Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos
12 Comments »22nd February, 2008; Category: Parrots and Lorikeets
On my way to Adelaide on the South Eastern Freeway yesterday I saw about eight Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos slowly winging their way across the freeway. This magnificent species is relatively widespread in small numbers in the Adelaide Hills and Mt Lofty Ranges of South Australia.
I couldn’t stop to get a photo. I didn’t have my camera with me anyway. [sigh]
I must track down this species sometime and get a photo of our country’s largest parrot.
Last month a dead YTBC was brought in to show members at our bird group meeting, and the wing span was measured at a metre. One of my favourite birds.
That is quite amazing. I knew they are big but didn’t realise they were THAT big. Thanks for the information.
Hi Trevor and Boobook,
We have regular YTBC’s visit our area – from one at a time to 38 we counted in one flock. There is always the story about “Black Cockatoos mean bad weather in the mountains”, but I’m not convinced. We seem to see them here at any time.
Hi John,
You are blessed to have regular YTBCs visiting your patch. I’ve only ever once recorded this species on my home block – one of those wonderful occasions when I was outside and I heard 2 calling as they flew over.
I remember the amazement I felt when finishing off a game of golf with a friend at Millicent in the south east of South Australia about ten years ago. It was just on sunset and a flock of over 200 flew overhead. Awesome indeed.
Trevor,
They’re a great bird. I once saw the White-tailed version (Short-billed – is that Carnaby’s or Baudin’s, I can never remember) on a rushed trip to Perth. Almost as impressive as the YTBC!
The Short-billed is Carnaby’s. I’ve only seen the Long-billed – at least I think I have. My last visit to WA was in the 1970s and I was very inexperienced.
We are well overdue for a return visit.
We hope to get to WA some time in 2009, so ‘look out!’ WA endemics.
Pick me up on your way through – or at least come and have a cuppa.
well we have yellow tailed black cockatoos on the eyre peninsula but unfortunately because of forest being removed and the black Tuesday fires in 2005 they have dropped from about 45 to 11
My parents had a house down at Carrickalinga on the Flurieu Penisula and for the last 20 years that i remember we’ve had a flock of between a couple of hundred and maybe 30-40 flying around.
Mikeh
http://www.BirsForSaleOnline.com.au
Hi there Jordon – thanks for the observation. Those few birds left on the Eyre Peninsula are a real concern. I have followed with interest the fate of those birds. I know that there have been concerted efforts to plant suitable habitat for them over the last decade or so. Let’s hope the few remaining survive – and then thrive. They are too wonderful to lose.
Thanks for you observations too Mike. While the population on the EP is under severe stress, it is good to see this species thriving in the Adelaide Hills. I often see them flying overhead while travelling to and from Adelaide on the SE Freeway.