The yellow-tailed black cockatoo is a large cockatoo native to the south-east of Australia measuring 55–65 cm (22–26 in) in length. It has a short crest on the top of its head. Its plumage is mostly brownish black and it has prominent yellow cheek patches and a yellow tail band. The body feathers are edged with yellow giving a scalloped appearance. The adult male has a black beak and pinkish-red eye-rings, and the female has a bone-coloured beak and grey eye-rings. In flight, yellow-tailed black cockatoos flap deeply and slowly, with a peculiar heavy fluid motion. Their loud, wailing calls carry for long distances. The yellow-tailed black cockatoo is found in temperate forests and forested areas across south and central eastern Queensland to southeastern South Australia, including a very small population persisting in the Eyre Peninsula. Two subspecies are recognised, although Tasmanian and southern mainland populations of the southern subspecies xanthanotus may be distinct enough from each other to bring the total to three. Birds of subspecies funereus have longer wings and tails and darker plumage overall, while those of xanthanotus have more prominent scalloping. The subspecies whiteae is found south of Victoria to the East of South Australia and is smaller in size.
Region
Southeast Australia
Typical Environment
Occurs from south and central-eastern Queensland through New South Wales and Victoria into southeastern South Australia, with populations in Tasmania and a small, isolated presence on the Eyre Peninsula. It occupies temperate eucalypt forests, wet and dry sclerophyll woodlands, and coastal heathlands. The species also uses plantations, particularly Monterey pine, for feeding. Breeding requires large, old eucalypts with deep hollows, often near forest edges or watercourses.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This cockatoo specializes in prying apart Banksia and Hakea cones and stripping eucalypt bark to extract wood-boring grubs with its powerful bill. Its long, mournful calls can carry over great distances and are often heard before the birds are seen. It nests in large hollows of mature eucalypts, making it sensitive to the loss of old-growth trees. In many areas it now also feeds on seeds from pine plantations, which can supplement food in winter.
A pair flying in Victoria, Australia
A male stripping bark from a tree in Swifts Creek, Victoria, Australia
An immature male (less than about two years old) of race xanthanota on Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia
Adult male of race funereus in Victoria, Australia
A family flying overhead in Tasmania
Female eating Banksia integrifolia
A female race funereus eating from a pine cone in Murramarang National Park, Australia
At Flying High Bird Habitat, Queensland, Australia
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
strong flier with deep, slow wingbeats
Social Behavior
Often travels in pairs, family parties, or small flocks, with larger aggregations at rich food sources. Pairs nest in large tree hollows; the female incubates while the male provides food. Clutches are typically one to two eggs, but usually only one chick fledges. Pairs maintain strong bonds and may reuse nest sites across years.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations are loud, wailing 'kee-ow' or 'whee-la' calls that carry over long distances. Contact calls are drawn-out and mournful, given in flight or when perched. Alarm notes are harsher and more rapid.
