Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo, Yellow Tailed Cockatoo, Funeral Cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus Funereus
The Yellow-tailed black cockatoo is a unique and magnificent species. They are large black cockatoos with recumbent crests. They are dimorphic by plumage color. The male is solid black except for a broad yellow panels on the middle of the lateral tail feathers, yellow ear patches, and red eye-rings. The female’s undersides have light yellow scalloping, a larger yellow ear patch and grey eye-rings. The tail has panels of yellow-orange with black bars. Immature birds resemble females.
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| Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo |
Yellow-tailed black cockatoos are common wet forest areas of eastern Australia from Queensland to Tasmania and South Australia. A separate population is found in south-western Australia. They inhabit eucalyptus forests especially along rivers feeding on seeds of pines, eucalyptus, casurina, acacias and also the larvae of wood boring insects. They are very nomadic and move about in search of food in flocks of up to 2000 birds. They feed primarily in trees on Eucalyptus and Casuarina as well as other species.
Very few birds are in captivity except in zoos and specialized private collections. Length is 20 to 22 inches. Weight is 550-750 grams. Males are generally larger than females and have larger heads and beaks. Yellow-tailed black cockatoos and other cockatoo species can be very long lived (probably around 50 years) but precise life span is unknown.
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| Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo |
Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo Breeding age is probably 4-5 years
Personality - Yellow-tailed black cockatoos are gentle by nature. They are relatively quite except for their breeding call. Their rarity outside of Australia makes it unlikely they will be available for pets.Sexing Yellow-tailed black cockatoos are dimorphic as adults. Immature birds of both sexes resemble females until 1-2 years old.
Breeding – Yellow-tailed black cockatoos are difficult to breed in captivity and unlikely to be available in the United States.
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| Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo |
Conservation Status - Stable - Yellow-tailed black cockatoos are listed on Appendix II on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species but only because of the listing of almost all parrot species. Australia does not allow export of their native wildlife. Yellow-tailed black cockatoos are uncommon in captivity and generally limited to zoos and specialized private collections.
