Yellow-Tailed Black-Cockatoo
Zanda funerea
Also known as: Funeral Cockatoo
About This Species
Look for small, noisy flocks moving between tall eucalypts and stands of banksia or hakea, where they lever open seed pods and probe wood-boring grubs from dead branches. A wailing, drawn-out call carries a long way and often gives the flock away before it comes into view. Cooler months bring larger foraging flocks into open woodland and even suburban parks and gardens, making winter a reliable time to spot them.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Stay back far enough that the flock keeps feeding rather than flying off, generally several tree-lengths is enough for a species this size and tolerant of people.
- Wild bird protections apply across its Australian range, so avoid approaching nests or handling young found on the ground.
- Quiet, patient observation from a distance disturbs them far less than trying to move in for a closer look.
LCAvesPsittaciformesCacatuidae
Seasonal Activity
275,842 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Cacatuidae
Photo
(c) Sam Gordon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Sam Gordon
CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.