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gemfyreThere are five species in the Calyptorhynchus genus. All are restricted to Australia. Three are found in the South-west. Two of those are restricted to the south-west and are endangered.
Cockatoos from the genus Calyptorhynchus are better known as the Black Cockatoos.
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo - Calyptorhynchus banksii
Photo by Pearly_Shells of Birdforum
The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (or RTBC, as birdos will notate it) is found all over Australia. It has many subspecies, some which are endangered. In the south-west the subspecies is naso and is endangered, mainly due to habitat clearing. The RTBC is easy to identify -
- Large, black cockatoo. Females have yellow speckles.
- Red feathers in tail. Female birds have more a yellow and red striped effect to their tails wheras males are just solid, bright red.
- Distinctive "Karrak" call.
RTBCs are more commonly found in the Darling Ranges, but they are more and more often being spotted on the coastal plain.
The other two species of Black Cockatoo found in the South-west are VERY hard to tell apart, and have similar tales of woe, so I'm going to do them together.
THE WHITE-TAILED BLACK COCKATOOS
Carnaby's Cockatoo (Short-billed Black Cockatoo) - Calyptorhynchus latirostris
Photo by davidfree of Birdforum
Baudin's Cockatoo (Long-billed Black Cockatoo) - Calyptorhynchus baudinii
Photo by MikeBouette of Birdforum
Can you tell the difference? The names will possibly give it away.
- The Baudin's Cockatoo has a longer, thinner beak than the Carnaby's, specialised to reach into Marri nuts and extract the seeds within (like the cockatoos in the photo are demonstrating). The Carnaby's Cockatoo feeds by cracking the nuts of various banksias, hakeas and eucalypts and whatever else they can scrounge that looks edible. They are partial to the pine cones offered by the pine plantations on the Swan coastal plain.
- The other differentiating feature is the call. The Carnaby's has a more drawn out, whining call whereas the Baudin's has a shorter, sharper "witcha-witcha" call. But most of the time they sound pretty much the same, at least in my experience.
- They also have differing ranges. The Baudin's has a smaller range in the wetter far south-west areas, where plenty of marri trees grow. The Carnaby's range is a lot more widespread across the entire south-west except for the wettest areas, where it's food of choice grows. Or did grow. Due to extensive clearing for wheat farming the food sources of the Carnaby's Cockatoo are now few and far between. BOTH species are under threat from a lack of nesting hollows. It's at this time I could go into great detail about the problems that plague the Carnaby's Cockatoo, seeing as they were one of my focus species I worked with at DEC, but I won't.
In the Perth area if you see white-tailed black cockatoos, chances are you're seeing Carnaby's which have migrated to the coast to feed on the pine plantations after breeding further inland in the wheatbelt. The Baudin's Cockatoo is more often seen on the Darling Scarp and further south. Many people feel that, because the flocks are usually large and noisy that this species isn't in trouble. The problem is, cockatoos live to a ripe old age and most of the birds we see flying around are adults. The number of new juvenilles is alarmingly small.
Okay, now that I've depressed you. How do you tell a white-tailed black cockatoo at least, even if you can't decide if it's a Carnaby's or a Baudin's.
- Black plumage with white panels in the tail.
- White cheek patches.
- Lazy, swimming flight pattern.
- Usually seen in flocks.
- Loud, whiny "wee-lah" or "witcha-witcha" call.
- A penchant for throwing pine cones at cars.
Birds Australia runs an annual "Cocky Count" to ascertain the numbers of black-cockatoos in the south-west. For more info check out the Recovery Project. (Info on the site is specifically about Carnaby's, but info on the other two species is also important). If you notice in a flock two birds flying with a smaller one trailing after them, you're probably seeing a mother-father-offspring trio, which is worth reporting. Active nesting sites should also be reported to the recovery guys - but don't go screaming about it to the general public, there are people around only too keen to smuggle eggs or chicks for the pet trade.
Cockatoos from the genus Calyptorhynchus are better known as the Black Cockatoos.
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo - Calyptorhynchus banksii
Photo by Pearly_Shells of Birdforum
The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (or RTBC, as birdos will notate it) is found all over Australia. It has many subspecies, some which are endangered. In the south-west the subspecies is naso and is endangered, mainly due to habitat clearing. The RTBC is easy to identify -
- Large, black cockatoo. Females have yellow speckles.
- Red feathers in tail. Female birds have more a yellow and red striped effect to their tails wheras males are just solid, bright red.
- Distinctive "Karrak" call.
RTBCs are more commonly found in the Darling Ranges, but they are more and more often being spotted on the coastal plain.
The other two species of Black Cockatoo found in the South-west are VERY hard to tell apart, and have similar tales of woe, so I'm going to do them together.
THE WHITE-TAILED BLACK COCKATOOS
Carnaby's Cockatoo (Short-billed Black Cockatoo) - Calyptorhynchus latirostris
Photo by davidfree of Birdforum
Baudin's Cockatoo (Long-billed Black Cockatoo) - Calyptorhynchus baudinii
Photo by MikeBouette of Birdforum
Can you tell the difference? The names will possibly give it away.
- The Baudin's Cockatoo has a longer, thinner beak than the Carnaby's, specialised to reach into Marri nuts and extract the seeds within (like the cockatoos in the photo are demonstrating). The Carnaby's Cockatoo feeds by cracking the nuts of various banksias, hakeas and eucalypts and whatever else they can scrounge that looks edible. They are partial to the pine cones offered by the pine plantations on the Swan coastal plain.
- The other differentiating feature is the call. The Carnaby's has a more drawn out, whining call whereas the Baudin's has a shorter, sharper "witcha-witcha" call. But most of the time they sound pretty much the same, at least in my experience.
- They also have differing ranges. The Baudin's has a smaller range in the wetter far south-west areas, where plenty of marri trees grow. The Carnaby's range is a lot more widespread across the entire south-west except for the wettest areas, where it's food of choice grows. Or did grow. Due to extensive clearing for wheat farming the food sources of the Carnaby's Cockatoo are now few and far between. BOTH species are under threat from a lack of nesting hollows. It's at this time I could go into great detail about the problems that plague the Carnaby's Cockatoo, seeing as they were one of my focus species I worked with at DEC, but I won't.
In the Perth area if you see white-tailed black cockatoos, chances are you're seeing Carnaby's which have migrated to the coast to feed on the pine plantations after breeding further inland in the wheatbelt. The Baudin's Cockatoo is more often seen on the Darling Scarp and further south. Many people feel that, because the flocks are usually large and noisy that this species isn't in trouble. The problem is, cockatoos live to a ripe old age and most of the birds we see flying around are adults. The number of new juvenilles is alarmingly small.
Okay, now that I've depressed you. How do you tell a white-tailed black cockatoo at least, even if you can't decide if it's a Carnaby's or a Baudin's.
- Black plumage with white panels in the tail.
- White cheek patches.
- Lazy, swimming flight pattern.
- Usually seen in flocks.
- Loud, whiny "wee-lah" or "witcha-witcha" call.
- A penchant for throwing pine cones at cars.
Birds Australia runs an annual "Cocky Count" to ascertain the numbers of black-cockatoos in the south-west. For more info check out the Recovery Project. (Info on the site is specifically about Carnaby's, but info on the other two species is also important). If you notice in a flock two birds flying with a smaller one trailing after them, you're probably seeing a mother-father-offspring trio, which is worth reporting. Active nesting sites should also be reported to the recovery guys - but don't go screaming about it to the general public, there are people around only too keen to smuggle eggs or chicks for the pet trade.
