White Tailed Cockatoo
Cayptorhynchus funereus baudinii (Short Bill)
Cayptorhynchus funereus latirostris (Long Bill-Carnaby)
Only found in Western Australia, these birds are also known as Rainbirds from their habit of congregating in large flocks in the autumn when they seem to appear just prior to rain storms. The bird is endangered through habitat destruction in its main nesting areas and the fact that it takes many years for a hollow to form big enough
for it to nest in.
Many other factors also contribute tothe bird's problems. Feral honey bees (domestic bees gone wild) are a big problem in the Australian bush, taking over nesting sites and even killing young birds in their nest. The explosion of Galahs and Corellas in its habitat and the fact that the bird is a selective eater are other factors.
Yellow Tailed Cockatoo
Calyptorhynchus funereus funereus
One of the largest of the Australian cockatoo species and closely related to the western white tails.
These beautiful, gentle natured birds are not endangered. The birds lay two eggs, but very seldom raise more than one chick. The second egg is laid about seven days later than the first and on hatching has to compete with the week older chick.
This generally means that it starves to death as the older bird gets all the food. The large cockatoo family can live for over 70 years and it is recorded over 100 years. They start to breed at about five years old.