Other Names: Short-billed White-tailed Black Cockatoo
Scientific Name: Calyptorhynchus latirostris
Conservation Status: Endangered
Body Length: 53–58 cm
Weight: 520–790 g
Incubation: 28 days
Number of eggs: 1 – 2
Distribution: South-west Western Australia
Habitat: Woodland, scrub
Description: Carnaby’s Cockatoos are mostly brownish-black with dusky white-tipped feathers. They have white ear covers, a white band towards the tip of the tail and a black bill. Females have yellowish-white ear covers and greyish bills. The Carnaby’s upper bill is broader and shorter than the Baudin’s Cockatoos.
Diet: Carnaby’s Cockatoos are herbivores and eat the seeds of Banksia, Dryandra, Hakea, Eucalyptus, Grevillea and Pinus.
In the wild: Carnaby’s Cockatoos travel in large flocks of up to 2,000.
Threats: Carnaby’s Cockatoos have a very low rate of reproduction which means the population cannot quickly replace the large number of birds shot by farmers. Habitat destruction is also a major cause as cutting down trees destroys the cockatoos’ nesting sites.
Carnaby’s come into competition with introduced bees, galahs and corellas for nesting sites.
Carnaby’s Cockatoos are also highly sought after as pets on the black market. Many chicks are taken from nests and trees are cut down to get at the eggs and babies inside the nesting hollows.
It is illegal to shoot or poach Black Cockatoos.
At Perth Zoo: Perth Zoo has a number of cockatoo species on display in the Western Australian Native Cockatoo Species Exhibit, which is part of the Australian Bushwalk. The garden around the exhibit has been planted with cockatoo food trees to display the types of plants they eat.
Did you know? Carnaby’s Cockatoos make a ‘wee-loo’ sound when calling.
Download the Carnaby’s Cockatoo Fact Sheet (pdf).
