Belongs within: Psittaciformes.
The Cacatuidae, cockatoos, are a group of parrots found in Australasia and the islands of south-east Asia, characterised by the presence of a long, erectile crest (Rutgers & Norris 1972). Most species are large, noisy and gregarious. The cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus is a smaller, slender, long-tailed species that has become widely kept as a cage bird. The black cockatoos Calyptorhynchus are, as the vernacular name indicates, predominantly black birds with contrastingly coloured undertails.
All that is black is not glossy
Published 2 March 2026
Thanks to their historical popularity as pets, cockatoos are most familiar outside Australia as bright white birds. But, just as Australia is known for its black swans, it also provides a home for black cockatoos. Where they occur, black cockatoos are among the most visible of all birds due to their large size, social behaviour and vocal habits. Five species of black cockatoos form a distinct taxonomic group in which the underside of the tail is marked by prominent bands of contrasting colour. Historically, these band-tailed cockatoos have all been included in the Calyptorhynchus but recent treatments have shown a tendency to restrict this genus to species with a red underside to the tail; those species with white or yellow tail-bands are then placed in the genus Zanda. As well as the tail coloration, the two subgroups differ behaviourally: red-tailed species tend to produce harsher calls whereas the light-tailed species communicate through musical whistles.
Two species of red-tailed black cockatoo are usually recognised, the red-tailed black cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii and the glossy black cockatoo C. lathami. The red-tailed black cockatoo has a wide (albeit somewhat fragmentary) distribution across Australia but the glossy black cockatoo is more localised to the east and south-east of the country. The glossy black cockatoo is smaller on average than the red-tailed (though, with a length of about fifty centimetres, they are still not small birds) and their call is higher and more wheezy (Morcombe 2003). Males have a smaller crest and a brownish head; females often have irregular patches of yellow feathers around the face. Despite the vernacular name, glossy black cockatoos are not noticeably glossier than other species; if anything, they seem to be less glossy than red-tailed black cockatoos, though Cayley (1938) describes them as ‘glossed green’. Foraging individuals are commonly seen in small groups of up to ten birds.
The more limited distribution of glossy black cockatoos is related to their diet. These are among the most specialised of all parrots, feeding almost exclusively on casuarina seeds. Foraging glossy black cockatoos will often show a strong preference for particular trees; once they find one they like, they may return to it repeatedly over multiple weeks until it has been stripped of cones (Pepper et al. 2000). Differences in diet between Calyptorhynchus banksii and C. lathami are reflected in bill morphology, the beak being wider in C. lathami.
Three subspecies of glossy black cockatoo have historically been recognised, including erebus in Queensland and halmaturinus on Kangaroo Island. However, an analysis of variation in the species by Saunders & Pickup (2023) found size differences to be clinal, the birds getting progressively smaller as one moved northwards. As a result, they recommended against species recognition. The Kangaroo Island population is widely separated from the remainder of the species geographically, and is considered endangered due to its low numbers, but this separation may be the result of intervening populations disappearing after human settlement. The glossy black cockatoo may be declining across its range, as human activity clears the casuarinas on which it depends.
