A familiar sight along much of Queensland’s coastline, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus funereus) are both majestic and charismatic. Their slow, deliberate flight and distinctive calls are synonymous with the bush and coastal heathlands where they forage for seeds. Banksias and Hakeas are among their preferred food sources, providing an important connection between bird and plant within the coastal ecosystem.

The Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos hold a place of great significance for the Butchulla people of K’gari (Fraser Island) and Queensland’s mainland opposite it. As with many indigenous cultures around the World, the Butchulla people revere birds as messengers that convey messages and signs and omens from the Spirit world. They are a guardian of the bush. Seen as a mother figure, the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo mates for life.