Palm Cockatoo

The palm cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus), also known as the goliath cockatoo or great black cockatoo, is a large, smoky-grey/black parrot of the cockatoo family native to New Guinea, the Aru Islands and the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. Notable features include a crest of long feathers atop its head, with a very large and strong, sharply-hooked black beak (with which it can easily open nuts and seeds), and prominent bright-red cheek patches. (Wikipedia, general species account).

Earlier, limited genetic studies found it to be the earliest offshoot from ancestors of what have become the cockatoo family. "Palm cockatoo" was designated the official common name for the species by the International Ornithological Committee (IOC). In a population in the Iron Range, 30 different syllables were distinguished. The species is found in rainforests and woodlands of New Guinea and Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia. It can still be found near Sorong, West Papua, Indonesia, where it is sometimes seen in trees along the roads. (Wikipedia, general species account).