Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo

A large, striking black cockatoo with a prominent crest, brownish-black body plumage, and signature yellow panels in the tail and ear patches. Known for its mournful, wailing calls and powerful, heavy flight.

Striking coloration featuring a vibrant golden-yellow midsection and panel, sharply demarcated by a solid black tip and dark margins, with a bright yellow rachis

Tightly interlocked pennaceous barbs on the upper blade transitioning to slightly looser barbs near the base, intact condition

Thick, prominent central yellow rachis with high rigidity and a rounded cross-section, featuring dense barbs angled uniformly outward

Smooth, firm, and semi-glossy surface texture with strong vane rigidity and a matte finish on the black tips

Tail (retrices), identified by the broad shape, strong central rachis, and distinct terminal black band contrasting with the bright yellow panel

Brilliant golden-yellow central panel contrasting sharply with a solid black terminal band and a bright yellow central shaft

Eucalypt forests, woodlands, pine plantations, and coastal scrublands of southeastern Australia

Endemic to southeastern Australia, ranging from southern Queensland through New South Wales and Victoria to Tasmania and South Australia

Vital seed predators and dispersers, as well as controllers of wood-boring insect populations in Australian eucalypt ecosystems

Glossy Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami) and Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii), distinguished by different tail panel colors and body patterns

These cockatoos use their massive, powerful bills to tear open deep wood-boring beetle larvae from inside eucalyptus branches, acting as natural forest doctors

Highly significant in Australian Aboriginal culture, where their feathers and the birds themselves feature in traditional stories, ceremonies, and art

Look for large flocks feeding high in eucalyptus trees or pine plantations, listening out for their distinctive, far-carrying, wailing calls

Excellent condition with fresh coloration, intact barbs, and no visible wear, fraying, or parasitic damage