Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Glossy black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami), 1790s

Glossy black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami), 1790s

Ducie Collection, National Library of Australia, Canberra; Purchased from the Ducie-Moreton Family, 2005; nla.pic-vn3579495

Watercolour

Male Glossy black cockatoos are completely brown-black with prominent red tail bands. Females are dark brown with yellow spotting.
Glossy black cockatoos are listed as an endangered species in Australia.
Glossy black cockatoos breed every two years with a single egg being laid.
Glossy black cockatoos are found in eastern regions of Australia and are the smallest of the five types of black cockatoos.
Glossy black cockatoos mate for life. Young remain with their parents for two years until the next breeding season.
Glossy black cockatoos have a very restricted diet, feeding only on the seeds of she-oak cones.