RED-TAILED BLACK COCKATOO

The 'Red-tailed Black Cockatoo' ''(Calyptorhynchus banksii)'', also known as 'Banksian-' or 'Bank's Black Cockatoo', is a large cockatoo native to Australia. This species was known as ''Calyptorhynchus magnificus'' for many decades until the current scientific name was officially conserved in 1994. It is more common in the drier parts of the continent. Five subspecies are recognised, differing most significantly in beak size. Although the more northerly subspecies are widespread, the two southern subspecies, the 'Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo' and the 'South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo' are under threat.
Adult Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are around 60 centimetres (24 in) in length and sexually dimorphic. Males are completely black in colour bar their prominent red tail bands; the slightly smaller females are brownish-black with yellow barring and spotting and have yellow-orange tail stripes. The species is usually found in eucalyptus woodlands, or along water courses. In the more northerly parts of the country, these cockatoos are commonly seen in large flocks. They are seed eaters and cavity nesters. As such, they depend on trees with fairly large diameters, generally ''Eucalyptus''. Populations in southeastern Australia are threatened by the reduction in forest cover and by other habitat alterations. Of the black cockatoos, the red-tailed black is the most adaptable to aviculture, though black cockatoos are much rarer and much more expensive outside Australia.

Contents

Taxonomy and naming

Classification

Description

Distribution and habitat

Behaviour

Diet

Reproduction

Relationship with humans

Aviculture

Cultural depictions

References

External links

Taxonomy and naming

The species complex was first described by the ornithologist John Latham in 1790 as ''Psittacus banksii''.^[1] That name commemorated English botanist Sir Joseph Banks. The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo also bears the honour of being the first bird from Eastern Australia illustrated by a European as a female presumably collected at Endeavour River in north Queensland was sketched by Banks' draughtsman Sydney Parkinson in 1770.Forshaw, p. 94 Narrowly predating Latham, English naturalist George Shaw described ''Psittacus magnificus'' from a specimen collected somewhere in the Port Jackson (now Sydney) region. ^[2] For many years, the species was referred to as ''Calyptorhynchus magnificus'',Lendon, p. 64 proposed by Gregory Mathews in 1927 as Shaw's name had predated Latham's 1790 description. For several decades Mathews' proposal was accepted by many authorities, though it was unclear whether the original Port Jackson reference had actually referred to the Red-tailed Black or, more likely, the Glossy Black Cockatoo. In 1994, an application to conserve ''Calyptorhynchus banksii'' as the scientific name was accepted by the ICZN.^[3] The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is the type species of the genus ''Calyptorhynchus'',^[4] the name of which is derived from the Greek ''calypto-''/καλυπτο- "hidden" and ''rhynchus''/ρυγχος "beak".^[5] The change was first made by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest in 1826.^[6]
In 1827 Jennings, proposed the name ''Psittacus niger'' for the bird,^[7] however this binomial combination had already been used by Linnaeus for the Lesser Vasa Parrot in 1758,^[8] and by Johann Friedrich Gmelin for the Palm Cockatoo in 1788 and was hence invalid even though both other species were at that time already known by different names. Alternate common names sometimes seen include ''Banks' Black Cockatoo'' and ''Banksian Black Cockatoo'', or simply ''Black Cockatoo''. Indigenous people of the central Cape York Peninsula have several names for the bird; ''(minha) pachang'' in Pakanh, ''(inh -) inhulg'' in Uw Oykangand, and ''(inh -) anhulg'' in Uw Olkola, the bracketed prefix (''inh-'' or ''minha'') is a qualifier meaning 'meat' or 'animal'. red-tailed black cockatoo, ''Calyptorhynchus magnificus'' Philip Hamilton In Central Australia southwest of Alice Springs, the Pitjantjatjara term for the subspecies ''C. b. samueli'' is ''iranti''.^[9] ''Karrak'' is a Noongar term derived from the call for the southwestern race ''C. b. naso''.^[10]

Classification

The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo's closest relative is the Glossy Black Cockatoo; the two species form the subgenus ''Calyptorhynchus'' within the genus of the same name.^[11] They are distinguished from the other Black Cockatoos of the subgenus ''Zanda'' by their significant sexual dimorphism and calls of the juveniles; one a squeaking begging call, the other a vocalization when swallowing food. The Red-tailed was the only Black Cockatoo whose genetic material was used in a key molecular study of Cockatoo systematics in 1999 as generic rather than infrageneric relationships were being examined.^[12] Five subspecies are recognised, two of which are vulnerable. They differ mainly in the size and shape of the beak, the overall bird size and female coloration: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, Volume 4: Parrots to Dollarbird, , Peter Jeffrey, Higgins, Oxford University Press, 1999,

★ '''C. b. banksii''' is found in Queensland and rarely far northern New South Wales; it is the largest subspecies by overall body size though has a moderate-sized bill. It merges with subspecies ''macrorhynchus'' around the Gulf of Carpentaria. It has disappeared from much of its former range in northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland.

