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Glossy Black-CockatooAlternative name: "Leach's Black Cockatoo" |
Sightings
Glossy Black-Cockatoos are found in various places around Narrabri, New South Wales, especially in areas with Casuarina trees, such as Jack's Creek State Forest, other parts of the Pilliga scrub and also around the ATNF's radio observatory, 25 km west of town.
Although sighted regularly by us in these areas in the years 2003-2006, in general they are quite rare. They live in small groups. Typical sightings are of two or three individuals, sometimes small groups of up to six birds. In the Pilliga Nature Reserve, south of Narrabri, flocks of up to tens have been spotted at a dam. Their habitat changed a lot during the large bushfire of December 2006 and bird watchers are still trying to re-establish where most of the birds are within the Pilliga scrub. A group of four female birds was spotted by us about 50 km south of Narrabri in March 2009.
Also seen by us once in the foothills of the Nandewar range, 20 km east of Narrabri.
In July 2009 seen by us in two locations ins Queensland, namely at Mt. Archer National Park, east of Rockhampton, and on the eastern outskirts of Kroombit Tops National Park.
Photos
Glossy Black-Cockatoos love Casuarina seeds. Note the size and strength of the bill, enabling them to crack these hard seeds
Male Glossy Black Cockatoo chewing on a Casuarina seed (click on image for larger version)
Male Glossy Black Cockatoo feeding on the seeds of a eucalypt (click on image for larger version)
Female Glossy Black Cockatoo with the same pastime (click on image for larger version)
Frontal view of a female (click on image for larger version)
Female bird preening (click on image for larger version)
One Glossy Black Cockatoo feeding the other - it is not clear why the birds went down onto the ground; it was raining at the time, which makes the rock surface reflect in a bluish-grey tint
Glossy Black-Cockatoo in flight, displaying the speckled, glossy plumage that gives them their name (click on image for larger version)
Glossy Black Cockatoos are very elegant gliders (I)
Glossy Black Cockatoos are very elegant gliders (II)
Habits
Contrary to other birds eating cones of conifers, Glossy Black Cockatoos do not crack Casuarina cones to extract the sees, but instead eat the whole lot. Below a close look at such a cone, which is about 10 mm long.
Casuarina seed cone (click on image for larger version)
When courting a female, the male Glossy Black-Cockatoo intonates a monotonous song reminiscent (to humans) of a car alarm. Upon the last intonation of the refrain, which increases in volume, the male bows and displays his crest and the red patches on the underside of its tail to the female (see photo). After a few seconds, and possibly after a move to a more advantageous point, the whole routine starts all over.
Male courting a female, displaying his crest and the conspicuous red fields on his tail. Photographed against the bright light of the background sky, the birds appear to be darker than they are in reality (click on image for larger version)