Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo

The long wailing calls of groups of Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus funereus) can be heard along the coast of Australia from northern Queensland round past Adelaide, as well as in Tasmania. Also known as Funereal Cockatoos, Yellow-eared Black-Cockatoos or Wylah, these birds feed on Australian natives like eucalypts or banksias. They feed on the seeds on banksias as well as cracking open the wood to eat the tree borers, which in turn helps the tree grow better. They breed between March and August in the north and between July and January in the south and nest in large tree hollows, high off the ground. One surviving chick stays with the parents for a few months learning from them until it is fully mature. So if you plant native trees in you backyard there is a good chance you will encourage cockatoos to visit and feed.

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