★ '''C. b. graptogyne''', ''(Endangered)''^[13] known as the 'South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo', is found in southwestern Victoria and southeastern South Australia in an area bordered by Mount Gambier to the west, Portland to the south, Horsham to the northeast and Bordertown to the north.^[14] The smallest of the five subspecies, this one was only recognised as distinct in the 1980s.^[15][16] It is predominantly dependent on stands of ''Eucalyptus baxteri'' (brown stringybark), ''Eucalyptus camaldulensis'' (river redgum) and ''Allocasuarina luehmannii'' (Buloke) for feeding and nesting.^[17] These tree species have been all threatened by land clearing and most remaining are on private land; possibly only 500–1000 individuals remain.^[18] The species and its habitat are the subject of a national recovery plan.^[19] In 2007 local landowners are being reimbursed for assisting in regenerating suitable habitat.^[20]

★ '''C. b. macrorhynchus''', given the name 'Great-billed Cockatoo' by Mathews,^[21] is found across northern Australia. Though thought to be widespread and abundant, this subspecies has been little studied. It is also large and has a large beak, as its subspecific name implies. Females lack red coloration in their tails.

★ '''C. b. naso''' ''(Near Threatened)''^[22][23] is known as the 'Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo' and is found in the southwest corner of Western Australia between Perth and Albany. This form has a larger bill, Birds of Eucalypt Forests and Woodlands: Ecology, Conservation, Management, , D.A., Saunders, Surrey Beatty, 1985, and favours Marri (''Corymbia'' (formerly ''Eucalyptus) calophylla''), Jarrah (''E. marginata'') and Karri (''E. diversicolor''). Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo breeding twice a year in the south-west of Western Australia, , D.A., Saunders, Emu, 1977

★ '''C. b. samueli''' exists in four scattered populations: in central coastal Western Australia from the Pilbara south to the northern Wheatbelt in the vicinity of Northam, and inland river courses in Central Australia, southwestern Queensland and the upper Darling River system in Western New South Wales. Birds of this subspecies are generally smaller with smaller bills than the nominate ''banksii''.Forshaw, p. 91-2

Description

Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Juvenile Male), Darling Scarp, Roleystone, South-West Western Australia

Red-tailed Black Cockatoos measure around 60 centimetres (24 in) in length. The male's plumage is all black with a prominent black crest made up of elongated feathers from the forehead and crown. The tail is also black with two lateral bright red panels. Females are brownish black with yellow-orange stripes in the tail and chest,and yellow spots on the cheeks and wings. The bill is pale and horn-coloured. The underparts are barred with fine yellow over a brownish base. Male birds weigh between 670 and 920 grams (1.5–2 lb), while females weigh slightly less at 615–870 grams (1.25–1.75 lb).^[24]
Juvenile Red-tailed Black Cockatoos resemble females until puberty, which occurs around four years of age, but have paler yellow barred underparts. As the birds reach maturity, males gradually replace their yellow tail feathers with red ones; the complete process takes around four years.Lendon, p. 66 As with other cockatoos, the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo can be very long-lived in captivity; in 1938 ornithologist Neville Cayley reported one over fifty years old at Taronga Zoo.Lendon, p. 68
Several calls of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos have been recorded; these include a contact call, which is a rolling metallic ''krur-rr'' or ''kree'' which may carry long distances and is always given while flying, a sharp alarm call, and a sequence of a soft growling followed a repetitive ''kred-kred-kred-kred'' given by displaying males. The juvenile food-begging calls, food-swallowing vocalisation and begging postures in Australian Cockatoos, , J, Courtney, Australian Bird Watcher, 1996

Distribution and habitat

Red Tailed Black Cockatoo (female), Whicher Range National Park, South-west Western Australia

