Quite exciting! According to my bird book, this bird is reasonably uncommon, perhaps declining. It’s a Glossy Black-Cockatoo, and I saw three of them for the first time ever this morning.

The raised crest gives the bird a typical look of parrot curiosity:

In this photo, the bird did a bit of grooming and showed the orange-red flares in its tail feathers:

In our area we see a lot of the white sulphur-crested cockatoos. Occasionally the yellow-tailed black cockatoos pay us a visit, when their favourite trees are in flower. I’ve never before seen any of these glossy black cockatoos.

From underneath, the tail feathers look entirely yellow, white, and black:

In the photo below, you can see more of the orange in the tail, and the small crest on the bird’s head:

From the rear, the orange is more visible:

Another frontal view:

Common name: Glossy Black-Cockatoo

Scientific name: Calyptorhynchus lathami

Approximate length: 50cm

Date spotted: 25 February 2018 (Summer)

Location: Manly Dam National Reserve, near Sydney: 33°46’36.5″S 151°15’18.2″E