BuceyExpositoryEssayFinalRed Tailed Black Cockatoo(Calyptorhynchus banksii graptogyne)I didn’t really know what to do for my expository essay.
I knew thatI wanted to write about an animal and since I am a bird owner, I decided towrite about a bird. I also wanted to learn more about endangered birds andwhat is being done to save their lives. I own a cockatiel, which iscurrently a very common house pet and therefore not endangered. As Iresearched more about birds, I came to a Website about endangered birds. The Red Tailed Black Cockatoo caught my attention with its beautifulcolors. This beautiful large bird with a bright red tail reminded me of mybird but only much larger.
I immediately knew I had found my subject andbegan to write down notes. The Red Tailed Black Cockatoo is a very unique bird. People say theRed Tailed Black Cockatoo is unique because of its pattern of red and blackwings. If you were to lift a Red Tailed Black Cockatoo’s wing you can seethe different patterns. Either you see the red over-lapping the black, theblack over-lapping the red, black bars across the red pattern, or just redon red.
The Red Tailed Black Cockatoo is mostly known for its loud noisesand spectacular wings. The Red Tailed Black Cockatoo is one of the largestmembers of the endemic Australian genus, which includes most of the blackcockatoos. You can tell the difference between a male and a female RedTailed Black Cockatoo. Males are all black with red patterns in theirtails. Females resemble males but have yellow spots on the head and bellyand black bars across the red tail patterns. The Red Tailed Black Cockatoo are mostly found in South Australia.
The population does not exceed 1,000 individuals of which fewer than 200are thought to breed each year. The population of the Red Tailed BlackCockatoos is declining and may soon be extinct if nothing is done to savethem. There are people who are trying to save this bird. One project tosave the Red Tailed Black Cockatoo includes making nests and positioningthem on top of posts for birds that need to nest. The already made nestsare making up for the large number of trees being cut down in SouthAustralia.
This increase in nests will help the Red Tailed Black Cockatooincrease its population. The breeding period for a Red Tailed Black Cockatoo is usuallyduring October-May. The tree they mainly nest in is called River Red Gum. It usually takes up to about 28 days of incubation and 87 days of thetaking care of the young birds. Those birds that do breed only breed up toone or twice a year. The Red Tailed Black Cockatoos are endangered because the nesthollows shortage.
It has been proven that the failure, despite searching,to find many nests and the fast adoption of the nest boxes made by humansis evidence that there is a shortage of nest hollows. A shortage of nesthollows is thought to limit the number of cockatoos trying to breed.
