Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (Zanda funerea)

Conservation status

South Australia, National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

Breeding timing differs between Queensland and the southern states. The species is not described as a regular long-distance migrant, but it may form large flocks outside the breeding season.

Months are January to December. Regional timing varies, so local records and pre-clearance hollow inspections should guide works scheduling.

• Breeding, mating and laying: Breeding is reported from April to July in Queensland and from October to February in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.
• Young in nest or dependent: The surviving chick may remain in parental care for about six months. Exact hatching and fledging dates are not stated, so dependent young may overlap the regional breeding periods.
• Movement and flocking: Birds are usually seen in pairs or small groups, and may form flocks of more than 100 outside the breeding season. A regular migration pattern is not stated.
• Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest during the documented breeding periods because clearing can disturb nesting birds, dependent young and large hollow-bearing trees. Hollow loss can affect the species in any month.

Identification

This is a large, dark cockatoo with distinctive yellow markings and a slow, deep wingbeat. It is usually detected by its loud, drawn-out call, even when birds are flying high or feeding in dense woodland.

Adults are 55 to 65 cm long. Plumage is mainly brownish black or black, with yellow cheek patches, yellow panels in the tail and yellow edges to many body feathers. The yellow feather edging can give the body a scalloped appearance, but may be difficult to see at a distance.

Length: 55 to 65 cm

Weight: Not stated in the supplied documents

• Look for a large dark cockatoo with a short crest, yellow ear or cheek patches and a yellow tail band.
• In flight, note the deep, slow wingbeats and the yellow panels in the tail.

Identification: Sex and age differences

Males have a dark grey to black bill and pinkish or pink-red eye-ring. Females have a pale bone-coloured or white upper bill, a pale grey eye-ring and a larger yellow cheek patch. Females also have black markings in the yellow tail panels.

• Young birds resemble adult females.
• Young males have a smaller cheek patch than adult females.

Identification: Calls and field signs

The contact call is a drawn-out, high-pitched wailing kee-ow. Birds also give harsh screeches, including alarm calls. A softer chuckling sound may be heard while birds are extracting grubs.

• Search for large tree hollows lined with wood chips, as these can be nesting sites.
• Inspect pine cones, branches and ground vegetation for feeding damage where birds are present.
• No track, scat, slough, eyeshine or other ground field sign is described in the supplied documents.

Identification: Similar species

The yellow cheek markings and yellow tail panels separate this species from other dark cockatoos in most field situations. Glossy Black Cockatoos and Red-tailed Black Cockatoos occur in parts of the same range, but have red tail banding rather than the yellow tail pattern described for this species.

• Do not rely on dark plumage alone. Confirm the yellow cheek patch, yellow tail panels and the drawn-out kee-ow call.
• Use bill colour and eye-ring colour to help separate females from males.

Distribution: National range

The species occurs across south-eastern Australia, from South Australia through the eastern states to Queensland, and also in Tasmania and Bass Strait islands. The supplied documents do not provide a mapped bioregional range or a national population estimate.

The mainland range extends from the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia to south and central eastern Queensland. The species is recorded in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland, and occurs in Tasmania and on Bass Strait islands.

• Relevant state and territory records include SA, VIC, NSW, ACT, QLD and TAS.
• The northern and southern parts of the range have different breeding periods.

Distribution: Subpopulations and trend

The supplied documents do not identify formal strongholds or named bioregional subpopulations. BirdLife Australia reports a significant east coast decline and describes declines in Victoria and South Australia associated with habitat clearance, fragmentation, loss of food supply and loss of nest sites.

National population size: Not stated in the supplied documents

Reported trend: Declining in parts of the east coast, Victoria and South Australia

South Australian status: Vulnerable

• The Eyre Peninsula population is reported to rely on Aleppo Pine seed where Sugar Gum woodland has become extensively fragmented.
• Treat records from fragmented woodland and pine plantation areas as important for project assessment, because these habitats can support feeding birds even where native habitat is reduced.

Habitat: Habitat types

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos use a range of wooded habitats, including native eucalypt woodland, forest, pine plantations and some urban areas. Large old trees with hollows are the main structural feature identified for breeding.

The species favours eucalypt woodland and forest, and also uses pine plantations. It may occur in urban areas where food is abundant. Birds can be seen perched or flying in small to large flocks in these habitats.

