Cockatoo hatches at Murdoch Uni

A baby red-tailed black cockatoo has hatched in a custom-built box at Murdoch University, which the university claims is the second-only recorded incident of the threatened species breeding in the Perth metro area.

The chick, dubbed "Kaarak", which is the Nyungar name for Red Tails, hatched about six months ago.

Murdoch University Environmental Program Manager Caroline Minton welcomed the addition to the flock that frequent Murdoch University.

She said the university had installed 11 special breeding boxes and planted Banksia and Eucalypts on campus to try to attract the rare species.

Red tailed black cockatoos are endemic to the south-west of WA, but have been threatened by substantial habitat loss over the past 50 years, Ms Minton said.

The baby bird has been tagged and tested and data from the bird's genetic makeup and faeces will inform a number of research projects at the university.