Systematics of Cacatuidae
<==Cacatuidae [Cacatoinae, Cacatuidae, Cacatuoidea, Kakatoeidae, Kakatoeinae]
| i. s.: Lophochroa Bonaparte 1857C38
| `--*L. leadbeateri (Vigors 1831)C38, AP21, WS48 (see below for synonymy)
| |--L. l. leadbeateriC38
| `--L. l. superflura Mathews 1917C38
|--Calyptorhynchus Desmarest 1826BKB15, JoTo12 [incl. Harrisornis Mathews 1914C38, Zanda Mathews 1913C38; Calyptorhynchinae]
| |--*C. banksii (Latham 1790)C38, WS48 [=Psittacus banksiiWS48]
| | |--C. b. banksiiWS48
| | |--C. b. graptogyneM03
| | |--C. b. macrorhynchus Gould 1842M03, G42 [=C. magnificus macrorhynchusRN72]
| | `--C. b. naso Gould 1836WS48 [=C. magnificus nasoRN72; incl. C. banksii fitzroyi Mathews 1912WS48]
| |--C. baudinii Lear 1832JK08 (see below for synonymy)
| |--C. funereus (Shaw & Nodder 1794)AP21, C38 [=Psittacus funereusC38, Zanda funereaC38]
| |--C. lathami (Temminck 1807)CW03, C38 (see below for synonymy)
| | |--C. l. lathamiCW03
| | |--C. l. erebusM03
| | `--C. l. halmaturinusCW03 [=C. viridis halmaturinusC38, *Harrisornis lathami halmaturinusC38]
| |--C. latirostris Carnaby 1948AP21, JK08 [=C. funereus latirostrisSWK87]
| |--C. magnificus (Shaw & Nodder 1790) [=Psittacus magnificus]C38
| | |--C. m. magnificusC38
| | |--C. m. northi Mathews 1912 [=C. banksii northi]C38
| | `--C. m. samueli Mathews 1917 [=C. banksii samueli]C38
| `--C. solandriCH89
`--+--Nymphicus Wagler 1832BKB15, JoTo12 (see below for synonymy)
| |--N. cornutusS13
| |--N. hollandicus (Kerr 1792)BKB15, WS48 (see below for synonymy)
| `--N. uveaensisS13
`--Cacatuinae [Eolophinae]JoTo12
|--Probosciger Kuhl 1820 [incl. Microglossus Vieillot 1822; Microglossinae, Microglossini, Proboscigerini]JoTo12
| `--*P. aterrimus (Gmelin 1788) [=Psittacus aterrimus]C38
| |--P. a. aterrimusRN72
| |--P. a. alectoRN72
| |--P. a. goliathRN72
| |--P. a. intermediusRN72
| |--P. a. macgillivrayi (Mathews 1912) [=Solenoglossus aterrimus macgillivrayi]C38
| `--P. a. stenolophusRN72
`--CacatuiniJoTo12
|--Callocephalon Lesson 1837JoTo12, B94 [=Callocorydon Mathews 1917B94; Callocephaloninae, Callocorydontinae]
| `--C. fimbriatum (Grant 1803)JeTh12, C38 (see below for synonymy)
| |--C. f. fimbriatumC38
| `--‘Callocorydon fimbriatus’ superior Mathews 1917C38
|--Eolophus Bonaparte 1854BKB15, CC10
| `--*E. roseicapillus (Vieillot 1817)C38, CC10 (see below for synonymy)
| |--E. r. roseicapillusM03
| `--‘Cacatua roseicapilla’ albicepsM03
`--Cacatua Vieillot 1817JoTo12 (see below for synonymy)
| i. s.: C. pastinator (Gould 1840)JK08, WS48 (see below for synonymy)
| |--C. p. pastinatorJK08
| `--C. p. butleriJK08
| C. tenuirostris (Kuhl 1820)JeTh12, WS48 (see below for synonymy)
|--+--C. haematuropygiaJeTh12
| `--+--C. goffinianaBKB15 [=C. sanguinea goffiniRN72]
| `--+--C. ducorpsiiJeTh12
| `--C. sanguinea Gould 1842BKB15, WS48 (see below for synonymy)
| |--C. s. sanguineaWS48 (see below for synonymy)
| |--‘Ducorpsius sanguineus’ ashbyi Mathews 1912C38
| `--C. s. normantoniM03
`--+--C. ophthalmicaJeTh12 [=C. galerita ophthalmicaRN72]
`--+--+--C. alba (Statius Müller 1776)BKB15, CC10 [=Kakatoe albaC38; incl. *C. cristata Vieillot 1817CC10]
| `--C. moluccensis (Gmelin 1788)BKB15, PB96
`--+--C. galerita (Latham 1790)BKB15, CC10 [=Psittacus galeritusCC10, *Kakatoe galeritaC38]
| |--C. g. galeritaPB96 (see below for synonymy)