• Assess eucalypt woodland, forest, pine plantations and food-rich urban or peri-urban vegetation.
• Retain connected woodland and mature trees where practicable, especially where feeding birds or nesting hollows are recorded.

Habitat: Structural features and environmental limits

Large hollows in old growth native trees are required for nesting. The supplied documents do not provide tree diameter thresholds, hollow dimensions, elevation limits or a defined climatic boundary beyond the species' south-eastern Australian range.

Elevation range: Not stated in the supplied documents

Hollow tree requirement: Large hollows in old growth native trees

• Record mature and old growth native trees, including trees with visible hollows, cavities, broken limbs or other potential nest features.
• Map woodland fragmentation and links between native woodland, forest and pine plantation feeding areas.

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding method

The species feeds in noisy small to large flocks and takes both plant foods and insect larvae. Feeding habitat includes native woodland, forest, pine plantations, ground vegetation and some urban areas with abundant food.

Food includes seeds from native trees and shrubs, especially banksias, hakeas and casuarinas, as well as seeds from ground plants. Birds also tear open pine cones for seed and extract larvae of wood-boring beetles and cossid moths from branches. Nectar is taken occasionally.

Main plant foods: Seeds of banksias, hakeas, casuarinas, eucalypts, pines and ground plants

Animal food: Wood-boring beetle larvae, cossid moth larvae and other insects

Foraging groups: Small to large, noisy flocks

• Inspect pine plantations and pine trees for opened cones and feeding debris.
• Search native woodland containing banksias, hakeas, casuarinas and eucalypts for feeding flocks.
• Check wattles and other trees for damage caused by extraction of insect larvae.

Foraging habitat: Foraging areas

Birds use eucalypt woodland, forest and pine plantations, and may feed in urban areas where food is available. The documents do not give a typical foraging distance, home range or daily movement distance.

Foraging range: Not stated in the supplied documents

• Assess connected food resources rather than treating a single feeding tree or plantation edge as an isolated feature.
• Record flock size, feeding plant or tree type, feeding height and evidence of cone, seed or grub extraction during site surveys.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding depends on large hollows in old growth native trees. The season varies across the range, with breeding reported from April to July in Queensland and from October to February in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.

Both sexes construct the nest in a large tree hollow and line it with wood chips. The female incubates the eggs while the male supplies her with food. Both parents raise the young, and usually only one chick survives. The surviving young remains in parental care for about six months.

Breeding season: April to July in Queensland; October to February in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania

Clutch size: Not stated in the supplied documents

Incubation period: Not stated in the supplied documents

Age at maturity: Not stated in the supplied documents

Lifespan: Not stated in the supplied documents

Parental dependence: The surviving chick remains in parental care for about six months

• Treat any large hollow in an old growth native tree as a potential breeding resource until assessed.
• Avoid disturbing active nest hollows during the relevant regional breeding period where possible.

Breeding habitat: Nest habitat

The nest is a large tree hollow in an old growth native tree. The documents do not state the hollow entrance size, cavity depth, tree diameter, nest height or whether the species reuses particular hollows.

• Inspect large old native trees before clearing, trimming or high-impact works.
• Establish an exclusion area around a suspected active hollow and use a qualified fauna spotter catcher or ecologist to assess occupancy.

Sheltering habitat: Hollows and roosts

The supplied documents identify large tree hollows as nesting shelters but provide little information on other roosting or refuge features. Project assessments should therefore focus on mature hollow-bearing trees as the best-supported shelter resource for this species.

Large hollows in old growth native trees are used for nesting and provide the clearest documented shelter feature. The documents do not state the dimensions, height or orientation of suitable hollows, and do not describe separate night roosts.

Documented shelter feature: Large hollows in old growth native trees

Hollow dimensions: Not stated in the supplied documents

• Retain and protect large old native trees with hollows wherever practicable.
• Search hollow-bearing trees before clearing, pruning, demolition or works that could affect tree stability.
• Record nearby mature trees that may provide alternative perches or roosts, even where no active nest is detected.

Sheltering habitat: Other refuge features

Ground cover, burrows, dens, caves and specific roost structures are not described for this species in the supplied documents.

• Do not assume that the absence of a visible nest means that mature hollow-bearing trees have no value.
• Use direct observations of perched or roosting birds and local habitat assessment to identify additional shelter features on a project site.

