With thanks to our latest contributor, Leela Rottman, for this great introduction to the Glossy Black Cockatoos.
What do Glossies look like?
Glossy Black-Cockatoos are smaller than other Black-Cockatoo species, at 45 to 50 cm long. They have a small crest, and brownish-black feathers. Male Glossy Blacks have browner heads and underparts than females, and bright red tail panels.
Female Glossy Blacks have wider, red to reddish-yellow tail panels with black bars. They often have yellow markings on their heads.
Glossy Black-Cockatoos mate for life, and tend to hang out in in pairs. They are quiet birds, and not frightened of humans. You might see them sitting high up in the trees, crunching casuarina seeds with their beaks. They are fairly quiet when feeding, but once you know the telltale clicking sounds you can detect them.
Where do Glossies live, and what do they feed on?
Glossy Black-Cockatoos were once widespread, but are now restricted to eastern Australia, from south-eastern Queensland to eastern Victoria. An outlying population exists on Kangaroo Island in South Australia.
Glossies like coastal woodlands, drier forests, open inland woodlands and timbered water-courses. Their food source is highly specific, consisting mainly of seeds of the black she-oak (allocasuarina littoralis) and forest she-oak (allocasuarina torulosa).
Glossies nest in the hollows of well established eucalypts. A breeding pair will produce only one egg every two years.
Glossies in our local Community
Glossy Black-Cockatoo numbers on the Sunshine Coast are in sharp decline. This is largely due to extensive land clearing throughout Queensland, although climate change, introduced predators and poachers also play a role. Glossy Black-Cockatoos are listed as a vulnerable species by the Queensland State Government.
Glossies can continue to live alongside us if they have enough of the right feeding and nesting trees. Because Glossy Black-Cockatoos favour she-oaks with highly specific nutrient qualities, we need to keep existing mature she-oaks around our homes, in our parks and on large-scale developments. When possible, well-established Eucalypts, either living or dead, should be kept for nesting.
Glossy Black-Cockatoos also need regular access to water. Crunching up seeds all day is thirsty work!
