After the first couple of weeks on the field, I was becoming quite accustomed to the different species we saw. The beauty of being in a wild environment means there is little to no human disturbance and it does not take much time to see the species on our list. Among the common species include wallabies, kangaroos, emus, wombats, sulphur-crested cockatoos, corellas and rosellas. There was one more species on the list that we still had yet to see and that was the elusive yellow-tailed black cockatoo!
This species is a large cockatoo found mainly in southeastern Australia. It shows a different behavior from it's relative, the sulphur-crested cockatoo, by flying either alone or in small groups, rarely surpassing three individuals. They are large, reaching up to 26 inches in length and have two yellow spots on their otherwise entirely black head. Their name comes from the strands of yellow feathers underneath their tail, especially visible when flying. They produce a high-pitch contact-call that travels surprisingly far! Often times it is difficult to immediately know where the individual comes from solely based on sound. I often had to look around for a few seconds before seeing it.
