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Black Cockatoos
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Baudin’s Cockatoo
Calyptorhynchus baudinii
Baudin’s Cockatoos inhabit the Eucalypt forests of the South-West of Western Australia, they are a brownish-black colour with feathers edged with white, and there is also a white underside to their tail and a white covering over their ears.
Baudin’s Cockatoos are omnivores and feed on the seeds of Banksia, Hakea and Marri as well as fruit from local orchards. They also strip bark from dead trees in search of insect larvae.
These cockatoos first breed at 4 to 5 years of age and can live in excess of 50 years. They can only nest in hollow trees and they use that same hollow year after year. Baudin’s Cockatoos usually lay two eggs every year (October) and the female incubates and broods the one chick that survives, and if two eggs are produced usually only one chick survives. Male birds feed their mate during the incubation period.
Baudin’s Cockatoos make a ‘whicha whicha’ sound when calling and other names for this species are White-tailed Black Cockatoo and Long-billed Black Cockatoo. |
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Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
(Calyptorhynchus banksii)
There are 3 types of Red tailed Black Cockatoo
1. Naso - These inhabit eucalypt and Marri forests in South-west Western Australia.
2. Samueli - These inhabit eucalypt woodlands of mid-west Western Australia.
3. Macrorhynchus - These inhabit forests and woodlands in northern WA.
Male Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are black with two vibrant red stripes in the tail. They also have a very full crest and a black bill. Females are black but have yellow spots and yellow fringed feathers. The beak is light grey and the tail has yellow to red stripes. The subspecies differ in stature, beak size and the brightness of the female’s plumage. Of the three WA subspecies Samueli and Naso are very similar except that Samueli has a smaller beak and duller feathered female. Macrorhynchus is larger in stature and has a larger beak. The female also has mostly yellow (rather than red) bars on the tail.
Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are granivores, eating mainly Marri, Banksia and Grevillea seeds and occasionally bulbs or fruit. They have strong beaks designed to crack seed cases. This species of Black Cockatoo only produces one young every second year, making it very difficult to increase the species’ numbers. |
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Carnaby’s Cockatoo
Calyptorhynchus latirostris
Carnaby’s Cockatoos travel in large flocks of up to 2,000 and inhabit woodland scrub in the South West region of Western Australia. They are mostly brownish-black with dusky white-tipped feathers. They have white ear covers, a white band towards the tip of the tail and a black bill. Females have yellowish-white ear covers and greyish bills. The Carnaby’s upper bill is broader and shorter than the Baudin’s Cockatoos.
Carnaby’s Cockatoos are granivores and eat the seeds of Banksia, Dryandra, Hakea, Eucalyptus, Grevillea and Pinus.
This endangered species have a very low rate of reproduction which means the population cannot quickly replace the large number of birds shot by farmers. Habitat destruction is also a major cause as cutting down trees destroys the cockatoos’ nesting sites. Carnaby’s come into competition with introduced bees, galahs and corellas for nesting sites and are also highly sought after as pets on the black market. Many chicks are taken from nests and trees are cut down to get at the eggs and babies inside the nesting hollows. It is illegal to shoot or poach Black Cockatoos and we must make more of an effort in the conservation of this unique Australian Wildlife. |
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The only places the world that the Kookaburra are found are Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Aru Islands. It is a large member of the kingfisher family which measures around 40 - 45 cm in length. Most Kookaburras are territorial and live in groups in areas where there are suitable trees, they are best known for their unmistakable call, which is like a loud, echoing 'koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-kaa-kaa-kaa kaa kaa' which is often sung in a chorus with other Kookaburras in order to mark their territory.
Kookaburras are carnivorous and will eat snakes, lizards, crustaceans, insects, frogs, small rodents and marsupials. Their smaller prey is eaten whole, but their larger prey is killed by bashing it against the ground or tree branch.
Kookaburras breed from around August to January and are believed to pair for life. The nest is an enclosed area in a naturally occurring tree hollow and the male and female share the incubation and care for the young. Other Kookaburras in the group will also help with the parenting duties when the chicks have hatched.
Please register (for free) to become a member of our site, then click on the video map icon to the right of any of our Australian animal pages and enjoy some of the more in depth Australian wildlife and conservation videos in which our caring conservationists show us lots more about the Kookaburra.
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Emu – Dromaius novaehollandiae
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General: Emus are unique to Australia and live in all habitats, they are omnivores and eat leaves, fruit, flowers and insects. They are a large, flightless bird and can reach running speeds of 48kph.
Description: Emus have very strong, powerful legs with three toes on each foot. They have are covered in greyish-brown feathers and have small wings. The skin on their face and neck is of a bluish colour.
Emus will pair up in summer in a 5 month relationship for breeding. Once the eggs are laid (5-15 eggs), the female emu leaves the male to incubate them for 53-61 days. The male emu will sit on the nest during the entire incubation and he will not leave the nest even to eat or drink. Once the eggs hatch the young chicks will stay with the male for about 6 months. To see more emu videos, please register and click on the emu video map icon to the right of this page, there is some great footage and presentations as Kristy our caring conservationist takes us on a fascinating emu journey throughout the Koala Park.
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Wedge-tailed Eagle – Aquila audax
The Wedge-tailed Eagle is Australia’s largest raptor (bird of prey). It lives in forests, woodlands and plains. This uniquely Australian eagle feeds mostly on rabbits, small cats and dogs, small mammals and carrion. They form permanent pairs and live in the same home range all year.
The Wedge Tailed Eagle is a smoky black colour with brown on the wings and has a wingspan of 2.5m, it has a long, wedge-shaped tail, very strong legs and extremely powerful talons equipped with a hooked beak which they use to tear up their food. The Wedge Tailed Eagle can grow up to 1m with the female eagle being 15-30% heavier than the male eagle.
Wedge Tails breed from April to September with 1-3 eggs being laid in a platform nest situated on top of a cliff or in a tree fork. The female wedge tail will incubate the eggs for about 45 days while the male wedge tail brings in the food. Only one of the wedge tail chicks usually survives. Join our site by registering now and check out the more in depth video (just to the right of this page) on our Autralian wildlife and conservation Wedge Tailed Eagle video map.
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