| |--‘Kakatoe’ g. rosinae Mathews 1912C38
| `--C. g. triton (Temminck 1849)PB96
`--C. sulphureaBKB15
|--C. s. sulphureaRN72
|--C. s. abbottiRN72
|--C. s. citrinocristataRN72
|--C. s. djampeanaRN72
|--C. s. occidentalisRN72
`--C. s. parvulaRN72
Cacatua Vieillot 1817JoTo12 [incl. Cacatoes Duméril 1805B94, Camptolophus Sundevall 1872B94, Ducorpsius Bonaparte 1857C38, Kakatoe Cuvier 1800B94, Licmetis Wagler 1832C38, Plissolophus Gloger 1842B94, Plyctolophus Vieillot 1816B94; Camptolophinae, Plissolophinae, Plyctolophinae]
Cacatua galerita galerita (Latham 1790)CC10 [incl. Cacatoes galerita fitzroyi Mathews 1912WS48, Cacatua galerita fitzroyiM03, Kakatoe galerita fitzroyiC38]
Cacatua pastinator (Gould 1840)JK08, WS48 [=Licmetis pastinatorWS48, C. tenuirostris pastinatorRN72, L. tenuirostris pastinatorC38]
Cacatua sanguinea Gould 1842BKB15, WS48 [=Ducorpsius sanguineusC38, Kakatoe sanguineaWS48; incl. Cacatua gymnopis Sclater 1870C38, C. (Licmetis) gymnopisR87, C. pastinator gymnopisSWK87, C. sanguinea gymnopisM03, *Ducorpsius typus Bonaparte 1857C38]
Cacatua sanguinea sanguinea Gould 1842WS48 [incl. Licmetis tenuirostris derbyi Mathews 1916WS48, Cacatua derbyiM03, Cacatoes sanguinea subdistincta Mathews 1912WS48, Cacatua sanguinea subdistinctaRN72, Ducorpsius sanguineus subdistinctaC38, D. sanguineus westralensis Mathews 1917WS48, Cacatua sanguinea westralensisM03]
Cacatua tenuirostris (Kuhl 1820)JeTh12, WS48 [=Psittacus tenuirostrisWS48, Kakatoe tenuirostrisWS48, *Licmetis tenuirostrisC38]
Callocephalon fimbriatum (Grant 1803)JeTh12, C38 [=Psittacus fimbriatusC38, *Callocorydon fimbriatusC38; incl. P. galeatus Latham 1801 (preoc.)C38]
Calyptorhynchus baudinii Lear 1832JK08 [=C. funereus baudiniiRN72, Zanda baudiniiC38; incl. C. baudinii tenuirostris Mathews 1913WS48, *Z. baudinii tenuirostrisC38]
Calyptorhynchus lathami (Temminck 1807)CW03, C38 [=Psittacus lathamiC38, Harrisornis lathamiC38; incl. Calyptorhynchus leachii Gould 1842C38, C. viridis Vieillot 1817C38]
*Eolophus roseicapillus (Vieillot 1817)C38, CC10 [=Cacatua roseicapillaCC10, Kakatoe roseicapillaWS48, Psittacus eosC38; incl. Cacatoes roseicapilla assimilis Mathews 1912WS48, Cacatua roseicapilla assimilisM03, Eolophus roseicapillus assiniclisRN72, Cacatoes roseicapilla derbyana Mathews 1912WS48, Cacatua roseaCC10, *Eolophus roseusCC10]
*Lophochroa leadbeateri (Vigors 1831)C38, AP21, WS48 [=Plyctolophus leadbeateriWS48, Cacatua leadbeateriJeTh12, Kakatoe leadbeateriWS48; incl. Cacatua leadbeateri aberrans Söderberg 1912WS48, Cacatoes leadbeateri mollis Mathews 1912WS48, Cacatua leadbeateri mollisM03, Lophochroa leadbeateri mollisC38, Cacatoes leadbeateri mungi Mathews 1912WS48, L. leadbeateri mungiC38]
Nymphicus Wagler 1832BKB15, JoTo12 [incl. Calopsittus Lesson 1835B94, Leptolophus Swainson 1833B94; Calopsittinae, Leptolophinae, Nymphicidae, Nymphicinae]
Nymphicus hollandicus (Kerr 1792)JeTh12, WS48 [=Psittacus hollandicusWS48, Leptolophus hollandicusWS48, P. novaehollandiae (preoc.)C38, Calopsittacus novaehollandiaePB96; incl. *Leptolophus auricomis Swainson 1832C38, L. auricomis intermedius Mathews 1912WS48, L. auricomis pallescens Mathews 1912WS48]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[AP21] Arlott, N., & B. van Perlo. 2021. Collins Birds of the World. William Collins.
