Black cockatoo facts
- Types of black cockatoos
- Are black cockatoos endangered?
- What are the biggest threats to black cockatoos?
- Identifying black cockatoos
- Where can I find black cockatoos?
- Speak up for Australia's black cockatoos
Types of black cockatoos
There are five types of black cockatoo across Australia – all known for their black feathers and tails with red, yellow or white markings.
Forest red-tailed black-cockatoo
Common name: Forest red-tailed black-cockatoo
Aboriginal names: Karrak (Noongar)
Scientific name: Calyptorhynchus banksii naso
Population: Declining
Endangered status: Vulnerable (WA, Australia)
Carnaby’s cockatoo
Common name: Carnaby’s black-cockatoo, short-billed black-cockatoo, white-tailed black-cockatoo
Scientific name: Zanda latirostris, Calyptorhynchus latirostris
Population: Declining
Endangered status: Endangered (Australia, EPBC Act); Specially Protected Fauna (WA), Endangered (IUCN Red List)
Baudin’s cockatoo
Common names: Baudin’s cockatoo, Baudin’s black-cockatoo, long-billed black-cockatoo or white-tailed black-cockatoo
Scientific name: Zanda baudinii
Population: Declining
Endangered status: Vulnerable (WA, Australia), Endangered (IUCN Red List)
South-eastern glossy black cockatoo
Common names: Glossy black cockatoo, Casuarina cockatoo
Scientific name: Calyptorhynchus lathami lathami
Population: Declining
Endangered status: Vulnerable (Australia)
Yellow-tailed black cockatoo
Common name: Yellow-tailed black cockatoo
Scientific name: Calyptorhynchus funereus
Population: Declining
Endangered status: Secure (Australia), Vulnerable (South Australia)
Are black cockatoos endangered?
- Four out of five of Australia's black cockatoo species are under threat nationally.
- The south-eastern glossy black cockatoo was listed as vulnerable under national environment law in August 2022.
- Baudin’s black-cockatoo is an endangered species and protected under the federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. Fewer than 15,000 Baudin’s cockatoos are alive in the wild.
- Carnaby’s black-cockatoo is a Commonwealth endangered species under the EPBC Act, and is also ‘Specially protected fauna’ under the WA Wildlife Conservation Act. In Western Australia, the Carnaby’s cockatoo is considered ‘likely to become extinct’ in the wild.
- The red-tailed black-cockatoo’s forest (or Karrak) subspecies (Calyptorhynchus banksii naso) is a vulnerable species protected under the EPBC Act and WA Biodiversity Conservation Act. This sub-species ranges from Gingin north of Perth to Albany in the south-west of WA. Fewer than 15,000 Karraks are alive in the wild.
What are the biggest threats to cockatoos?
- All Western Australian species of black cockatoo are threatened by habitat loss and degradation, competition from other birds for nesting sites and declining food supplies.
- The forest red-tailed black cockatoos are threatened by habitat loss, competition for rare nesting hollows and by injury from European honeybees. The federal government’s recovery plan for this subspecies was implemented in October 2021 with a view to reducing the burden these threats place on the species.
- Baudin’s and Carnaby’s black cockatoos are particularly endangered and are considered likely to become extinct in the wild.
- Like the forest red-tailed black cockatoo, these species are threatened by loss of nesting hollows due to deforestation from mining and timber industries, habitat fragmentation, loss of native food sources from urban development and bushfires.
- On the east side of Australia, the south-eastern glossy black cockatoo was listed as vulnerable under national environment law in August 2022. These cockatoos feed almost exclusively on cones from mature female casuarina trees and rely on the hollows of old eucalypts for nesting – trees that were hit hard by the devastating bushfires of 2019-20.
Identifying black cockatoos
- Forest red-tailed black-cockatoos can be identified by their short, rounded crests, glossy black feathers, and red markings on their tails. Males have dark grey bills. Females have whitish bills and pale-yellow spots on the head and wings.
- Baudin’s and Carnaby’s black cockatoos can be identified by their upper bill mandibles. Both species are otherwise similar in appearance with white patches on their heads and white markings on their tails. Males have black bills while females have greyish coloured bills.
- Glossy black cockatoos are the smallest of the five black cockatoo species. They have red or orange-red tail panels, similar to red-tailed black cockatoos, but have more brown-black plumage on their head. Adult females have yellow patches on their heads and necks.
Where can I find black cockatoos?
- The endangered and vulnerable forest red-tailed, Baudin’s and Carnaby’s cockatoos are endemic to south-western WA. These populations are especially vulnerable to habitat loss and competition.
- The south-eastern glossy black cockatoo is widespread across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, with an isolated population on Kangaroo Island in South Australia.
Speak up for Australia's black cockatoos
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Header image: Red-tailed black cockatoo by Johan Larson/Shutterstock.com