ENDANGERED GLOSSIES ...

Kangaroo Island's Glossy-Black Cockatoo

The Glossy-Black Cockatoo was first described by Dutch naturalist Coenraad J Terminck in 1807. The scientific name honours the English ornithologist, John Latham.

Female and chick

The Glossy-Black Cockatoo's closest relative is the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, the two species form a subgenus Calyptorhynchus within the genus of the same name. They are distinguished from the other Black Cockatoos of the subgenus Zanda by their significant sexual dimorphism and calls of the juveniles, one a squeaking begging call, the other a vocalization when swallowing food.


Casuarina cone

The South Australian subspecies of the Glossy-Black Cockatoo,
Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus has disappeared from the South Australian mainland and is currently restricted to Kangaroo Island. It is listed as Endangered under the Australian Government's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The current population is estimated around 350 birds, including approximately 200 mature individuals.
The male Glossy-Black Cockatoo is predominantly black with a chocolate brown head and striking caudal red patches. The female is a duller dark brown, irregular yellow patches on head and neck and the bill is paler. The red tail panels generally have black bars with yellow edges on the inner webs.  Juveniles, as female, head darker often with small spots on breast and shoulder. An adult will grow to be about 46-50cms (18-20inches) in length. The birds are found in open forest and woodlands and usually feed on seeds of the she-oak, Allocasuarina verticillata, always using their left foot, never their right! It holds the cones in its foot and shreds them with its powerful bill before removing the seeds with its tongue. Small parties, commonly up to ten birds spend most of the day quietly feeding in the foliage of she-oaks, (casuarina trees), the only sound being the busy clicking of the bills as they demolish the hard woody seed capsules.
The South Australian subspecies of the Glossy-Black Cockatoo requires high quality Drooping She-oak woodland for foraging and large hollow bearing eucalypts for roosting and nesting habitat.
Availability of feeding habitat and suitable nest hollows may limit abundance in the future, also the nest failure rate in unprotected nests is high, principally as a result of predation by Common Brushtail Possums, Trichosurus vulpecular. Fires that occur frequently on Kangaroo Island may also diminish the availability of necessary habitat that is critical for the Glossy-Black Cockatoo's survival.
Colin & I have been very fortunate to be in a position to find and photograph these magnificent Glossy-Black Cockatoos. We have been photographing them since 2009, recognizing some that have been tagged for ongoing studies.
It is our privilege to share a few photos that we have taken of Kangaroo Island's Endangered Glossy-Black Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus.

Gillian & Colin Rayment




Glossy-Black Cockatoo ... male

Canon EOS 7D
Lens EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM

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