BLACK cockatoos are on the prowl for mates at this time of year — meaning your chance of seeing male birds doing all they can to woo a female cocky is high.
There are three types of black cocky in NSW: the red-tailed black cockatoo is more common in rural areas, the yellow-tailed black cockatoo is common along the coast and around Sydney, and the endangered glossy black cockatoo population is scattered along the coastline, said a spokeswoman for Australia's Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife.
Late autumn and winter is when black cockatoos are getting ready to start a family, she said, and finding the right mate is important as this handsome bird mates for life, which can exceed 50 years.
"They will care for each other into their old age, even after they can no longer reproduce," she said.
Generally a female black cockatoo will lay two eggs but usually only one chick will survive, staying with its parents for around six months.
These birds prefer casuarinas, native pine trees, banksias and tall eucalypts and planting these in your yard can encourage them to visit.
Land clearing is the biggest threat to these birds and after the recent storms many mature trees were damaged.
To add your sighting of these birds to the Atlas of Living Australia database: www.ala.org.au/