Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Australia has a number of Black-cockatoo species, including the Red-tailed Black-cockatoo shown in today’s post. These impressive large parrots are not easy to approach in the wild, so when we went to Taronga Zoo in Sydney last year I was pleased to get these close up shots.

These birds are a part of the Free Flight Bird Show which is a feature of the programme at the zoo every day at noon and at 3pm. It is a great opportunity for zoo visitors to see some of our wonderful birds up close – and sometimes quite personal.

Red-tailed Black-cockatoos are found in their natural state in much of Queensland, the Northern Territory, parts of Western Australia and there is a small isolated population in western Victoria and SE South Australia. Seeing a flock flying overhead is an awesome sight, but seeing them up close like this at the zoo gave me a new appreciation of the delicate beauty of this stunning parrot.

Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Red-tailed Black-cockatoos, Bird Show, Taronga Zoo, Sydney