Bird guideYellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo

A slow-breeding cockatoo with a distinctive wailing call, migrating seasonally in noisy family groups.

⚠️Not listed
🌿Endemic to Australia

At a glance

FamilyCockatoos
SizeLarge
RarityCommon
HabitatThe yellow-tailed black cockatoo is found in temperate forests and forested areas across south and central eastern Queensland to southeastern South Australia, including a very small population persisting in the Eyre Peninsula.
Best timeReported across most months in New South Wales, with no narrow seasonal peak.

Sounds

Sound sample
0:000:00
Recorded by Marc Anderson

Range map

Range map

3839visible hotspots
180516visible records
4states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Call is a loud, distinctive, mournful wailing sound.

Behavior

Most often observed flying above woodland or feeding in trees. Typically feeds on seeds and insect larvae, but also known to frequently consume pine cones from introduced tree species.

Regional timing

Victoria
Peak: November to April52,450 records
New South Wales
Peak: October to May84,390 records
Tasmania
Peak: November to March18,079 records
Queensland
Peak: March to July23,207 records
South Australia
Peak: October to January1,199 records
Australian Capital Territory
Peak: January to June11,536 records
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