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Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo (south-eastern) |
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Calyptorhynchus banksii graptogyne
The nationally endangered south-eastern subspecies of Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo is distinguished from rest of the species by its small size, brightly coloured female birds and specialised feeding and breeding requirements.
In Victoria, the South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo occurs from Portland in south-east to just north of the Little Desert, while in South Australia it is found from Bangham-Frances to Mt Gambier. Its former distribution may never have been much greater than this, but the extent of occurrence within this range has declined significantly due to habitat loss (c. 60% of habitat in Vic and 80% in SA has been destroyed). The current population is around 700 to 1,000 birds.
These Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo's feed on the seeds of Brown Stringybarks Eucalyptus baxteri /E.arenacea and Bulokes Allocasuarina leuhmannii. For nesting, the Cockatoo's require old River Red Gums E.camaldulensis or Yellow Gums E. leucoxylon with large hollows. Most nest trees are within 2km of suitable feeding habitat.
Much of the feeding habitat used by these birds is protected in State Forests. However, nesting habitat on private land is disappearing rapidly as a consequence of tree dieback, felling of potential nest trees for firewood, and the general intensification of farming (i.e. change from grazing to farm forestry, cropping etc).
According to the Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000, the south-eastern subspecies of the Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo is endangered.
LinksRed-tailed Black-Cockatoo Home Page
Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Education Kit
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Conservation 
