The glossy black cockatoo (''Calyptorhynchus lathami''), is the smallest member of the subfamily

Calyptorhynchinae Described by French naturalist Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest in 1826, the genus ''Calyptorhynchus'' has two species of cockatoos. They are all mostly black in colour, and the taxa may be differentiated partly by size and partly by small areas of red, ...

found in eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Adult glossy black cockatoos may reach in length. They are

sexually dimorphic Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

. Males are blackish brown, except for their prominent red tail bands; the females are dark brownish with some yellow spotting. Three subspecies are recognised.

Taxonomy

The glossy black cockatoo was first described by Dutch naturalist

Coenraad Jacob Temminck Coenraad Jacob Temminck (; 31 March 1778 – 30 January 1858) was a Dutch people, Dutch Aristocracy (class), aristocrat, Zoology, zoologist and museum director. Biography Coenraad Jacob Temminck was born on 31 March 1778 in Amsterdam in the Dut ...

in 1807. The scientific name honours the English ornithologist John Latham. The glossy black cockatoo's closest relative is the

red-tailed black cockatoo The red-tailed black cockatoo (''Calyptorhynchus banksii'') also known as Banksian- or Banks' black cockatoo, is a large black cockatoo native to Australia. Adult males have a characteristic pair of bright red panels on the tail that gives t ...

; the two species form the genus ''Calyptorhynchus''.Forshaw, p. 89 They are distinguished from the other black cockatoos of the genus '' Zanda'' by different tail colour and head pattern, significant

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

, and differences in two juvenile call types, a squeaking begging call and a vocalization when swallowing food.

Subspecies

The three

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

were proposed by

Schodde Richard Schodde, OAM (born 23 September 1936) is an Australian botanist and ornithologist. Schodde studied at the University of Adelaide, where he received a BSc (Hons) in 1960 and a PhD in 1970. During the 1960s he was a botanist with the ...

''et al.'' in 1993, Schodde R, Mason IJ & Wood JT. (1993). Geographical differentiation in the Glossy Black Cockatoo ''Calyptorhynchus lathami'' (Temminck), and its history. ''Emu'' 93: 156-166 although parrot expert Joseph Forshaw has reservations due to their extremely minimal differences. *''C. l. lathami'': (rare) The eastern subspecies found between southeastern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and

Mallacoota Mallacoota is a small town in the East Gippsland region in the state of Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Mallacoota had a population of 1,063. At holiday times, particularly Easter and Christmas, the population increases by about 8,000 ...

in Victoria, with isolated pockets in Eungella in central Queensland and the

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

and

Pilliga forest The Pilliga Forest, sometimes known as the Pilliga Scrub, constitute over 5,000 km2 of semi-arid woodland in temperate north-central New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest such continuous remnant in the state. The forest is loc ...

. It is associated with

casuarina ''Casuarina'' is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. It was once treated as the sole genus in the fami ...

woodland. *''C. l. erebus'': Occurs in central Queensland from Eungulla near Mackay south to Gympie *''C. l. halmaturinus'': (endangered) The

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

subspecies has been listed by the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

as endangered. Restricted to the northern and western parts of the island, the population was as low as 158 individuals at one point but recovered to about 370 in 2019. It feeds on the drooping she-oak (''

Allocasuarina verticillata ''Allocasuarina verticillata'', commonly known as drooping she-oak or drooping sheoak, is a nitrogen fixing native tree of southeastern Australia. Originally collected in Tasmania and described as ''Casuarina verticillata'' by French naturalist ...

'') and the sugar gum (''

Eucalyptus cladocalyx ''Eucalyptus cladocalyx'', commonly known as sugar gum, is a species of eucalypt tree found in the Australian state of South Australia. It is found naturally in three distinct populations - in the Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula and on Kangar ...

'') In particular, the bird specialises in the most recent season's cones of ''Allocasuarina verticillata'' over older cones of that species and ''

Allocasuarina littoralis ''Allocasuarina littoralis'', commonly known as black sheoak, black she-oak, or river black-oak, is an endemic medium-sized Australian tree (usually up to 8 metres, but sometimes to 15 metres - coarse shrub in exposed maritime areas). A. littoral ...

''. It holds the cones in its foot and shreds them with its powerful bill before removing the seeds with its tongue. In early 2020, during the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season, bushfire warnings were issued for the entirety of Kangaroo Island, giving rise to warnings from scientists that the continued viability of this subspecies in the wild might be doomed as its drooping she-oak food supply undergoes destruction by the fires. As of 6 January 2020, at least 170,000 hectares (one third of the island's area) had burnt. Occasional respites in the weather offer at least temporary relief from the bushfires; a full assessment of the status of the Kangaroo Island subspecies and its supporting ecosystem will take place after the ongoing bushfire crisis has passed. Reliable funding for the successful program to protect this subspecies – primarily from predation by the common brush tail possum – ended several years ago.

Description

Calyptorhynchus lathami Glossy Black Cockatoo pair 02

Like the related red-tailed black cockatoo, this species is

. The male glossy black cockatoo is predominantly black with a chocolate-brown head and striking caudal red patches. The female is a duller dark brown, with flecks of yellow in the tail and collar. The female's tail is barred whereas the male's tail is patched. An adult will grow to be about in length. The birds are found in open forest and woodlands, and usually feed on seeds of the she-oak (''

Casuarina ''Casuarina'' is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. It was once treated as the sole genus in the fami ...

'' spp.)

Glossy Black Cockatoos fly in to drink during our devastating bush fires 2020

Conservation Status

Like most species of

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoid ...

s, the glossy black cockatoo is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

) with its placement on the Appendix II list of vulnerable species, which makes the import, export, and trade of listed wild-caught animals illegal.Cameron, p. 169. Glossy black cockatoos generally are not listed as threatened on the

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cultu ...

, however the Kangaroo Island subspecies ''(C. l. halmaturinis)'' was added to the list as endangered.

State of Victoria, Australia

* The eastern subspecies of the glossy black cockatoo (''C. l. lathami'') is listed as threatened on the Victorian

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 The ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988'', also known as the ''FFG Act'', is an act of the Victorian Government designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Au ...

. Under this act, an "Action Statement" for the recovery and future management of this species has not been prepared.Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria
* On the 2007 advisory list of threatened vertebrate fauna in Victoria, the subspecies ''C. l. lathami'' is listed as vulnerable.

State of Queensland, Australia

''C. l. lathami'' is listed as vulnerable by the Queensland, Environmental Protection Agency.

References

Cited texts

* * * Flegg, Jim. ''Birds of Australia: Photographic Field Guide'' Sydney: Reed New Holland, 2002. () * Garnett, S. (1993) ''Threatened and Extinct Birds Of Australia''. RAOU. National Library, Canberra. ISSN 0812-8014

External links

World Parrot Trust
Parrot Encyclopedia - Species Profiles {{Taxonbar, from=Q790668

glossy black cockatoo The glossy black cockatoo (''Calyptorhynchus lathami''), is the smallest member of the subfamily Calyptorhynchinae found in eastern Australia. Adult glossy black cockatoos may reach in length. They are sexually dimorphic. Males are blackish br ...

Birds of Queensland Birds of New South Wales Birds of Victoria (Australia) Endemic birds of Australia

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