Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo and are aggressive when strangers approach their nest. Large and black, you can easily differentiate between the male and female of the species as the male Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo has a deep red tail, while the female has a red to an orange tail. Other differences between the two sexes are: i) the male is sooty black while the female has glossy feathers with golden flecks, ii) the male has a larger crest than the female, and iii) the female's bill is lighter than the male’s dark gray bill. If they see you approach them, they’ll fly away while raising a loud alarm. The best way to watch them would be to stand still so that they ignore you. The Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos have a very loving personality, but aren’t commonly kept as a pet, as they are rare. Physical Description Behavior Pet Quality These Cockatoos live in flocks, sometimes small but most of the time big (up to 200). Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Voice Diet Reproduction They emit a harsh rasping shriek or a loud mournful note that sounds something like "Karee" or "Krar-roak" or "chet". The Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo's diet comprises mainly of seeds and also nuts, fruits, flowers, bulbs and insects. The most preferred seeds are those of the Brown Stringybarks Eucalyptus tree. They look for food in the canopies of the Eucalyptus and Acacia trees but at times feed on the ground. Red-tailed Cockatoos attain sexual maturity when they are about 4 years old. At this time, the young moult into adult plumage. The breeding season of the Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo is different in different regions. In Northern Australia, they breed between March and September, and in Western Australia, between July and October. They build their nests with chewed or decayed wood on tall hollow trees, which are at least 49 feet (15 m) above the ground, and are not more than 1.2 miles (2 km) from their Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo feeding habitat. The trees they mainly nest on are the River Red Gums or Yellow Gums. One or sometimes two eggs are laid but only one chick is raised. The female does all the incubating and, after the egg has been hatched, it is the male’s responsibility to feed the chick. Feeding takes place twice a day, in the morning and at night. Adults enter their nest backward. Although they are not listed by the IUCN the Red-tailed Black- Cockatoos have been greatly reduced in number and it is estimated that only between 700 and 1000 of the species remain today. Their distribution across the country has always been the same and their occurrence has decreased. This is mainly due to habitat loss, since as much as 60% of its natural habitat in Victoria and 80% in South Australia has been destroyed. Much of the feeding habitat used by these birds is within the State Forests. Nests are no longer found on private land and this is mainly due to deforestation. The Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo is decreasing in numbers, and this Conservation Status Threats Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo is attributed to a number of reasons. The primary reason is their dependence on large hollow logs for nesting. Any disturbances to the natural vegetation that result in the reduction of the number of Eucalyptus trees poses a threat to the population of this bird. A change in its feeding habitat is also a threat. The bird survives only on certain types of food, and if it is unavailable, it will cause the death of the bird. Another major threat arises from poaching. The nests are robbed of eggs. And the chicks tend to be sold in black markets all over the world. The poachers often destroy the nest hollow and it cannot, therefore, be used for future breeding. Poaching is punishable by law, and if caught, poachers will be put in jail or made to pay a heavy fine. |