Red-tailed Black Cockatoo — David Taylor - Master Jeweller

A very noisy bird usually found in large groups or at least pairs. On this day a flock of them were destroying this tree. When finished it looked like it had been pruned by a gardener.

It derives its name from the distinctive orange-red tail.

The female has small yellow spots on the head, neck and wings and the body feathers can be a browny black. The underparts of a female are also lightly barred yellow/orange.

These birds can be found over a large part of Australia and what they eat varies from location to location. In Far North Queensland where I live they feed on seeds and sometimes mangroves.

Their voice is a loud grating sound and their flight is slow and buoyant. The wing feathers are deeply fingered.