This gorgeous pair of red tailed black cockatoos was photographed at the Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary in the Yarra Valley in Victoria Australia during our February trip.
There are five sub-species of red tailed black cockatoos in Australia, with two sub-species under serious threat.
Healesville Sanctuary is dedicated to the recovery of 27 threatened native Australian species.
It’s animal hospital treats over 1500 sick or injured native animals each year, and it has an active breeding program for threatened species.
Although I was able to photograph other black cockatoos in the wild during our February trip, these were the only red tails I was lucky enough to see.
Cheers to you from Australia’s iconic red tailed black cockatoos~
For more on Healesville’s important work see:
https://www.zoo.org.au/healesville/habitats/main-track/australian-wildlife-health-centre/
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Outstanding portraits of the cockatoo, Cindy!
I totally agree with that, Peter. Kudos to Cindy!
Thank you, much appreciated & cheers to both of you დ
They make me want to stop and be curious about their thoughts. They appear to have something to say.
I think you are right! Cockatoos are highly intelligent, vocal and sociable birds. these two are deep in thought! დ
Intelligence is easy to spot these days. When you see it. 🙂 I see it there!
Yes intelligence gets easier to spot the less we see of it! 😉
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Very pretty color tones – from the picture it looks like dark blue (very dark) and yellow dots on the upper body and with red stripes on the tail feathers. Awesome!!
They are striking creatures aren’t they, with such unique color combinations! დ
Thank you Cindy for sharing these beautiful shots. 🙂
Thank you more for appreciating them & cheers to you my friend დ
They are very beautiful birds Cindy…and big 😀 ❤️ 🙏🏽 🦋
So happy you enjoyed them Mark & thank you დ
Thank you for sharing! Very lovely photos of cocatoos. They are really Black Beauties 🦜
Thank you! Black is beautiful დ
Beautifully captured – especially because I didn’t know anything about them. Thank you!
So happy to be able to make the introduction! დ
They truly are gorgeous! 😊
The first time I went to Oz, I heard this sound like many crying cats. I went out to explore and found a bush full of black cockatoos. It was love at first sight დ
Wow! That’s crazy! They are incredible birds x
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Wow!! What gorgeous creatures! I’ve run out of superlatives!!!
Your kindness is much appreciated Lize. Take good care დ
You, too, Cindy.
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O my goodness! Their coloring is incredible, like a night sky with stars. I have never seen the black ones before and am so delighted, thank you!
Your delight is delightful to me, so visa versa 2UX2! დ
Cindy, these Cockatoos are stunning. So much richness to one species.
Thanks for sharing.
miriam
They are visual feasts aren’t they! Very pleased you enjoyed & cheers დ
What beautiful creatures!
All creatures, great and small, wise and wonderful! დ
Cindy, what magnificent birds and photos you were able to capture. So colorful too. We have mainly sparrows, robins, cardinals and hummingbirds which are fun to observe. Lucky you on your vacation! oxox
Aww, thank you so much Mary Ann. I have been home at The Holler since March. But thankfully, Australia, yields limitless photographic opportunities. დ
Cindy, Australia has long been on the bucket list. My parents got there. I have not. Looks like an awesome venue for photography.
It certainly is. I wonder if it would be possible to take a day off from photography in Oz….
Cindy, a day off? What is that in the BiG scheme of life? Haha. Keep taking photos.
Pingback: Black Beauties~ — (Another treat from Cindy Knoke) | Rethinking Life
Such wild beauty. How wonderful that you bring all of it to me so that I can see it. Thank you.
You are a joy to share with my friend. Take good care დ
Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Some pictures taken by Cindy Knoke of gorgeous Red-tailed Black Cockatoos in the Yatta Valley in Victoria Australia.
The birdies and I, so appreciate your thoughtfulness Patricia დ
Such a magnificent beauty with velvety appearance (red tailed one) in nature’s lap👏👏👌👌👌👌beautifully captured 👍😍
Your very kind comment makes me smile დ
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Such gorgeous birds. Thanks for the pictures. xo
Thank you much more for appreciating them Darlene & cheers დ
Lovely photos Cindy, you captured them in all their glory.
Leslie xoxo
They are glorious creatures aren’t they! დ
They really are!
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They are beautiful.
Bright, sociable and outgoing too დ
Wow. Such incredible birds!
Aren’t they stunning! დ
Oh, Cindy, they are stunning. I’ve forwarded the post to a dear friend back in Sacramento. It will give her something amazing to look at as things are not well there and in many other parts of the country. Rita will appreciate your skill both as an artist and an amateur photographer.
Yes, things are a sorry mess in California. I hope the birdies lift her spirits & cheers to you Lea დ
Alas, not just in California. My father’s cousin lives in Portland OR so you can imagine. She is in her 80’s and afraid to go anywhere. 💜
I did love those birds and Rita will as well. Thank you for sharing them.
Yes, It is terrible in so many places, with Trump’s gestapo and covid19 marching around like death squads of yesteryear.
Cindy, please take care of yourself. For those in your life who live abroad, stay in touch as we worry with what is going on. You are right, I can hear the old goose-stepping… How long before other countries begin offering asylum to Americans?
Thank you Lea. People are closing their borders to us and I understand all the reasons why დ
Oh, wow, Cindy … just WOW! What gorgeous birds! Their feathers almost look like they’re covered in gold stars! Glad to hear somebody’s trying to save the species.
