| Palm cockatoo | |
|---|---|
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| Palm cockatoo inLockhart River, Queensland | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Family: | Cacatuidae |
| Genus: | Probosciger Kuhl, 1820 |
| Species: | P. aterrimus |
| Binomial name | |
| Probosciger aterrimus (Gmelin, JF, 1788) | |
| Subspecies | |
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| Australian palm cockatoo range (in green) | |
Thepalm cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus), also known as thegoliath cockatoo orgreat black cockatoo, is a large, smoky-grey/blackparrot of thecockatoo family native toNew Guinea, theAru Islands and theCape York Peninsula inQueensland,Australia.[3][4] It has a crest of long feathers atop its head, with a very large and strong, sharply-hooked black beak (with which it can easily open nuts and seeds), and prominent bright-red cheek patches.[5]
The palm cockatoo wasformally described in1788 by naturalistJohann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition ofCarl Linnaeus'sSystema Naturae, in which he classified the bird with other parrots in thegenusPsittacus and coined thebinomial namePsittacus aterrimus.[6] Gmelin based his description on the "black cockatoo" that had been described and illustrated in1764 by English naturalistGeorge Edwards.[7]Joan Gideon Loten had provided Edwards with a drawing of the bird by theSri Lankan artist Pieter Cornelis de Bevere;[8] the original drawing by de Bere is in the collection of theNatural History Museum, London.[9]
The palm cockatoo is, now, the only species within the genusProbosciger that was introduced byHeinrich Kuhl in1820.[10][3] Thegeneric name combines theLatinproboscis (meaning "snout") with-ger (meaning "carrying"); thespecific epithetaterrimus isModern Latin, meaning "very black".[11] The acceptedtype locality is Aru Islands,[12][13] rather than "northern Australia".[14]
The palm cockatoo is a member of thewhite cockatoosubfamilyCacatuinae.[15] Earlier, limited genetic studies found it to be the earliest offshoot from ancestors of what have become the cockatoo family.[16][disputed (for: conflict with sources cited above) –discuss]
"Palm cockatoo" was designated the official common name for the species by theInternational Ornithological Committee (IOC).[3] The bird was also referred to as the "Goliath aratoo" inWood's Natural History (1862). It is sometimes given the misnomer "blackmacaw" inaviculture, despite the fact that macaws areNew World parrots and are unrelated to the palm cockatoo (other than both birds belonging to the Psittaciformesorder). Confusingly, this name was also used by early naturalists as well as Brazilian tribes to refer to the dark bluehyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus).[citation needed]
Foursubspecies are recognised.[3]
A 2007 genetic study found little support for the above division into subspecies.[17]
The palm cockatoo is 55 to 60 cm (22 to 24 in) in length and weighs 910–1,200 g (2.01–2.65 lb).[18] It may be the largest cockatoo species and largest parrot in Australia, although large races ofyellow-tailed black cockatoos andsulphur-crested cockatoos broadly overlap in size. It is a distinctivebird with a largecrest and has one of the largestbills of any parrot (only thehyacinth macaw's is larger). This powerful bill enables palm cockatoos not only to eat very hardnuts and seeds, but also enables males to break off thick (about 1 in (2.5 cm)) sticks from live trees to use for a drumming display.[19] The male has a larger beak than the female.[18] The beak is unusual, as the lower and upper mandibles do not meet for much of its length, allowing the tongue to hold a nut against the top mandible while the lower mandible works to open it. The palm cockatoo also has a distinctive red cheek patch that changes colour when the bird is alarmed or excited.
The racesP. a. goliath andP. a. stenolophus are larger than thenominate subspecies. The racestenolophus also has narrower crest feathers.[13]
The vocalizations of palm cockatoos are similar to those of most wild parrots, but they have also been shown to produce a variety of additional syllables in display and exchange with neighbouring individuals. These additional syllables are mainly produced by males and are often combined to form long, complex sequences. In a population in theIron Range, 30 different syllables were distinguished.[20] The palm cockatoos from the east have different call types from the ones from other areas, due to their long term isolation.[21]
The palm cockatoo is found in rainforests and woodlands of New Guinea and Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia. It can still be found nearSorong,West Papua,Indonesia, where it is sometimes seen in trees along the roads.[22]
It has a unique territorial display where the bird (typically the male) drums with a large (i.e. up to 2.5 cm diameter, 15 cm long) stick or seed pod against a dead bough or tree, creating a loud noise that can be heard up to 100 m away.[23] After drumming, the male occasionally strips the drum tool into small pieces to line the nest.[24] Although this drumming behaviour was discovered over three decades ago (in 1984 by G.A. Wood), the reason why palm cockatoos drum is still a mystery. One reason could be that females can assess the durability of the nesting hollow by the resonance of the drumming. Another possibility could be that males drum to mark their territory against other males.[citation needed] The palm cockatoo is an unusual bird, being an ancient species and one of the few bird species known to use tools.[22]
This species normally does not appear in large numbers. They are not known to flock feed like many of the cockatoo species. Usually only one to six individuals are observed feeding together at one time. As with other large birds, both parents care for young, so seeing a breeding pair is not unusual. If these birds do congregate, it will usually happen in open woodland just after sunrise or along the rainforest edge before returning to individual roosts for the night.[25]
Palm cockatoos only lay one egg every second year and have one of the lowest breeding success rates reported for any species of parrot.[26] Offsetting this is their very long lifespan. A male commenced breeding at 29 inTaronga Zoo in Sydney, and a female at the London Zoo was 40 when she laid her first egg in 1966. Breeding takes place inside tree hollows that look like standing pipes. Fires play an important role in the destruction and creation of nest hollows. Fires allow the colonisation of microorganisms and termites, which enter the tree and start hollowing out the inside. Cyclones are important in the final stage of nest hollow development.
Anecdotal evidence indicates a palm cockatoo reaching 80 or 90 years of age in an Australian zoo,[26] although the oldest confirmed individual was aged 56 inLondon Zoo in 2000.[27] Although longevity of captive birds is known, the lifespan of palm cockatoos that live in the wild is still unknown.
The palm cockatoo often feeds during the early hours of the day, on a diet consisting mostly of wildpandanus palm fruits andkanari tree nuts. They have also been seen eating fruits ofDarwin stringy bark and thenonda tree, as well as seeds from thecocky apple tree,beach almond andblack bean tree.[25]
A 2023 study by Robert Heinsohn from theAustralian National University found that palm cockatoos fashion individual musical tools, in the form of wood and seed pods, to drum on trees to mark their territories and attract potential mates. These musical tools are used by the cockatoos to drum out highly personal rhythms and the tools are often highly decorated.[28]
The palm cockatoo is still relatively common in Cape York, where it is nonetheless threatened byhabitat destruction (particularly due tobauxite mining aroundWeipa) and altered fire regimens in the region. Palm cockatoos are also hunted traditionally in New Guinea. The species is currently listed asNear Threatened on theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species.[1] It is listed on Appendix I ofCITES. In Australia, palm cockatoos were relisted from Near Threatened toVulnerable on 31 October 2015 (EPBC Act List of Threatened Fauna).
This species is in high demand for the pet trade due to its unusual appearance. In early captive situations, pet owners would either feed dog kibble or generic bird seed mixture, while zoos would give them "monkey biscuits". As their nutritional needs became more apparent over the years, owners have shifted to specially formulated "manufactured diet" pellets along with a wide variety of treats like peanuts, pecans,Brazil nuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, oranges, apples, grapes, pomegranate, bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, broccoli, and kale. Many zoos still give them monkey biscuits to broaden their diet.[29]
