Glossy Black Cockatoo
The Glossy Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami), also known as the Casuarina Black Cockatoo after one of their preferred food items, is the smallest member of the subfamily Calyptorhynchinae found in Australia. Adult Glossy Black Cockatoos may reach 50 cm (20 in) in length. They are sexually dimorphic. Males are completely black in colour, excepting their prominent red tail bands; the females are dark brownish with some yellow spotting. Three subspecies are recognised.
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| Glossy Black Cockatoo |
image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Aviceda
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| Glossy Black Cockatoo |
image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardfisher/
Taxonomy
The Glossy Black Cockatoo was first described by Dutch naturalist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1807. The scientific name honours the English ornithologist John Latham.
The Glossy Black Cockatoo's closest relative is the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo; the two species form the subgenus Calyptorhynchus within the genus of the same name. They are distinguished from the other Black Cockatoos of the subgenus Zanda by their significant sexual dimorphism and calls of the juveniles; one a squeaking begging call, the other a vocalization when swallowing food.
The Glossy Black Cockatoo's closest relative is the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo; the two species form the subgenus Calyptorhynchus within the genus of the same name. They are distinguished from the other Black Cockatoos of the subgenus Zanda by their significant sexual dimorphism and calls of the juveniles; one a squeaking begging call, the other a vocalization when swallowing food.
