Description: Male Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are black with two vibrant red stripes in the tail. They also have a very full crest and a black bill. Females are black but have yellow spots and yellow fringed feathers. The beak is a light grey and the tail has yellow to red stripes.

Diet: Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are omnivores and eat seeds, fruit, bulbs and insects.

In the wild: This species of Black Cockatoo only produces one young every second year, making it very difficult to increase the species’ numbers.

Threats: Forest Red-tailed Cockatoos have a very low rate of reproduction which means the population cannot quickly replace the large number of birds that have died over the years. Habitat destruction is also a major cause as cutting down trees destroys the cockatoos’ nesting sites.

Black Cockatoos are also highly sought after as pets on the black market. Many chicks are taken from nests and trees are cut down to get at the eggs and babies inside the nesting hollows. This will destroy the nesting site as well.

It is illegal to shoot or poach Black Cockatoos.

Find out how you can help.

Protecting Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoos at Perth Zoo: Perth Zoo’s veterinary hospital cares for sick and injured cockatoos brought in from the wild. They are provided with emergency treatment, surgery and other medical care as required. Once they are well enough, they are given to rehabilitators where they are cared for back to their full health. In many cases, they are returned to the wild.

If you would like to help cockatoos and other native wildlife, plant a fauna-friendly garden to provide them with food and homes.

Perth Zoo's Black Cockatoo exhibit is proudly sponsored by: