Red-tailed Black Cockatoo

Description:

Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are around 60 centimetres (24 in) in length and sexually dimorphic. The male's plumage is all black with a prominent black crest made up of elongated feathers from the forehead and crown. The bill is dark grey. The tail is also black with two lateral bright red panels. Females are black with yellow-orange stripes in the tail and chest, and yellow grading to red spots on the cheeks and wings. The bill is pale and horn-coloured. The underparts are barred with fine yellow over a black base.

Habitat:

The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo principally 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 been considered an agricultural pest,with more isolated distribution in the south. It is found in a wide variety of habitats, from shrub lands and grasslands through eucalyptus, she oak and Acacia woodlands, to dense tropical rainforests.The bird is dependent on large, old eucalyptus for nesting hollows, although the specific gums used vary in different parts of the country.