Glossy Black-Cockatoo

About

The glossy black-cockatoo is the smallest of Australia's black-cockatoos, found in open forest and woodland along the east coast from south-eastern Queensland to Mallacoota in Victoria. It feeds almost exclusively on the seeds of casuarina (she-oak) trees, leaving distinctive chewed cones scattered beneath feed trees.

How to spot it

Smaller and more compact than other black-cockatoos (46-50cm), with a large bulbous grey-brown bill. Males are chocolate-brown/black with red panels in the tail; females are duller brown with yellow flecking on the head/neck and yellow-barred tails. The call is a soft, wheezy creak, quieter than other black-cockatoos. Look for piles of chewed she-oak (Casuarina/Allocasuarina) cones on the ground under feed trees - a reliable sign they've been feeding nearby.

Found in

• Blue Mountains National Park
• Croajingolong National Park
• Border Ranges National Park
• Lamington & Springbrook National Parks
• Girraween National Park
• Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park