The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo occurs across the drier parts of Australia. It is widespread and abundant in a broad band across the northern half of the country, where it has even been considered an agricultural pest,^[25] with more isolated distribution in the south. It is found in a wide variety of habitats, from shrublands and grasslands through eucalypt, sheoak and ''Acacia'' woodlands, to dense tropical rainforests. The bird is dependent on large, old eucalypts for nesting hollows, although the specific gums used vary in different parts of the country.
Cockatoos are not migratory as such but do exhibit regular seasonal movements in different parts of Australia. In the northern parts of the Northern Territory, they largely leave areas of high humidity in the summer wet season.^[26] In other parts of the country cockatoo seasonal movements tend to follow food sources as has been recorded in Northern Queensland,^[27][28] and New South Wales; in southwest Western Australia both subspecies there appear to have a north-south pattern; northwards after breeding in the case of subspecies ''naso'',^[29] while movements by subspecies ''samueli'' in the wheatbelt can be irregular and unrelated to the seasons.^[30]

Behaviour

Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are diurnal, raucous and noisy, and are often seen flying high overhead in small flocks, sometimes mixed with other cockatoos. Flocks of up to 500 birds are generally only seen in the north or when the birds are concentrated at some food source. Otherwise, they are generally rather shy of humans.^[31] In northern and central Australia, birds may feed on the ground, while the two southern subspecies, ''graptogyne'' and ''naso'', are almost exclusively arboreal. They tend to fly rather slowly with intermittent deep flapping wingbeats, markedly different to the shallow wingbeats of the similar Glossy Black Cockatoo. They also often fly at considerable height.

Diet

Though Red-tailed Black Cockatoos feed on a wide variety of native and introduced grains, the mainstay of their diet is eucalyptus seeds. There is a specific relationship between the species and larger-fruited species of gums. These vary across Australia but include the Marri in Southwest Western Australia, Darwin woolybutt ''E. miniata'' across the north of the country, ''E. baxteri'' in Victoria and the bloodwood species ''Corymbia polycarpa'' and ''C. intermedia'' in Queensland. Cockatoos bite off branchlets with clusters of seed capsules, then hold them with their feet while chewing and harvesting seeds before littering the ground with debris. Among other seeds and nuts consumed are those of ''Acacia'', ''Allocasuarina'', ''Banksia'', ''Grevillea'' and ''Hakea'', as well as berries, fruits and various insects and grubs.Forshaw, p. 99-100 Cockatoos have adapted to eating some introduced plants such as the doublegee (''Emex australis''). There is some evidence of consumption of wild radish (''Raphanus raphanistrum''), wild turnip (''Brassica tournefortii'') and melon (''Citrullus'' or ''Cucumis'').

Reproduction

The male Red-tailed Black Cockatoo courts by puffing up crest and cheek feathers, and hiding the beak; it then sings and struts, ending in a jump and a flash of red tail feathers toward the female who will most often reply by defensively biting him.Forshaw, p. 100 Breeding generally takes place from May to September except in the case of the South-eastern subspecies, which nests during summer (December to February). Pairs of the subspecies ''samueli'' in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia may produce two broods, while those of South-eastern subspecies only produce one.^[32] Nesting takes place in large vertical tree hollows of tall trees. Isolated trees are generally chosen, so birds can fly to and from them relatively unhindered. The same tree may be used for many years. Hollows can be 1 to 2 metres (3–7 ft) deep and 0.25–0.5 metres (10–20 in) wide, with a base of woodchips. A clutch consists of 1 to 2 white, lustreless eggs, though the second chick is in most cases neglected and perishes in infancy.^[33]

