Justification This species is listed as Endangered as it is assumed that the extensive loss of feeding and breeding habitat has resulted in a very rapid, and continuing, decline over three generations (45 years).

Family/Sub-family Psittacidae

Species name author Carnaby, 1948

Taxonomic source(s) Christidis and Boles (1994), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Identification 54-56 cm. Large, black cockatoo. Adult male has large black bill, erectile crest, white patch on ear-coverts and white panels in tail. Female similar except patch on ear-coverts slightly bigger and yellowish white and bill is bone-coloured rather than black or greyish black. Juvenile similar to adult female. Similar spp. May be confused with Long-billed Black-cockatoo C. baudinii, but calls slightly different and tip of upper mandible much shorter, and appears broader when seen head-on, although good views are necessary. Distinguished from Red-tailed Black-cockatoo C. banksii by white panels in tail. Voice Generally noisy with several calls, loudest and most frequent is wailing wy-lah.(C. baudinii similar but sightly 'clipped'). Hints Formerly widespread in the Western Australian wheatbelt and on Swan Coastal Plain. Also occurs in forested areas, overlapping in distribution with C. baudinii. Usually seen in small groups, sometimes large flocks.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

40,000

decreasing

32,100 km²

Yes

Range & population Calyptorhynchus latirostris is endemic to south-western Australia. Between the 1970s and 1990s, the species disappeared from over one third of its range³, with both local extinctions and reduced density in occupied areas, although it has recently been expanding into partially cleared forest habitat along the western fringe of its former range. Its current range covers a large area from Kalbarri southeast to Esperance⁵. Most breeding occurs between Three Springs and the Stirling Range and areas to the west (Cataby to Tone Rover)⁵. The total population is estimated at c.40,000 individuals⁵, now divided into four subpopulations. The decline is predicted to continue for some decades.

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: It forages in woodland, shrubland and heathland, usually breeding in areas receiving 350-700 mm of annual rainfall. Flocks of non-breeding birds then move to coastal areas, where pine plantations have an become important feeding and roosting sites since the 1930s⁵. It eats seeds of Hakea, Grevillea, Banksia, Allocasuarina, Eucalyptus, and Dryandra, but also feeds on the seeds of weeds and exotic pines, insect larvae and nectar^1,3,5. The species has also been recorded damaging persimmon and nut crops and the shoots of trees in orchards⁵. Its breeding success is dependent on the presence of heathland feeding areas within 12 km of its nesting habitat⁵. It nests in hollows in large eucalypts, primarily salmon gum E. salmonophloia and wandoo E. wandoo. It is also now frequently found in marri Corymbia calophylla, jarrah E. marginata and karri E. diversicolor forests⁵. It is a long-lived species; females appear not breed until they are at least four years old^1,2,4, and the oldest known female was at least 19 in 1989⁴. Observations suggest that pairs remain together until the death of one of the partners¹. The eggs are usually laid between late July and late September³, but laying may continue into October or November⁴. Less than half of the nest hollows available in an area of breeding habitat may remain unoccupied due to aggressive interactions between females during the selection and preparation of hollows¹. It is known that some females return to the same nest hollows in successive years^1,3. The species usually lays two eggs, although pairs rarely fledge two young, the second to hatch usually dying within 48 hours¹. The incubation period for four nests was found to be 28-29 days¹. Juveniles remain with their parents until they return to the breeding area at the start of the following season, and in some cases may associate with their parents for longer¹. This behaviour may be linked with the acquisition of knowledge and skills required for foraging¹.

Threats Since the 1950s, most feeding habitat for breeding birds has been cleared for agriculture. Remnants are fragmented, threatened by rising soil salinity and weed invasion, and are often so far from nesting areas that growth rate and survival of nestlings are affected and eventually breeding ceases altogether. Breeding habitat has also been extensively cleared and, for at least 60 years, there has been little regeneration of nest trees because of grazing by sheep and rabbits. In the district of Coomallo Creek, between 1969 and 1982, a decrease in the percentage cover of native vegetation from 67% to 34% coincided with a decrease in the breeding population of the species by one third². As habitat is cleared, the species is likely to become more susceptible to human-related threats such as collisions with cars and shooting¹. Many patches of native habitat are situated near human settlements and traversed by roads and railway lines³, and birds may become increasingly reliant on commercial crops¹. As habitat becomes patchy, local populations may fail to locate suitable feeding areas³. The species's long pair bonds and high breeding-site fidelity may mean that birds do not disperse following disturbance and may persist at the same breeding sites until all habitat in an area is cleared or the local population dies out¹. Clearing for agriculture in the wheatbelt has left little kwongan vegetation, which the species requires for feeding, adjacent to the woodland patches in which it nests⁴. Nest-hollow availability, though not currently limiting, is likely to become so in the future with feral bees and other cockatoo species competing successfully for hollows. The species may be affected by nest hollow competition by the Galah Cacatua roseicapila^1,3. This species may damage unguarded eggs, and such interference caused the failure of 7% of recorded nesting attempts in one area during the 1970s³. Much of the feeding habitat of non-breeding birds has been cleared, and many birds from the northern wheatbelt now seasonally feed largely on pines. These pines have now reached maturity, and once they are harvested this will result in a possible food shortage. Nest-robbing for domestic trade has declined, but damage to nest hollows occurs when birds are taken for illegal export.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix II. The species is protected from hunting and persecution by law⁵. Management actions completed or under way include the identification and protection of significant breeding areas, particularly stands of E. salmonophloia, protection and maintenance of known nests, re-establishment of feeding habitat, notably with Banksia, cooperation between conservation authorities and the avicultural industry, including improvement of husbandry techniques for keeping the species in captivity, management of captive-breeding stock and refinement of DNA fingerprinting in order to identify the source of all captive birds, distinguish any subpopulations and determine any loss of genetic diversity within regions or subpopulations. A recovery plan has been prepared for the species⁵. In 2007, the Government of Western Australia produced an information sheet with details of the species's status and non-lethal control methods for agriculturalists and orchardists, e.g. exclusion netting⁵.

Conservation measures proposed Monitor population trends through regular surveys. Monitor rates of habitat loss and degradation throughout its range. Quantify the level and extent of capture for trade. Continue restoration of habitat for breeding birds. Create native habitat corridors to link areas of native vegetation, especially in extensively cleared agricultural areas such as the Western Australian wheatbelt³. Satisfy avicultural demand with a collaborative captive-breeding programme. Protect nesting trees and promote regeneration by exclusion of livestock and rabbits⁵.

References Garnett and Crowley (2000). P. Mawson in litt. (2003). 1. Saunders (1982). 2. Saunders (1986). 3. Saunders (1990). 4. Saunders and Ingram (1998). 5. DEC, Western Australia (2007b).

Further web sources of information

Australian Govt - Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000 - Recovery Outline

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Stephen Garnett (Charles Darwin University), Stephen Garnett (Birds Australia), Rachel McClellan (BirdLife International), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Contributors Allan Burbidge (Department of Environment & Conservation, WA), Tamra Chapman (Department of Environment & Conservation, WA), Peter Mawson (Department of Environment & Conservation, WA), Denis Saunders (CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Guy Dutson (Birds Australia), Stephen Garnett (Charles Darwin University), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Calyptorhynchus latirostris. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums