Red-tailed, Bank's or Banksian Black Cockatoos

Cockatoo Information ... Cockatoos as Pets ... Cockatoo Photo Gallery

Cockatoo Diseases ... Cockatoo Species ... Sexing Cockatoos ... Cockatoo Species Data (Range, Eggs & Incubation) ... The Taxonomy Of Cockatoos ... Cockatoo Nutrition / Diet

Books, DVDs and Other Media about Cockatoos (Sold / shipped out of: | | | )

Are you looking for a cockatoo breeder? Click here for a listing

Overview
Kindly provided by Dr. Rob Marshall - www.birdhealth.com.au

Large flocks of Red Tailed Black Cockatoo are commonly seen in the dry woodland areas of northern Australia. Further south, pairs or smaller family groups frequent Eucalypt forests and savannah woodlands. These birds are noisy and conspicuous and have a loud raucous call.

The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus banksii, is one of the rarest and most expensive cage birds, usually costing over $20,000 USD.

Description

The Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo is a large black cockatoo with a strong bill and large crest. The plumage of the male is black, with bright red tail panels, giving this bird a striking appearance.

Female and immature birds have yellow spots on the head, neck and wings, yellowish bars across the chest and a paler red band across the tail.

This species can be distinguished from the similar Glossy Black Cockatoo by its greater size, large crest and louder call.

Location and habitat

Distribution

The Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo is the most widespread of the Black-Cockatoos, ranging broadly across much of northern and western Australia as well as western Victoria. In NSW, one population occurs on the north-western slopes and plains but another small isolated population is found in the coastal north-east.

Habitat and ecology

• Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos are found in a wide variety of habitats. In coastal north-east NSW they have been recorded in dry open forest and areas of mixed rainforest/eucalypt forest.

Copyright Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW)

Training and Behavioral Guidance:

Like the Black Cockatoo, the Red Tailed Black demands a significant amount of attention from its owner and therefore should only be purchased by those who are willing to give this highly intelligent bird the love and attention it craves. When deprived of this attention, the Red Tailed Black Cockatoo becomes susceptible to behavioural problems.

Cockatoos certainly demand a lot of attention, but are appreciated for their exceptionally loving, devoted personality that is second to none. Cockatoos require an extremely dedicated owner who is willing to provide significant and meaningful attention to these intelligent parrots. They require consistent training from a young age to ensure potential cockatoo owners enjoy a bird free of destructive and annoying habits. Behavioral challenges that cockatoos present include:

• Excessive Chewing: Any parrot will chew. In nature, they use their beak to "customize" their favorite tree, to enlarge the size of their nest in a tree hollow. Doing this keeps their beaks in good condition. The problem is excessive and undesirable chewing. Undisciplined cockatoos will chew on electric wiring potentially causing house fires. The owner needs to provide plenty of "healthy" chewing opportunities (bird toys, natural wood branches, etc.) and training is necessary to teach a cockatoo what is "off-limits."


• Biting: Cockatoos, as most parrots, are likely to discover their beaks as a method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage." It really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established. If this behavior is unchecked, the cockatoo is likely to be dominating the entire family, chasing and attacking their least favorite humans (usually the ones they deem to be a competitor for their human mate's affection). Training is vital to stop this destructive behavior.


• Screaming: Not everybody can tolerate the natural loud call of a cockatoo, and even though it can't (or should not) be entirely eliminated, there are ways to discourage screaming / screeching in your pet cockatoo.
  

Training and behavioral guidance will help your pet be the kind of companion you want it to be ...

• AvianWeb Resources: I put together web resources for you to help you understand your pet bird and properly direct him. Please visit this website for valuable tips on parrot behavior and training. If you found a way to resolve a "parrot behavioral issue" please share it with others.


• If you are, as I am, a visual learner and prefer step-by-step instructions to train your pet, I recommend:
  
  • the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
    • Stop Biting
    • Perform Tricks &
    • Tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own
  • and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course.

If you are considering one of these magnificent parrots as pets, please visit the following websites for information:

• Cockatoo General Information


• Procuring your Parrot
  • Bird Breeders


• The 3 Key Elements to Keep Your Pet Bird Happy & Healthy


• Housing Your Bird


• Bird Nutrition


• Parrot Products

Taxonomy:

Genus: English: Black Cockatoos ... Dutch: Raafkakatoes ... German: Rabenkakadus ... French: Cacatoès noir ... Species: Scientific: Calyptorhynchus banksii banksii aka Psittacus magnificus / Calyptorhynchus magnificus ... English: Red-tailed Black Cockatoos ... Dutch: Banks Raafkakatoe, Banks Zwarte-Roodstaartkakatoe ... German: Banks Rabenkakadu, Rotschwanzkakadu ... French: Cacatoès de Banks

Sub-Species / Races Including Nominate: naso, samueli, macrorhynchus, magnificus

CITES II - Endangered Species ... Distribution: Eastern Australia

Sub-species:

Gould's Red-tailed Black Cockatoos:

Genus: English: Black Cockatoos ... Dutch: Raafkakatoes ... German: Rabenkakadus ... French: Cacatoès noir

Species: Scientific: Calyptorhynchus macrorhynchus ... English: Gould's Red-tailed Black Cockatoos ... Dutch: Goulds Zwarte-Roodstaartkakatoe ... German: Goulds Rotschwanz Rabenkakadu ... French: Cacatoès quelle rouge de grosbec ... CITES II - Endangered Species

Distribution: Northern Australia

Little Red-tailed Black Cockatoos:

Genus: English: Black Cockatoos ... Dutch: Raafkakatoes ... German: Rabenkakadus ... French: Cacatoès noir

Species: Scientific: Calyptorhynchus naso aka Calyptorhynchus magnificus naso ... English: Little Red-tailed Black Cockatoos ... Dutch: Kleine Zwarte-Roodstaartkakatoe ... German: Kleiner Rabenkakadu ... French: Cacatoès de huppe petite à queue rouge ... CITES II - Endangered Species

Distribution: South-western Australia

Mathew's Red-tailed Black Cockatoos:

Genus: English: Black Cockatoos ... Dutch: Raafkakatoes ... German: Rabenkakadus ... French: Cacatoès noir

Species: Scientific: Calyptorhynchus banksii samueli aka Calyptorhynchus magnificus samueli ... English: Mathew's Red-tailed Black Cockatoos ... Dutch: Mathews Zwarte-Roodstaartkakatoe ... German: Mathews Rotschwanz Rabenkakadu ... French: Cacatoès à queue rouge de Samuel ... CITES II - Endangered Species

Distribution: Central Australia

High Quality Species Photos, Videos and/or Articles Contributions are welcome! Click here to upload articles and images.

Please Note: The images on this page are the sole property of the photographers (unless marked as Public Domain). Please click on the image links to contact photographers directly for any copyright or licensing questions. Thank you.

The Avianweb strives to maintain accurate and up-to-date information; however, mistakes do happen. If you would like to correct or update any of the information, please send us an e-mail. THANK YOU!