Glossy Black Cockatoos Feeding on Casuarina
It sounded like the crackling of a campfire coming from the Allocasuarina trees growing along the creekbed. When I hear this sound in the Australian bush, I’ve learned to look upwards, as various species of cockatoos and parrots often stay hidden in the foliage of trees as they feed on seeds. But one species in particular specializes in feeding on Allocasuarina, and as I looked closer at the trees in front of me, the distinctive dark shapes and flashes of red tail feathers betrayed this small group of crackling cockatoos to be one of Australia’s rarest, the Glossy Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami).
A long 40 minute version of this recording is now available for download as the album “Casuarina Creek“.
At about 50cm long, they are the smallest of the five black-cockatoo species, but have one of the most formidable beaks of any bird. Click, crack, crack, the male Glossy Black in front of me carefully rotated an Allocasuarina cone with his foot, the massive bill delicately clipping each seed and extracting the tiny kernel. Occasionally, he would made a soft creaky call which was strangely beautiful amongst the constant crackles of the group.
Much more confiding than most other black cockatoo species, these gentle Glossy Blacks didn’t seem bothered by my presence and it was a wonderful experience to sit amongst these rare birds and record the sound of their feeding.