Relationship with humans

Sexual dimorphism in the ''graptogyne'' subspecies, Western Australia

The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is protected under the ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Wildlife Protection) Act 2001''. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Wildlife Protection) Act 2001
These birds are listed internationally under Appendix II of CITES, which allows international trade in live wild-caught and captive-bred specimens, if such exports are not detrimental to wild populations.^[34] However, the current Australian restrictions on commercial exports from Australia are not imposed by CITES.
Like many Australian cockatoos and parrots, the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is threatened by the thriving illegal trade in bird smuggling.^[35] With high demand and high transit mortality means that many more birds are taken from the wild than actually sold. In 1997, the Northern Territory Government's Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts (NRETA) proposed a management plan of ''C. b. macrorhynchus'' to stem the illegal trade in eggs and nestlings. This subspecies, which is relatively abundant in the territory's northern part, was thought plentiful enough to sustain limited harvesting of young for commercial purposes. This involved the protection of selected 'harvest zones' and the capping of harvest at 600 eggs or hatchlings per year; all captive birds were to be marked with microchips. Separate permits would be issued for collection and export, as well as keeping one as a pet.
The Northern Territory government's plan for a restricted harvest was supported by a group of biologists who argued that a 'do-nothing approach' had failed to address illegal trafficking and that limited public funds were available for species or habitat conservation. They felt that a catastrophic collapse in the Northern Territory population was highly unlikely, and that the cockatoo would benefit from increased awareness and a greater understanding of its biology by local landowners. There would also be a valuable contribution to the science of sustainable utilisation of wild resources.^[36]
Other experts raised serious concerns with the management plan; the famed psittacine biologist Joseph Forshaw opposed it on several grounds. He expressed concerns that, given the birds' short lifespan, recruitment problems may be masked for many years, by which time recovery of the cockatoo population may be impossible. He also feared that increasing supply would lower prices and hence lower profitability for those involved. Other groups such as the Avicultural Federation of Australia (AFA) raised concerns that populations may be aging due to lack of breeding sites, so they may be especially vulnerable to loss of juveniles which, again, may not be apparent for many years. They also feared that since adults mate for life, a bird whose partner was taken may not mate again. Commercial Utilisation of Australian Native Wildlife - Chapter 13: Aviculture Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee To date the plan has not been implemented; the Australian Senate inquiry into the Commercial Utilisation of Australian Native Wildlife concluded in early 1998 that routine capture and commercial use of adult wild birds should be prohibited.

Aviculture

Adult tame female of subspecies ''samueli''.

In the late 1990s, Red-tailed Black Cockatoos fetched prices of $1750 in Australia and $8900 (~US$6000) overseas.^[37] Hand-raised birds can can be bought for anywhere between $15,000 to $40,000 in the United States, where they are seldom seen in aviculture.^[38] Hand-reared birds are able to learn a few words and can be quite affectionate, though males may become imprinted and unlikely to breed. The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo is the most commonly seen of the Black Cockatoos in captivity,Forshaw, p. 103 and can be hardy and long lived if given plenty of space. Until now, most birds in captivity have been of subspecies ''C. b. banksii'' and ''C. b. samueli''. Birds were often previously bred without much attention to subspecies of origin. However, with an increase in interest in conservation, more aviculturists are concerned about maintaining the integrity of the separate subspecies in cultivation, and so avoid crossbreeding.
The birds breed easily in captivityForshaw, p. 104 and can lay eggs every 3 weeks between February and November. Once the female has one egg in her nest, she will not lay another. An egg takes about 30 days to hatch.Forshaw, p. 102 The eyes of the young open around 3 weeks and the yellow down will show black pin feathers at about 6 weeks. The best time for hand raising is at about 10 weeks when their black feathers are in place but the tail feathers are still short. Young birds fledge after about 4 months. Mature male birds will become aggressive to young birds some time after fledging; they must be separated if caged.

Cultural depictions

A Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, named Karak, was the official mascot of the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne. Promotion coincided with an implementation of initiatives to ensure the survival of the South-eastern subspecies ''graptogyne'', as well as increased environmental awareness at the games. The Karak A traditional story from western Arnhem Land tells of Black Cockatoo and her husband Crow, who are Bird-people, sprouting black feathers after becoming afflicted with a sickness from across the sea to the north. In fear of being buried underground, they transform into birds and fly high in the sky.^[39]

References

;General

★ Australian Parrots, , Joseph M., Forshaw, Alexander Editions, 2002,

★ Birds of Australia: Photographic Field Guide, , Jim, Flegg, Reed New Holland, 2002,

★ Australian Parrots in Field and Aviary, , Alan H., Lendon, Angus & Robertson, 1973,

★ Garnett, S. (1993) ''Threatened and Extinct Birds Of Australia''. RAOU. National Library, Canberra.
;Specific

