Three weeks ago Don showed a baby Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo that he’d bred. The tiny chick, which was living in a hollow log in the aviary, resembled a strange, dinosaur or lizard covered in yellow fluff. On this week’s program, Don checked to see how the chick was progressing. He discovered that the baby has almost doubled in size and its feathers are developing nicely. It now looks like a little Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, rather than something from Jurassic Park!
Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus banksii) occur over many areas of Australia, including Western Australia, northern zones and even occasionally down into Victoria.
These glossy, black birds are 50cm-65cm long. The males have a large erectile crest and a bright orange-red band towards the tip of the tail. The females have a smaller crest, pale yellow spotting on the head, yellow-orange barring on the chest and belly, and orange banding on the tail. Their beaks are tremendously strong and they could easily snap off a finger if they wanted to, but they are gentle, non-aggressive birds. They adapt well to captivity and love interacting and playing games with humans – as evidenced by the chick’s dad, who jumps on the camera whenever we go to the aviary to film.