Male: Dusky-brown with under tail-coverts brown-black. Tail has a broad band of bright-red through center, except for two central feathers. Cere, naked. Eye, dark-brown. There is a dark-grey, naked patch of skin around the eye. Bill, dark-grey. Feet and toes, dusky-grey.
Female: As male but has yellow patches on head and sides of neck. Tail band is red with varying amounts of yellow through it, and is barred black. Bill, dark-grey.
Immatures: Resemble adult female but young females may have sparse yellow spotting on wings and belly. In young males the tail is plain red barred black.
Downy Young: Densely, long, yellow-downed.
Other Names (World)
Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Glossy Cockatoo, Casuarine Cockatoo, Casuarina Cockatoo, Leach's Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Latham's Cockatoo, Nutcracker, Glossy Black Cockatoo
Status LC
Habitat destruction and degradation due to clearance for agriculture and development, fires, overgrazing are the main threats.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Food
Appear to feed exclusively on casuarina seeds extracted from large cones.
Voice
Soft, drawn-out wheezing, 'tarr-red', given in contact. Alarm call of guttural notes.
Glossy Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami) [XC459677]
by Marc Anderson from Faulconbridge, Blue Mountains City Council, New South Wales, Australia (begging call)
Glossy Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami) [XC575655]
by Andrew Galbraith from The Pilliga, New South Wales, Australia (call)
Nest
A large tree hollow lined with decayed wood, often in a dead tree, with entrance usually high up (10 - 20 m).
Eggs (Guide)
1; white; oblong-oval; about 45 x 33 mm. Incubation: about 29 days, by female.
Young
Fledge in about 9 - 10 weeks.
Subspecies
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
lathami (Temminck, 1807) - From southern Qld to eastern Vic.
Similar Species
Red-tailed Black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii), which is bigger, blacker with larger, helmet-like crest, and has a louder call.
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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BirdLife International Species Factsheet