Red-tailed black-cockatoo

Calyptorhynchus banksii

Photo by Peter Strauss (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
red-tailed black-cockatoo (en);cacatua-negra-de-cauda-vermelha (pt); cacatoès banksien (fr); cacatúa colirroja (es); Banks-rabenkakadu (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Psittaciformes
Family Cacatuidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Australia. They are found in northern Australia from northern Western Australia to northern New South Wales, in south-western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia, and in south-western Western Australia.

Size:
These birds are 50-65 cm long and weigh 570-920 g.

Habitat:
The red-tailed balck-cockatoo is found in Eucalyptus woodlands, moist subtropical forests, grasslands and scrublands with scattered trees and arable land.

Diet:
They forage both in the tree canopy and on the ground, mainly feeding on seeds, but also taking fruits, nuts, flowers, bulbs and insects.

Breeding:
Red-tailed black-cockatoos breed in March-October. They are monogamous and mate for life, and if one of the birds disappears, the other may not mate again. The nest in a tree hollow, 8-15 m above the ground, which is lined with chewed and decayed wood. There the female lays 1-2 white eggs, which she incubates alone for 28-30 days. Only 1 chick will be raised, being fed by both parents and fledging 11-14 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated to be above 100.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction, but it is not threatened at present.