SIMILAR GLOSSY BLACK COCKATOO FULL

In Queensland, the more southern subspecies of glossy black cockatoo ( Calyptorhynchus lathami lathami) is listed as ‘Vulnerable to extinction’ under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. The chewed cones, or ‘orts,’ can number in the hundreds at the base of certain casuarina trees these are a tell-tale sign of the bird’s presence.

SIMILAR GLOSSY BLACK COCKATOO FULL

They may return to the same individual food tree time and time again to feed on the seeds of casuarina cones, often ignoring nearby trees that are full of cones. In SEQ, glossy black cockatoos’ favoured food trees are the black she-oak ( Allocasuarina littoralis) and forest she-oak ( Allocasuarina torulosa). This fascinating bird is incredibly fussy when it comes to its culinary pursuits. Female glossies can also have large yellow blotches on the head and neck, not found on other black cockatoos. Glossies are also not exactly black in colour like the other cockatoos they are more brownish-black, and have a large bulbous bill. Both of these other cockatoo species congregate in large, noisy flocks, in stark contrast to the typically small, quiet groups that are characteristic of glossies. Glossies are sometimes misidentified and confused with other similar black cockatoo species found in south east Queensland (SEQ), including the more common yellow-tailed black cockatoo ( Calyptorhynchus funereus) and the red-tailed black cockatoo ( = Calyptorhynchus banksii), a rare visitor to the Sunshine Coast.

An observer may only be alerted to the presence of this bird by hearing the sound of chewed cones falling to the earth. Unlike other cockatoos, the glossy is a quiet bird that often goes unnoticed, feeding almost silently on seeds contained within casuarina (she-oak) cones. This seldom seen bird frequents mainly eucalypt forest communities with good stands of she-oaks along the coastal plain and in hinterland areas. The Sunshine Coast region is home to a very unique, yet unfortunately threatened species of cockatoo, the glossy black cockatoo. Article by Benjamin Green, natural areas technical officer, Sunshine Coast Council

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