![]() Illegal shooting is a major threat for the Baudin’s black cockatoos Sadly, this iconic cockatoo is still considered as pest by many farmers and orchardists. There has been a dramatic decrease in numbers in the last 10 years as its low rate of reproduction (1 chick per year) means that the species cannot replace the large number shot by orchardists. Calyptorhynchus combines the Greek kaluptus (hidden) and rhunkhos (beak) referring to the dense feathers that covers the lower mandible latirostris comes from the latin lotus (broad billed) and rosters (beak), and baudinii commemorates French explorer Nicholas Baudin ( source: Flocks Colour written by Penny Olsen (2013)) Habitat of the Baudin’s cockatooįlocks of Baudin’s can be found north to Gidgegannup, east to Wandering, only west as far as areas such as Midland, Gosnells, Byford, Bunbury and further south in Margaret River, the Stirling and Porongorup Ranges. Baudin’s cockatoos prefer a wetter, more heavily forested habitat to their Carnaby’s counterparts however due to the significant loss of habitats the two groups range may overlap. In Perth, Carnaby’s are more located on the Swan Coastal Plain whereas Baudin’s live in the Perth Hills. It is listed as Endangered by both the West Australian and Federal Governments and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.Įdward Lear described Calyptohynchus (Baudin’s Black Cockatoo) in 1832 and Ivan Carnaby (1908-1974) described Calyptorhynchus latirostris (Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo) in 1948. Named after the French explorer Nicholas Baudin, the Baudin’s black cockatoo or long- billed black cockatoo is endemic to Western Australia. His Scientific Name is Calyptorhynchus baudiini. Its bill is longer, and its calling sound is like a ‘witch-a’ sound. However, the Baudin’s cockatoo is a different species on its own. I hope you are all enjoying the small changes in your local environment as the seasons change.This white-tailed black cockatoo resembles the Carnaby’s cockatoo. It is also the time of year that Great Bowerbirds reconstruct their bowers and the processionary caterpillars are out and about again! The shorebird migration is almost over for this year and we will await the return as the seasons change once again in a few months. We have also had a Paperbark Flycatcher return to our garden in recent weeks and even had four Galahs fly over this week. The Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo is one of many birds that indicate a change in our seasons in Broome. After such a poor wet season we would not mind a bit of rain over coming weeks. There are occasions when we do have rain during our dry season and this happened in June 2013. ![]() Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos not showing any red!Īt this time of year we have plenty of blue sky and clouds become a distant memory. Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo displaying some of the red tail If they become off balance in a tree then the red tail becomes apparent momentarily. The red tail is not visible in Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos when they are roosting, but very visible when they are in flight. They are all present in the header photo and the photo below. The small group of seven Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos that we observed most recently were busy feeding on a native tree. They have very powerful beaks and claws and it is not uncommon to see where they have been by the leaf litter below the large trees. ![]() They are still destructive as they feed in the native trees. Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos are a lot bigger than the Gang-gang Cockatoosthat we encountered in Victoria. Of course the birds are free to travel and so they do! It is about to get colder at night too as we head towards the next season called Barrgana. Your skin is desperately dry and it is as close to flying that anybody is going to get! There has been a little easing on our travel restrictions, but nobody can enter the Kimberley area of Western Australia from anywhere. ![]() In Broome we have six seasons and we are currently in Wirralburu, which is feeling pretty good after the humid weather! The downside is the humidity is so low at around 15% some days that you feel like you have been travelling by plane for days. ![]() They are a very long living bird and have been known to live over fifty years in captivity. They move away from the area once the rains arrive to dry areas, so they are obviously not too keen on the humidity and rain. Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos are not observed around Broome during our wet season. The biggest flock we have seen in recent weeks has numbered over one hundred individuals, but generally the flocks have been smaller. The wing beat of the Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo always appears very slow for such a large bird. They are usually heard before they are seen and call raucously as they slowly move across the sky. Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos have become a regular sight around Broome in recent weeks. ![]()
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