Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo
By the way, the Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo does seem to be well named. It is a Cockatoo, which is predominantly black. It does, however, have a tail which is mainly yellow.
I quickly nicked home and grabbed my camera, and returned to get this shot. It was a bit difficult, and I got a bit dirty crawling underneath some thickets around the back of some houses. I always half expect to be approached by suspicious residents asking why I’m creeping about with a large lens, but it’s never happened yet.
The
scientific (or Latin) name for the YTBC is Calyptorhynchus funereus. I’m given
to the understanding that the name funereus was chosen due to a tradition of
wearing yellow with black clothing at a funeral. I’ve also heard stories that
the YTBC is associated with bad luck.
It’s been my
experience that the bird is more common in Melbourne in winter than other times
of the year (I’ve certainly had them in my back yard). However, the scientific
evidence isn’t so conclusive, and my observations aren’t that reliable! They
are easier to see in other parts of the state, especially the higher altitudes.
They’re quite
easy to identify, as other Black-cockatoos are rare in Victoria. You do get
Red-tailed Black-cockatoos in the south-west of the state, but they’re very
rare. Glossy Black-cockatoos are confined to East Gippsland. Besides, both
these other birds have red, not yellow, panels in their tails. If it's in
Victoria, it's proabably a YTBC.
The flight
pattern of the YTBC is very distinctive. A mate once described them as
“flopping along”. It’s a fluid, languid, kind of flight with slow, heavy
wingbeats. They’re very relaxing just to watch.
But without a doubt, my favourite part about the bird is its call. They cry “weird weird!” in their screechy voices. Not only is it distinctive, but it’s one of the sounds I associate with being in the hills.
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