I love that imagery Debbie. Sprinkled with gold dust is what the are. The females are the ones with the goldust! დ
As they should be!!
Yes, I love it! დ
Oh my – too many words for these pictures!
Merci beaucoup mon ami დ
Fabulous!
Grazie mille Jim დ
Absolutely breathtaking! 😍
Thanks for capturing these beauties.
I am just very pleased you like them & thank you! დ
Absolutely breathtaking! 😍
Thanks for capturing these beauties.
Thank you more for appreciating them & cheers to you დ
Oh what a delight that you were able to see two of this rare cockatoo, and get up so close to record their utter beauty. Thanks for sharing the successes and great work of this Sanctuary, Cindy.
I have been to Healesville twice and each time I left so impressed. This last visit they were busy with wildfire patients. დ
The colours are really rich. Love the bits of yellow for accents on the dark blue. What a beautiful bird. Nice sharp photos!
They are striking aren’t they. So pleased you enjoyed them დ
I was thinking I’d love to have a dress or a blouse of that design and colour.
It would be stunning. Women have often emulated birds, worn their feathers, copied their colors. We can see why დ
Makes me want to go shopping (and I’m not a big shopper).
And of course that shopper reticence is no surprise to me vis a vis you. Shopping is what people do, when they have nothing better to do დ
I agree 100%.
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The colours are really rich. Love the bits of yellow for accents on the dark blue. What a beautiful bird. Nice sharp photos!
I enjoy that you have introduced us to these wonderful looking birds.
I so appreciate your kind appreciation Anne დ
Wow they look so majestic. I have seen many white ones here but never this kind with the red tail!
I would love to come back someday and see them in the wild დ
Excellent.
Grazie mille დ
Beautiful birds Cindy… they have a royal touch! Excellent shots. What a treat!
Thank you very much. They do look rather regal don’t they! დ
These cockatoo birds are breathtakingly beautiful! Thank you very much for having them shown to us! All the best Martina
They are amazing aren’t they! So happy you enjoyed them & cheers დ
Wow! These pollysaturdated beauties can cause an abnormal heartbeat. Specktacular shots as always, my dear friend.♥*♡∞:｡.｡♥♡♥(ꈍᴗꈍ)ε｀*)♥♡♥｡.｡:∞♡*♥
Laughing…..Your comments are priceless smile inducers! დ
Why, thank you! (๑ˊ͈ ॢꇴ ˋ͈)〜♡॰
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fabulous birds and what colours!
Indeed & thank you! They are such striking creatures დ
beautiful
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What utterly spectacular birds. Thanks!
Thank you more for appreciating our feathered friends Margaret! დ
The blue and yellow ones remind me of a starry night. Beautiful!
Ah, yes! Van Gogh’s ‘Starry, Starry Night!” Perfect! დ
What stunning birds!
They are intelligent and sociable too! დ
I love this color! They are so smart and are like children. Have a great day.
Yes. They have outsize personalities and are very intelligent დ
What beautiful shots of this incredible bird! I must go back now and look at other photos from your trip!
I love looking at your photos, so we are even! დ
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What gorgeous birds and beautiful photos! Thank goodness for people and organizations who are dedicated to the welfare of wild animals… they need our support.
Yes they do. So many of these gorgeous creatures would be gone forever without the efforts of non-profit sanctuaries and rescue organizations დ
I have never seen these birds before. They are beautiful, so majestic. xxx
They are a thrilling sight and I am happy to introduce you დ
What gorgeous birds – the first one looks sprinkled with stardust! <3
She does indeed! For once it is the female who is sprinkled with stardust დ
Wow!
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The coloration of the (I assume) male is simply stunning! It looks like a starry sky above a brilliant sunset tail…and, yes, I started singing “Starry, Starry Night.” 🙂 Such beauty for sore eyes (or sore arm), Cindy! <3
For a rarity, it is the female that is bedazzled and star dusted, and the male who is plain but lovely! And yes, she is a splendid “Starry, Starry Night!”
That is unusual! And what fun!
Stunners!
Happy you like them! დ
Gorgeous birds.
They are incredible aren’t they! დ
Stunning bird, and thanks for the pics, Cindy.
You know, I decided I hated zoos when I was 10. We went on a school field trip to the Winnipeg Zoo.
Back then there were no real “habitats” for the animals. It was all cages, cages & cages.
There were 2 beaver in a pond, smaller than the cement wading pool for kids at a park. Of course, it was deeper. There was a bunch of tree stuff at one end. One beaver was busy, busy, busy gathering, chewing building. The other beaver stood at the edge of the cage, staring out. It’s like (s)he’s in jail, I thought. At that moment, I saw the zoo as an animal jail.
I find it a sick irony that now these zoos, which are somewhat improved in areas, much more in other areas are sanctuaries and breeding areas for animals. The main reason we need to sanctuary them and help their species survive, is because we have destroyed the very environments that are necessary for them. It is an ill irony that now their prisons are their hope.
Yes. Exactly. It is still a sad thing to see captive wild creatures. Some of the species in places like Healesville have no hope for survival without captive breeding. We are such an arrogant species. We think we can survive as we make our planet uninhabitable to all animals including ourselves. Arrogant and ignorant. Is that our species legacy? Truly terrible.
Agree!
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