Range

Australia is the native home of the red-tailed black cockatoo. Here they can be found in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

Their range is fragmented with different races being found in different parts of the country.

Habitat

They make their home in forests and shrublands which are mainly dominated by eucalyptus and casuarina trees. In some regional towns and cities they may be found in urban areas.

Reproduction

Breeding has been recorded year round depending on the population and their location across the country.

Courtship involves the male strutting along a branch towards the female with his tail feathers fanned out and crest ruffled up.

Nesting occurs in a tree hollow which is usually in a dead or mature eucalypt tree. This is lined with wood dust, woodchips and splinters. They will enter their hollow tail first.

Into this nest the female will deposit a single white egg. She is responsible for all the incubation of these eggs.

At birth the chick has no feathers but soon develops a coat of downy yellow feathers.

When they initially hatch the female does all the feeding but once they are older the male will contribute to feeding the chicks.

The chicks will fledge at between 10 and 12 weeks old. They remain with their parents after this and may still be fed by them.

Sexual maturity is reached at 4 years old.

Behavior

These birds form flocks which usually are quite small. In northern Australia though some have grown to include as many as 200 birds. They may also be seen in pairs and trios.

They are active by day. A group of red-tailed black cockatoos will spend most of their day feeding before returning to trees along rivers and streams where they will roost for the night.

Flocks of red-tailed black cockatoos move around based on food availability throughout the year.

In flight the members of the flock will call to one another with a high-pitched ‘cree-cree’ call.

Predators and Threats

Humans threaten their population through the clearing of their habitat to create agricultural land. Small numbers may be poached for the pet trade.

Across most of their range the population is decreasing but in some areas they have been able to increase their number due to the expansion of invasive weeds providing a food source.

Their low rate of reproduction makes it difficult for populations to recover after a decrease.

Quick facts

They are also known as Bank’s black cockatoo or the great-billed cockatoo.

Their name Bank’s black cockatoo and the scientific name banksii both reference Joseph Banks, a botanist with Captain Cook.