Threats: Habitat loss and fragmentation

The main documented risks are habitat clearance, fragmentation, loss of food plants and loss of large hollow-bearing trees. These risks are relevant to clearing, urban development, agriculture, mining and infrastructure projects.

Native habitat clearance removes feeding resources and nest sites. Fragmentation has been associated with declines in Victoria and South Australia. On Eyre Peninsula, the species is reported to rely on Aleppo Pine seed where preferred Sugar Gum woodland has become extensively fragmented.

• Avoid clearing mature woodland and old growth trees with large hollows.
• Retain links between eucalypt woodland, forest and pine plantation feeding areas where practicable.
• Survey both native vegetation and plantations, because modified habitat can still support feeding birds.

Threats: Development pressures

BirdLife Australia identifies urban development, agriculture, mining and infrastructure as causes of permanent habitat loss or severe degradation. Loss of food supply and nest sites is reported as a driver of decline.

• Assess direct clearing, indirect loss of food trees, severance of woodland connections and damage to hollow-bearing trees.
• Schedule clearing outside regional breeding periods where practicable and check for active hollows before works.
• Use fauna spotter catcher procedures for trees and areas where birds, nests or potential hollows are identified.

Threats: Fire, roads, predators, disease and hydrology

The supplied documents do not identify fire, roads, introduced predators, disease or hydrology change as specific threats for this species.

• Consider these pathways in the project risk assessment where they are relevant to the site, but do not treat them as documented species-specific threats without additional local evidence.

Threats: Climate change

Climate change is identified as a threat to the mainland range. The supplied documents do not specify the mechanism, affected locations or expected rate of change.

• Consider climate exposure alongside habitat fragmentation and the availability of food plants and hollow-bearing trees.

Survey methodology: 1. Diurnal searches and acoustic detection

Survey effort should target this large, vocal, diurnal cockatoo and the habitat features it uses. The supplied documents do not provide a species-specific survey guideline, minimum transect length, number of visits, or required hours, so the project ecologist should set effort from the proposal footprint, habitat quality, likely disturbance and state requirements.

Survey during daylight when birds are active and calls can be detected. Search retained eucalypt woodland, forest, pine plantations and nearby feeding areas.

Record visual detections, the drawn-out “kee-ow” contact call, screeches and any soft foraging calls. Note the direction of flight and the location of calling, feeding and roosting birds.

Activity period: Diurnal

Key call: Drawn-out “kee-ow” contact call

Typical group size: Pairs or small groups, with flocks of more than 100 birds reported outside the breeding season

• Use quiet listening periods during each search and avoid conducting all observations beside active machinery or other loud noise.
• Record the number of birds, flock size, behaviour, habitat, flight direction and whether birds enter or leave the proposed clearing area.

Survey methodology: 2. Habitat and hollow-bearing tree inspection

Inspect mature native trees for large hollows and other signs of use before clearing. The species nests in large hollows in old growth native trees.

Map hollow-bearing trees, connected woodland and forest, pine plantations, feeding plants, and any areas where birds are observed foraging or flying.

Nest site: Large hollow in an old growth native tree

Breeding periods reported: April to July in Queensland, and October to February in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania

• Inspect tree hollows from the ground and record visible entrances, tree condition and evidence of current or recent bird use.
• Treat all suitable large hollows as potential breeding resources unless an appropriately qualified person confirms otherwise.

Survey methodology: 3. Feeding and movement searches

Search for feeding flocks in eucalypt woodland, forest, pine plantations and areas containing banksias, hakeas, casuarinas or other seed-producing plants.

Inspect the wider project area, not only the impact footprint, because birds may fly high between feeding areas and retained habitat.

Recorded foods: Native and introduced plant seeds, pine cone seeds, wood-boring grubs, cossid moth larvae and occasionally nectar

Preferred habitat: Eucalypt woodland, forest and pine plantations

• Record feeding on native seeds, pine cones, ground plants, wood-boring grubs or other insects.
• Map flight paths, flock locations and links between retained trees, woodland, forest and plantations.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

Set the number and timing of survey visits in the project fauna assessment, using the footprint, habitat condition, proposed clearing method and state survey requirements. The supplied documents do not specify a minimum number of visits, transect length, survey area, night hours or trap nights for this species.