[B94] Bock, W. J. 1994. History and nomenclature of avian family-group names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 222: 1–281.
[BKB15] Burleigh, J. G., R. T. Kimball & E. L. Braun. 2015. Building the avian tree of life using a large-scale, sparse supermatrix. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 84: 53–63.
[C38] Cayley, N. W. 1938. Australian Parrots: Their Habits in the Field and Aviary. Angus & Robertson Limited.
[CC10] Checklist Committee (OSNZ). 2010. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica 4th ed. Ornithological Society of New Zealand and Te Papa Press: Wellington.
[CW03] Cooper, C. E., P. C. Withers, P. R. Mawson, R. Johnstone, T. Kirkby, J. Prince, S. D. Bradshaw & H. Robertson. 2003. Characteristics of marri (Corymbia calophylla) fruits in relation to the foraging behaviour of the forest red-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii naso). Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 86 (4): 139–142.
[CH89] Cox, J. D., & A. G. Hamilton. 1889. A list of the birds of the Mudgee district, with notes on their habits, etc. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 4 (2): 395–424.
[G42] Gould, J. 1842. Descriptions of thirty new species of birds from Australia. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 10: 131–140.
[JeTh12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.
[JK08] Johnstone, R. E., & T. Kirkby. 2008. Distribution, status, social organisation, movements and conservation of Baudin’s cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus baudinii) in south-west Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 25 (1): 107–118.
[JoTo12] Joseph, L., A. Toon, E. E. Schirtzinger, T. F. Wright & R. Schodde. 2012. A revised nomenclature and classification for family-group taxa of parrots (Psittaciformes). Zootaxa 3205: 26–40.
[M03] Morcombe, M. 2003. Field Guide to Australian Birds 2nd ed. Steve Parish Publishing.
[PB96] Palma, R. L., & S. C. Barker. 1996. Phthiraptera. In: Wells, A. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia vol. 26. Psocoptera, Phthiraptera, Thysanoptera pp. 81–247. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.
Pepper, J. W., T. D. Male & G. E. Roberts. 2000. Foraging ecology of the South Australian glossy black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus). Austral Ecology 25: 16–24.
[R87] Ramsay, E. P. 1887. List of Western Australian birds collected by Mr. Cairn, and Mr. W. H. Boyer-Bower, at Derby and its vicinity, with remarks on the species. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 1 (4): 1085–1100.
[RN72] Rutgers, A., & K. A. Norris (eds.) 1972. Encyclopaedia of Aviculture vol. 2. Blandford Press: London.
[S13] Sarasin, F. 1913. Die Vögel Neu-Caledoniens und der Loyalty-Inseln. In: Sarasin, F., & J. Roux (eds) Nova Caledonia: Forschungen in Neu-Caledonian und auf den Loyalty-Inseln. A. Zoologie vol. 1 pt 1 pp. 1–78, pls 1–3. C. W. Kreidels Verlag: Wiesbaden.
Saunders, D. A., & G. Pickup. 2023. A review of the taxonomy and distribution of Australia’s endemic Calyptorhynchinae black cockatoos. Australian Zoologist 43 (2): 145–191.
[SWK87] Snyder, N. F. R., J. W. Wiley & C. B. Kepler. 1987. The Parrots of Luquillo: Natural history and conservation of the Puerto Rican parrot. Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology: Los Angeles.
[WS48] Whittell, H. M., & D. L. Serventy. 1948. A systematic list of the birds of Western Australia. Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of Western Australia, Special Publication 1: 1–126.