1. Index ornithologicus, sive Systema Ornithologiae; complectens avium divisionem in classes, ordines, genera, species, ipsarumque varietates: adjectis synonymis, locis, descriptionibus, &c. :Vol. 1 & 2 xviii 920, , John, Latham, Leigh & Sotheby, 1790,
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World - Volume 4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos, , Ian, Rowley, Lynx Edicions, 1997,
3. Case 2856. ''Psittacus banksii'' Latham, 1790 and ''P. lathami'' Temminck, 1807 (currently ''Calyptorhynchus banksii'' and ''C. lathami''; Aves, Psittaciformes): proposed conservation of the specific names., Schodde R, Bock W, , , Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, 1994
4. Forshaw, p. 55
5. Greek-English Lexicon, Abridged Edition, , Henry George, Liddell, Oxford University Press, 1980,
6. {{cite encyclopedia |last=Desmarest |first= Anselme Gaëtan |authorlink = Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest|title=Perroquet |encyclopedia=Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles dans lequel on traite méthodiquement des différens êtres de la nature, considérés soit en eux-mêmes, d'après l'état actuel de nos connoissances, soit relativement à l'utilité qu'en peuvent retirer la médecine, l'agriculture, le commerce et les arts. Suivi d'une biographie des plus célèbres naturalistes. Par plusieurs Professeurs du Jardin du Roi, et des principales Écoles de Paris|pages=pp. 21,117 |year= 1826 |publisher=F.G. Levrault |location= Strasbourg|id=
7. Ornithologia; or The Birds: a poem, in two parts; with an introduction to their natural history; and copious notes., , J, Jennings, Poole & Edwards, 1827,
8. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata., , C, Linnaeus, Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii)., ,
9. Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara To English Dictionary, Cliff Goddard, , , Institute for Aboriginal Development, 1992,
10. Karrak-watch: The Forest red-tailed black cockatoo
11. Forshaw, p. 89
12. Molecular systematics and biogeography of the cockatoos (Psittaciformes: Cacatuidae), Brown DM, Toft CA, , , Auk, 1999
13. Garnett, p.99
14. Hill R, Burnard T. (2001) A Draft Habitat Management Plan for the South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo. Unpublished report to the Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Recovery Team.
15. Morphological and ecological divergence and convergence in isolated populations of the Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, , J., Ford, Emu, 1980
16. New subspecies of Australian birds, , R., Schodde, Canberra Bird Notes, 1988
17. The Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo in south-eastern Australia, , L., Joseph, Emu, 1982
18. Critical assessment of the conservation status of the Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo in south-eastern Australia with special reference to nesting requirements, , L., Joseph, Emu, 1991
19. National Recovery Plan for the South-Eastern Red-Tailed Black-Cockatoo (''Calyptorhynchus banksii graptogyne'')
20. Landholders rewarded for helping save red tailed black cockatoo
21. The Mathews collection and the Birds of Australia
22. The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000
23. Garnett, p.100
24. Forshaw, p. 90
25. A report on the survey of winged vertebrate pest damage on crops in the Northern Territory, , T.K., Lim, Technical bulletin (Northern Territory. Dept. of Primary Industry and Fisheries), 1993
26. Birds of the Northern Territory, , G. M., Storr, Western Australia Museum, 1977,
27. The birds of the Atherton Shire, Queensland, , JA, Bravery, Emu, 1970
28. Birds of Innisfail and hinterland, , HB, Gill, Emu, 1970
29. New Information on the distribution of birds of south-western Australia, , JR, Ford, The Western Australian Naturalist, 1965
30. Bird movements in the wheatbelt of Western Australia, , Eric H., Sedgwick, The Western Australian Naturalist, 1949
31. Forshaw, p. 97-8
32. Presumptive Renesting of Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos in South-eastern Australia, Emison WB, White CM, Caldow WD, , , Emu, 1995
33. Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs, , Gordon, Beruldsen, G. Beruldsen, ,
34.
35. More "Renegades" Sentenced, Anon., , , Traffic USA, 1995
36. Harvesting black cockatoos in the Northern Territory: catastrophe or conservation?, , M., Vardon, Australian Biologist,
37. Sustainable Economic of Native Australian Birds and Reptiles – Can controlled trade improve conservation of species?, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, , , The Corporation, 1997, Online summary
38. Rare, unusual, difficult to find:Black Palm Red Tail and Gang-Gang Cockatoos, Blue Napes, Hawk Heads
39. Land of the Rainbow Snake: Aboriginal Children's Stories and Songs from Western Arnhem Land, , Catherine H., Berndt, Collins, 1979,

External links

★ Website of Conservation Program of South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo ''(Calyptorhynchus banksii graptogyne)''