Male: Body, black. Broad red band near end of tail, except for two central tail feathers that are black. Cere naked. Eye, dark-brown. Naked skin around eye, dark-grey. Bill, dark-grey. Toes, dusky-grey.
Female: Body, brown-black. Haed, neck and shoulders speckled yellow. Underparts, bands of yellow and yellow-orange. Under tail-coverts, bands of orange-red. Band in tail is light-yellow turning to orange toward edge. Bill, bone.
Immatures: As female.
Downy Young: Densely yellow-downed.
Other Names (World)
Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Banksian Cockatoo, Red-tailed Cockatoo, Black Cockatoo, Great-billed Cockatoo, Bank's Black-Cockatoo, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
Family
Cacatuidae (Cockatoos)
Size
50 - 61 cm
First Described
(Latham, 1790)
Derivation
Cal-˙pt-o-rhynch'-us - Gk, calyptos, hidden; Gk, rhynchos, beak: banksii - Sir Joseph Banks (1743 - 1820), English patron of the sciences, botanist and zoologist, who sailed on Cook's voyage to observe the transit of Venus, 1768 - 71.
Abundance
C - UC
Common in New South Wales, rare, threatened in the south-east. Nomadic, migratory.
Habitat
Tall open forests, woodlands, grasslands, scrublands, floodplains, river margins, wetlands, river red gums on watercourses.
Several populations. Tropical north Australia to from Kimberley to most of Queensland. Central ranges, southern Northern Territory and north-west South Australia. Far south-western Victoria and far south-eastern South Australia. Western Australia from forests of far south-west, north through wheatbelt to Hamersley Ranges.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is 100,000 (2010).
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) [XC817611]
by Craig Robertson from Kakadu, West Arnhem Region, Northern Territory, Australia (call, flight call, traffic)
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) [XC434746]
by Marc Anderson from Eurimbula, Gladstone Regional, Queensland, Australia (call)
Breeding Season
March - July in Northern Territory, May - September in Queensland, March - October in Western Australia.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Nest
A tree hollow lined with wood chips, often high up.
Eggs
1 (rarely 2); white; oval; 51 x 36 mm. Incubation about 4 weeks, by female.
Young
Fledge in 10 - 12 weeks.
Subspecies
The following 5 subspecies are recognised:
banksii (Latham, 1790) - Northern and eastern coastal Qld and north-eastern New South Wales.
macrorhynchus Gould, 1843 - NT and north-western Australia.
samueli Mathews, 1917 - Central Australia, including south-western Qld, inland New South Wales and mid-western and inland south-western WA.
naso Gould, 1837 - Forests of far south-western WA.
graptogyne Schodde, Saunders, DA & Homberger, 1989 - Western Vic and south-eastern SA.
Similar Species
In south-eastern Australia with Glossy Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami), which is smaller, not as black and on Cape York Peninsula with Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus).
References
See References.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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