But in winter or other times of scarcity they can spend most of the day foraging. When food is abundant Cockatoos may spend only a few hours each day foraging and the rest preening in trees. The Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo eats lots of insects – digging in rotting wood for grubs and larvae. The Glossy Black Cockatoo specializes in She-oaks, grabbing cones in its feet and shredding them to extract the seeds. As well as strong bills they have muscular tongues to manipulate seeds and to de-husk them. Often where the fruits are on the end of small branches that won’t support their weight, Cockatoos will hold branches in their feet and bend them closer. These are too tough for many birds to access but Cockatoos can crack them open. Other species forage for seeds in the trees – Eucalypts, Banksia and Hakea plants store large supplies of seeds in cones or gumnuts. Western and Long-billed Corellas have longer bills to dig out tubers and roots. Galahs, corellas and some of the black cockatoos mostly feed on the ground, and ground feeders tend to forage in larger flocks. In times of plenty flock sizes are smaller, while in droughts some species can gather in flocks numbering thousands of birds. Cockatoo diet Cockatoos eat seeds, tubers, corns, fruit, flowers and insects. Cockatiels will incubate eggs for around 20 days with larger species such as Glossy Black Cockatoos and Red-tailed Black Cockatoos taking roughly four weeks for incubation and nine weeks until fledgling (around 12 weeks total). Black cockatoo females care for their eggs and nestlings alone, while the work is shared between sexes in other species. Palm Cockatoos and some of the other large species lay a single egg, while smaller species lay between two and eight. Some like Gang Gang Cockatoos are relatively quiet, while the Palm Cockatoos will also drum on dead branches with sticks to communicate over distances. Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo has up to 15 different calls, whereas others have less. Their harsh squawking vocals and the number of different calls varies by species. These noisy birds often feed in large flocks, making their unmistakable presence known (except for glossies – they tend to feed in pairs, trios of mum, dad and fledgling, or small family units). They are diurnal (active in the day), need light to find their food and aren’t early risers, tending to wait until there’s warmth in the sun before feeding. Their movable headcrest is raised when the birds are landing from flight or aroused.2 Like other parrots, cockatoos also have short legs and a waddling gait. They also share with us a tendency to have a preferred foot (most will use their left foot to grip food when they eat). "Criminals will target nest sites to then sell their eggs into the international market.Cockatoo behaviour In captivity cockatoos can live as long as humans. There are only about 1,000 left in the wild," she told ABC Radio Melbourne. "One of the animals of concern for us is the red-tailed black cockatoos. Some species of animals that are targeted by smugglers are already endangered, Chief Conservation Regulator Kate Gavens says. Ms Smith said there were legitimate reasons for some people to possess and sell native wildlife, but these carers would have licences and be registered. "There is a total disregard for animals dying, so you've gotta be a person to think this type of crime is okay," she said. Many animals that are captured for trade die in the transportation process, Ms Smith says, as they can be placed in boxes, tins and luggage for long periods of time and, in some cases, taped to smugglers' bodies. "The shingleback lizard can sell for $30,000 and the red-tailed black cockatoo can sell anywhere between $20,000 and $100,000."
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