The Palm Cockatoo, also known as the Goliath Cockatoo, is a large smoky-grey or black parrot of the cockatoo family. The Palm Cockatoo is 55–60 cm (22–24 in) in length and weighs 910–1,200 g. It may be the largest cockatoo species and largest parrot in Australia. It is a distinctive bird with a large crest and has one of the largest bills of any parrots.
This powerful bill enables Palm Cockatoos to not only eat very hard nuts and seeds, but it also enables males to break off thick (1") sticks from live trees to use for a drumming display. The bill is unusual as the lower and upper mandibles do not meet for much of its length, allowing the tongue to hold a nut against the top mandible while the lower mandible works to open it. The Palm Cockatoo also has a distinctive red cheek patch that changes colour when the bird is alarmed or excited.
Canon 50D, EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

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