Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo

A large, striking black cockatoo with prominent yellow cheek patches and a brilliant yellow panel on the tail feathers. Known for their loud, wailing calls and strong, lumbering flight style as they move through the forest canopy in family groups or flocks.

Predominantly dark charcoal grey-black across most of the vane, featuring a striking, vibrant bright yellow panel or band neatly restricted to the terminal tip

Pennaceous vane in the upper portion transitioning to a plumulaceous, slightly frayed base with an indistinct afterfeather

Strong, rigid central rachis matching the dark grey body color of the feather, with tightly packed barbs extending outward at a consistent angle

Smooth and matte appearance on the pennaceous vane, becoming softer and fluffier towards the proximal base

Tail (rectrix), specifically indicated by the strong central rachis and terminal color patch typical of cockatoo tail feathers used for braking and steering in flight

Dark greyish-black body with a distinct, sharply defined bright yellow tip on a robust tail feather

Eucalypt woodlands, pine plantations, and temperate rainforests of southeastern Australia

Southeastern Australia, including eastern New South Wales, Victoria, and parts of South Australia and Tasmania

Acts as an important seed predator and forest health indicator by controlling wood-boring insect populations

Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii), which features bright red or orange tail panels instead of yellow

These cockatoos use their massive, powerful bills to rip into dead wood in search of wood-boring beetle larvae, leaving distinct signature scars on trees

Significantly valued in Indigenous Australian culture and art, strictly protected under modern Australian law prohibiting unauthorized collection or possession

Look for molted feathers beneath feeding trees such as eucalypts, banksias, and introduced pine plantations within southeastern Australia

Good overall condition with minor wear and fraying at the extreme basal plumulaceous barbs