Black-Cockatoo basics
Black-cockatoos are large parrots and measure about 60 cm from bill to tail. All three southwest species are mostly black, but in the light can sometimes appear brownish or grey. They have strong, rounded bills to extract seeds from woody eucalypt fruit, but they also eat a variety of native and commercial nuts, fruits, and seeds, as well as nectar and insects. Black-cockatoos are social birds, and while you sometimes see individual birds, they are more often in pairs, small groups, or large flocks of up to several hundred birds. With their loud calls, flocks can be heard well before they are seen. Baudin’s and Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo are collectively known as ‘Forest Black-Cockatoos’, due to their preference for Jarrah and Marri forest. While also found in forests and woodlands, Carnaby’s inhabit low heaths of the midwest and south coast too. The map below shows the current range of all three southwest Black-Cockatoo species. Southwest Australia is home to three species of black-cockatoo – Baudin’s, Carnaby’s, and Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo. Here are some tips to help identify them. Birds of forest, woodland and heath.
Cockies in crisis
Unfortunately these three iconic Western Australians are in decline. All three have suffered greatly from historical land clearing and habitat loss continues to affect them. Tree hollows vital for cockatoos to breed in are being lost to fire, taken over by feral bees and other invasive species, and are not being replaced in the landscape. Illegal persecution and smuggling further reduce their numbers.
BirdLife Australia and others are working hard to protect these birds, so they may continue to wing their way across the southwest long into the future.
Because of their size and colour there are only a handful of other large, black birds that blackcockatoos can be confused with, but here are some
helpful tips:
The silhouette of black-cockatoos is different to other large black birds, such as ravens and crows, which have long pointed bills, where cockatoos have rounded bills. Black cockatoos also have coloured panels in their tails, which are often visible from the ground.
Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo
Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos are the easiest to distinguish from other black-cockatoos, due to their namesake red tail feathers.
Although there are other Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos in Australia, the Forest Red-tailed is the only one found in southwest Australia forests. As the name suggests, it is a forest-dwelling bird, preferring Jarrah, Marri and Sheoak. In the Noongar language its name is Karak, relating to their fire (kar) coloured tail.
Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos are generally seen in small family groups. In recent years they have been seen more frequently in the Perth metropolitan area, as they move into the suburbs to take advantage of exotic street tree species such as Cape Lilac (Melia azedarach).
Baudin's and Carnaby's Black-Cockatoos
Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo and Baudin’s Black- Cockatoo are quite similar and are often mistaken for each other. The body feathers of both species are brownish-black, with narrow off-white tips, making the feathers look scalloped when viewed at close range. They have white patches on their cheeks and white panels on the tail that are particularly visible during flight. The males of both species are distinguished by rings of pink skin around the eye and black bills, while both females have grey-black eye rings and bone coloured bills.