha,...
in bird smuggling. High demand and high transit mortality mean that many more birds are taken from the wild than actually sold. In 1997, the Northern Territory Government's
Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is the unicameral parliament of the Northern Territory in Australia. It sits in Parliament House, located on State Square, close to the centre of the city of Darwin.-History:...
Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts (NRETA) proposed a management plan of C. b. macrorhynchus to stem the illegal trade in eggs and nestlings. This subspecies, which is relatively abundant in the territory's northern part, was thought plentiful enough to sustain limited harvesting of young for commercial purposes. This involved the protection of selected 'harvest zones' and the capping of harvest at 600 eggs or hatchlings per year; all captive birds were to be marked with microchips. Separate permits would be issued for collection and export, as well as keeping one as a pet.
Proposed NRETA plan
The Northern Territory government's plan for a restricted harvest was supported by a group of biologists who argued that a 'do-nothing approach' had failed to address illegal trafficking and that limited public funds were available for species or habitat conservation. They felt that a catastrophic collapse in the Northern Territory population was highly unlikely, and that the cockatoo would benefit from increased awareness and a greater understanding of its biology by local landowners. There would also be a valuable contribution to the science of sustainable utilisation of wild resources.Other experts raised serious concerns with the management plan; the famed psittacine biologist Joseph Forshaw
Joseph Forshaw
Joseph Michael Forshaw is an Australian ornithologist, and the world's foremost expert on parrots. He was the former head of wildlife conservation for the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service.-References:...
opposed it on several grounds. He expressed concerns that, given the birds' long lifespan, recruitment problems may be masked for many years, by which time recovery of the cockatoo population may be impossible. He also feared that increasing supply would lower prices and hence lower profitability for those involved. Other groups such as the Avicultural Federation of Australia (AFA) raised concerns that populations may be aging due to lack of breeding sites, so they may be especially vulnerable to loss of juveniles which, again, may not be apparent for many years. They also feared that since adults mate for life, a bird whose partner was taken may not mate again. To date the plan has not been implemented; the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
inquiry into the Commercial Utilisation of Australian Native Wildlife concluded in early 1998 that routine capture and commercial use of adult wild birds should be prohibited.
Aviculture
In the late 1990s, Red-tailed Black Cockatoos fetched prices of $1750 in Australia and $8900 (~US$6000) overseas. Hand-raised birds can be bought for anywhere between $15,000 to $40,000 in the United States, where they are seldom seen in aviculture. Hand-reared birds are able to learn a few words and can be quite affectionate, although males may become imprintedImprinting (psychology)
Imprinting is the term used in psychology and ethology to describe any kind of phase-sensitive learning that is rapid and apparently independent of the consequences of behavior...
and unlikely to breed. The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is the most commonly seen of the Black Cockatoos in captivity, and can be hardy and long lived if given plenty of space. Until now, most birds in captivity have been of subspecies C. b. banksii and C. b. samueli. Birds were often previously bred without much attention to subspecies of origin. However, with an increase in interest in conservation, more aviculturists are concerned about maintaining the integrity of the separate subspecies in cultivation, and so avoid crossbreeding.
The birds breed easily in captivity and can lay eggs every 3 weeks between February and November. Once the female has one egg in her nest, she will not lay another. An egg takes about 30 days to hatch. The eyes of the young open around 3 weeks and the yellow down will show black pin feathers at about 6 weeks. The best time for hand raising is at about 10 weeks when their black feathers are in place but the tail feathers are still short. Young birds fledge after about 4 months and both sexes have the colouring of their mother. Mature male birds will become aggressive to young male birds at puberty (4 years); they must be separated if caged.
Cultural depictions
A Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, named KarakKarak (mascot)
Karak was the mascot for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. He was modelled on a Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, a threatened species within the host country, Australia....
, was the official mascot of the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
held in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Promotion coincided with an implementation of initiatives to ensure the survival of the South-eastern subspecies graptogyne, as well as increased environmental awareness at the games. A traditional story from western Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land
The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
tells of Black Cockatoo and her husband Crow, who are Bird-people, sprouting black feathers after becoming afflicted with a sickness from across the sea to the north. In fear of being buried underground, they transform into birds and fly high in the sky. In the folklore of the Tiwi people
Tiwi people
The Tiwi people are one of the many Indigenous groups of Australia. Nearly 2,500 Tiwi live in the Bathurst and Melville Islands, which make up the Tiwi Islands....
, the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is said to accompany the dead to heaven.
External links
- World Parrot Trust Parrot Encyclopedia - Species Profiles
- Website of Conservation Program of South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii graptogyne)