The Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus lathami, is one of Australia’s rarest cockatoos. At a size of only 45-50 cm in length and height they are the smallest of the five Black-Cockatoo in Australia. The name ‘Glossy’ is a little misleading as they aren’t particularly Glossy in appearance at all. Male Glossies have a more uniform black/brownish head colour, whereas the female Glossies have distinctive speckles and irregular patches of yellow over their head and neck.

Colouration of the tail also differs between the sexes and can vary with age. In adult males there is a bright solid red colour in their black tail. In contrast, tails of adult females have more of a reddish-yellow panel separated by horizontal black barring. Compared to other Black-Cockatoos, Glossies have a really broad bulbous bill, a small rounded crest and a much softer call.

The Glossy Black-Cockatoo has a very restricted diet, feeding almost only on the seeds in cones of she-oaks (Casuarina and Allocasuarina). They are one of the friendliest birds and are not easily disturbed when feeding. They will sit quietly and the only noise you will hear is the soft sound of cracking cones and people often do not even realise they are there. They will return to the same food tree time and time again, often ignoring nearby trees that are full of cones - this pattern of feeding is poorly understood. Each bird can process around 500 cones a day. They can fly as much as 10 to 15 kms to reach feeding areas.

The Glossy Black-Cockatoo is known to have a life span that can exceed 30 years. These birds mate for life, with pairs maintaining their bond all year round. The female prepares the nest hollow and incubates the egg, only leaving the nest to feed after about 90 days when the newly hatched nestlings are a week old. Males feed the female and nestlings throughout the incubation and brooding period.