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Some Notes on the Plumage Phases of the Glossy Black-Cockatoo


Specimens of the Glossy Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus lathami were examined to elucidate sex and age plumage phases. Under field conditions, adult females are the most readily recognizable form. An unbarred red subterminal tail band indicates that a bird is male and probably adult or nearly so, and some such individuals may have a few yellow head feathers. Adult females of this species and of some populations of the Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo C. magnificus can be distinguished by the pattern of tail colouration. Immature plumages in C. lathami are characterized by brown heads and barred subterminal tail bands. Further material is required to elucidate any relationship in immature plumages between age, sex and markings such as spotting and barring.

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