Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo

It is always a mesmerising sight and sound when Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos are nearby.

Can you imagine my delight when a group of these magnificent birds swirled overhead with their plaintive, prehistoric-sounding calls filling the air. I adore Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos and hearing their call never fails to fill my heart. If you’ve not heard them I recommend searching online, their call is unique and mesmerising. They have a unique way of flying with a very slow wingbeat. One of them kindly dropped a tail feather in my garden. It is speckled yellow and black, like the feather in the photograph, and is almost 30cm long.

There are a few ways to tell if you are watching a male or female Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, all of which can be seen in the two shots above. Males have a pinkish ring around their eyes while a female’s eye-ring is light grey. Males have a dark grey bill while a female’s bill is bone coloured. And the male’s yellow cheek patch is smaller than the females. I wish everyone had the opportunity to see and hear these enchanting birds, they are magical.

Happy birding, Kim

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