• Complete surveys in suitable daylight conditions and repeat them when the first visit is affected by poor visibility, strong noise or other conditions that reduce detection.
• Survey during the relevant regional breeding period where mature hollow-bearing trees may be affected, and document the reason for any different timing.
• Submit records and any breeding or hollow-use observations to the relevant state wildlife database.
• Retain photographs, maps, weather and visibility notes, survey dates and times, observers, effort, detections, flock sizes, behaviour and database submission details in the project file.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Avoid clearing habitat used for feeding, movement and nesting wherever practicable. The main planning focus for this species is retention of mature hollow-bearing trees and connected woodland or forest.

Redesign the disturbance footprint to retain old growth and other mature trees with large hollows.

Retain eucalypt woodland, forest, feeding plants and links between retained habitat patches.

Avoid unnecessary removal of pine plantations or other known feeding areas where they are used by the species.

Keep machinery, stockpiles, access tracks and laydown areas outside retained trees and their root zones.

• Mark all retained hollow-bearing trees and habitat areas on construction drawings and on the ground.
• Use the smallest practicable clearing footprint and stage clearing so that feeding and movement habitat remains available during works.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Confirm the current Commonwealth and state conservation status before works begin. The supplied project information identifies the species as not listed under the EPBC Act and vulnerable in South Australia, but status and permit requirements must be checked against current registers and the project location.

Obtain any required state permits, wildlife authorisations and project approvals before handling fauna or removing habitat.

Schedule clearing to avoid the relevant regional breeding period where practicable, particularly where mature hollow-bearing trees will be removed.

• Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies the ecologist, fauna spotter catcher, equipment operators, stop-work authority, wildlife carer and veterinarian.
• Include maps of retained habitat, exclusion zones, access routes, release areas and emergency contacts in the plan.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete a pre-clearance survey shortly before works and update the habitat map if birds, active nests, hollow use or feeding flocks are found.

Mark trees, hollows, retained vegetation and no-go areas before machinery enters the site.

Use exclusion fencing or other visible barriers where this will prevent machinery entering retained habitat.

• Brief all operators that the species is a large, vocal cockatoo that may be detected by its slow wingbeat, yellow cheek patches, yellow tail panels and loud calls.
• Confirm that the fauna spotter catcher has the required authority, equipment, transport arrangements and release-site approvals before clearing starts.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and spotter catcher procedure

Clearing should proceed under active fauna supervision, with machinery moving only after the spotter catcher has checked the work area. Large hollow-bearing trees require particular care because they can provide nest sites.

Complete a daily pre-start inspection of the approved work area, retained habitat, trees, hollows and access routes.

The fauna spotter catcher should stay in communication with machinery operators and direct the sequence of clearing.

Clear in stages towards retained habitat where safe, giving mobile birds an opportunity to leave the work area.

Stop machinery before the spotter catcher enters the exclusion zone or approaches a tree, hollow, log or other fauna feature.

• Do not allow operators to clear outside the marked footprint or remove retained trees without approval from the environmental representative.
• Maintain exclusion fencing and replace or repair it if it is damaged or moved.
• Use a wider exclusion area or change the work method if a bird repeatedly enters the clearing zone or cannot move away safely.

During habitat disturbance: Trees and habitat features

Inspect each hollow-bearing tree for visible birds, calls, nesting activity and other evidence before it is removed.

Where a hollow-bearing tree must be removed, use a controlled method that limits sudden collapse and allows the spotter catcher to check the tree and ground area for fauna.

Retain logs, fallen timber and native food plants where they are inside the approved retention area.

• Do not fell a tree containing an active nest or dependent young until the fauna specialist and relevant authority have approved the action.
• Check the ground, branches, hollows and surrounding vegetation after a tree is felled.
• Do not move logs, rocks or other habitat features until they have been checked for fauna.

During habitat disturbance: Fauna encounters, stop-work and records

Stop work if a Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo is injured, trapped, nesting, has dependent young, or is at immediate risk from machinery.

Only an appropriately authorised and trained person should capture, handle or transport the bird. Minimise handling and keep the bird quiet, shaded and secure while advice is obtained.

Release an uninjured bird only into nearby retained habitat that is suitable for the species and outside the active work area, following the fauna management plan and any permit conditions.

Transfer an injured bird to a veterinarian or permitted wildlife carer as soon as practicable.

