Zanda funerea
Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo at Hughes, ACT
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| Zanda funerea | MichaelMulvaney | 14 Apr 2026 | |
| Zanda funerea | LisaH | 13 Apr 2026 |
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User's notes
At 6.00pm I heard YTBs noisily flying past. I grabbed my camera, forgot my phone, and ran out to follow them. There was a commotion in one particular tree, where I saw at least 10 settle, that had flown in from the west. Others flew in from the east, and then more arrived and settled either in the initial tree, or in other trees close by. I assume the flock had begun amassing well before I arrived. I could hear at least four juveniles begging, and I believe I heard (and somehow videoed), one being fed - perhaps a newly fledged YTB? By 6.15pm all was settling down. Then, at 6.25, for some unknown reason, the tree erupted, and a huge number of YTBs (I would estimate 20 - 30) rose from the canopy, calling loudly, wheeling together in a dark cloud, and disappeared into the gloaming, heading up the hill. The YTBs in the surrounding trees then cried out as the main flock were leaving. I didn't see these birds fly off (there are a lot of big trees around), but within a couple of minutes, the night was silent. Overall, I would estimate a minimum of 30 - 40 YTBs had visited our little patch of the woods, settled briefly, then moved on for the night. Amazing!
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Location information
- Coordinates 149.092903-35.328674
- Maps Hughes Grassy Woodland Red Hill to Yarralumla Creek
- Places Hughes, ACT
Sighting information
- 16 - 100 Abundance
- 13 Apr 2026 06:04 PM Recorded on
- LisaH Recorded by
- Yes Nesting site
Collections
Species information
- Zanda funerea Scientific name
- Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- -13.41m to 1830m Recorded at altitude
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Synonyms
Calyptorhynchus funereus
Seasonal activity
-
Was this a nesting or breeding site?
JFMAMJJASOND
Record quality
Quality score
6 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- Description
- Additional attributes
- GPS evidence of location