• Record the date, time, location, condition, action taken, release or treatment outcome, people involved and any permit or incident number.
• Escalate any active nest, dependent young, repeated return to the work area, injury or death to the project environmental officer and relevant wildlife authority.
• Resume work only after the fauna spotter catcher or environmental officer confirms that the stop-work trigger has been resolved.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance inspection

Post-clearance checks should confirm that no fauna or habitat feature has been left at risk and that retained habitat controls remain effective. Monitoring should focus on hollow-bearing trees, feeding areas and movement links retained for the species.

Inspect the cleared area, felled trees, hollows and retained vegetation after each clearing shift and again when the clearing stage is complete.

Check for injured or trapped birds, nest material, dependent young, damaged retained trees and blocked movement routes.

Remove temporary hazards such as open pits, unsecured materials and damaged exclusion fencing.

• Document all checks, observations, incidents, photographs and corrective actions.
• Notify the environmental representative immediately if a nest, injured bird or damaged retained habitat is found.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and compliance

Monitor retained woodland, forest, mature hollow-bearing trees and known feeding areas during the project where they are close to construction activities.

Use repeat daytime observations and call detections to check whether birds continue to use retained habitat and whether construction is affecting access to feeding or nesting areas.

Compare monitoring results with the approved fauna management plan and consent conditions.

• Maintain exclusion fencing, tree protection and no-go markings until the environmental representative confirms they are no longer required.
• Report any unapproved clearing, habitat damage, injury, death or failure of a control through the project incident system and to the relevant authority where required.

After habitat disturbance: Reporting and offsets

Provide the landholder, project environmental officer and relevant regulators with a close-out report that includes survey records, clearing dates, habitat retained, fauna incidents, nest or hollow findings and rehabilitation commitments.

Consider offsets or other approved conservation measures where residual impacts remain after avoidance and minimisation, in accordance with the applicable approval and state requirements.

• Submit confirmed species records and significant breeding or habitat observations to the relevant state wildlife database.
• Retain the final maps and monitoring results with the project environmental records.

Rehabilitation actions: Planting and habitat structure

Rehabilitation should restore feeding habitat, shelter and movement links used by the species. It should prioritise native woodland structure and mature trees over time, while recognising that newly planted trees will not immediately replace large nesting hollows.

Replant cleared areas with locally appropriate native woodland and forest species that provide seeds and cover, including suitable banksias, hakeas, casuarinas and eucalypts where consistent with the local ecological community.

Link rehabilitation areas to retained woodland, forest and other feeding habitat wherever practicable.

Control weeds that compete with planted native food plants and reduce habitat quality.

• Use locally appropriate species and a planting design approved by the project ecologist or restoration practitioner.
• Protect young plants from browsing, vehicle damage and construction traffic until established.
• Do not rely on pine or other introduced plants as the only replacement for native feeding habitat, even though the species may feed in pine plantations.

Rehabilitation actions: Hollows, timber and site features

Retain suitable fallen timber and natural habitat features in rehabilitation areas where they do not create a safety or fire risk.

Install nest boxes only where a qualified ecologist confirms that they are appropriate, permitted and able to be inspected and maintained.

Treat nest boxes as a supplement to retaining mature hollow-bearing trees, not as an immediate replacement for old growth trees.

• Record the location, design, installation date and inspection results for every nest box or artificial hollow.
• Protect retained mature trees and allow replacement trees to develop into future hollow-bearing habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, predators and success measures

Manage fire, weeds and introduced predators in accordance with the ecological community, local fire requirements and the approved rehabilitation plan.

Monitor whether native food plants establish, whether woodland or forest connectivity is restored, and whether Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos use the rehabilitated or retained areas.

Use daytime observations and call detections to record flock size, feeding, flight paths and any use of nest boxes or retained hollows.

• Set site-specific completion criteria for plant survival, weed cover, habitat connectivity and protection of retained trees before rehabilitation begins.
• Inspect rehabilitation after establishment, after major fire or storm events, and at the intervals required by the approval or management plan.
• Repair failed plantings, damaged fencing, erosion, weed outbreaks or nest-box defects when monitoring identifies them.

Sources

• Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (Zanda funerea) identification - Birda, app.birda.org: https://app.birda.org/species-guide/12912/Yellow-tailed_Black_Cockatoo
• Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo - BirdLife Australia, BirdLife Australia: https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profiles/yellow-tailed-black-cockatoo/