Coal Black

This elegant mysterious waterbird is native to Australia where it is featured on the flag and is both the state bird and state emblem of Western Australia. Black swans are mostly black in color but have white flight feathers and a contrasting bright red bill. When swimming, they hold their necks arched or erect and often carry their feathers or wings raised in an aggressive display. Black swans, like many other waterfowl, lose all their flight ...
feathers at once when they molt after breeding and are unable to fly for about a month. During this time they will usually settle on large, open waters to stay safe from predators. Less

American crows are large birds with iridescent black feathers all over. Their legs, feet, and bill are also black. They are very intelligent and adaptable to human environments. They have the same brain-weight-to-body ratio as humans. American crows are able to steal food from other species, often in creative ways. One example shows a group of crows stealing a fish from a Northern river otter: one bird pecked the otter's tail to distract it ...
while other birds swooped in and stole the fish. They are also able to use and modify tools. Less

Celebes crested macaques live in the northeastern tip of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi (Celebes) and on smaller neighboring islands, where they are locally known as yaki or wolai. Their skin and hairless faces are entirely jet black except for some white hair in the shoulder range. Celebes crested macaques live in groups and spend most of the day on the ground foraging for food and socializing. They communicate with each other using various ...
sounds and when threatened will show their long canine teeth while grimacing. Less

Great cormorants are the second largest extant species of cormorant after the Flightless cormorant, with the Japanese cormorant averaging at a similar size. Great cormorants are very common and widespread bird species. They forage on the sea, in estuaries, and often nest in colonies near wetlands and sheltered inshore waters. Great feed on fish caught through diving. Their dives typically last around 28 seconds, and they dive to depths of about ...
5.8 meters (19 ft 0 in). Studies suggest that their hearing has evolved for underwater usage, possibly aiding their detection of fish. These adaptations also have a cost on Great cormorants' hearing ability in air which is of lowered sensitivity. Less

The plumage of this black crow has a beautiful green or purple sheen. It looks much like the Common crow but can be distinguished by its size of around 48-52 centimeters (19-20 in) in length as compared to an average of 63 centimeters (25 inches) for ravens. Like all corvids, Carrion crows show intelligent behavior. For example, they can discriminate between numerosities up to 30 and recognize human and crow faces. These birds can become tame ...
near humans, and can often be found near areas of human activity or habitation including cities, woodland, sea cliffs, and farmland where they compete with other social birds such as gulls, other corvids, and ducks for food in parks and gardens. Less

This coal black non-venomous snake occurs only in the southeastern region of the United States. The Eastern indigo snake received its common name from the glossy iridescent dorsal and ventral scales which can be seen as blackish-purple in bright light. It is considered to be the longest native snake species in the United States and all of North America. The longest recorded specimen measured 2.8 m (9.2 ft) in total length (including tail)! The ...
generic name, of the Eastern indigo snake 'drymarchond, roughly translates to 'lord of the forest'. It is composed of the Greek words drymos (Δρυμός), meaning 'forest', and archon (ἄρχων), meaning 'lord' or 'ruler'. Less

The Palm cockatoo may be the largest cockatoo species and largest parrot in Australia. It has a striking appearance with a large crest and has one of the largest bills of any parrot (only the Hyacinth macaw's is larger). This powerful bill enables Palm cockatoos not only to eat very hard nuts and seeds but also enables males to break off thick (about 1 in) sticks from live trees to use for a drumming display. The Palm cockatoo also has a ...
distinctive red cheek patch that changes color when the bird is alarmed or excited. Less

These Asian birds with unusually long elegant tails have become iconic examples of speciation by isolation and genetic drift. Greater racket-tailed drongos inhabit forest habitats often perching in the open where they attract attention with a wide range of loud calls that include perfect imitations of many other birds. It is suggested that these vocal imitations may help in the formation of mixed-species foraging flocks, a feature seen in ...
forest bird communities where many insect feeders forage together. These drongos will sometimes steal insect prey caught or disturbed by other foragers in the flock. Another idea is that vocal mimicry helps them divert the attention of smaller birds to aid their piracy. Less

The Guatemalan black howler is the largest of the howler monkey species and one of the largest of the New World monkeys. Guatemalan black howler males are larger than those of any other Central American monkey species. Adults of both sexes have long, black hair and a prehensile tail, while infants have brown fur. These monkeys are active during the day and live in groups. Since their diet includes mainly leaves, howlers have several adaptations ...
that allow them to pursue a folivorous diet. Their molars have high shearing crests, to help them eat the leaves. The males of the species also have an enlarged hyoid bone near the vocal cords. This hyoid bone amplifies the male howler's calls, allowing it to locate other males without expending much energy; this is very important since leaves are a low-energy food. Less

Probably not cole black in color but these birds definitely deserve attention as black cockatoos are very rare outside of their native range. They are endemic to Australia where they inhabit the drier parts of the continent. Red-tailed black cockatoos are raucous and noisy birds, that spend their days flying high overhead in small flocks, sometimes mixed with other cockatoos. They have zygodactyl feet, two toes facing forward and two backward, ...
that allow them to grasp objects with one foot while standing on the other, for feeding and manipulation. By the way, Black cockatoos are almost exclusively left-footed (along with nearly all other cockatoos and most parrots). Less

Australian ravens have all-black plumage, beak, and mouth, as well as strong grey-black legs and feet. Their upperparts are glossy and have a purple, blue, or green sheen. Australian ravens are territorial birds and pairs generally bond for life. They will defend their territory by chasing, dive-bombing, and occasionally striking the backs of birds of prey, foxes, or even people. A single breeding pair and their brood can occupy a territory of ...
up to around 120 hectares (300 acres) and remains there year-round but may allow groups of ravens to enter this area to forage. Less

Black vultures are large scavengers that live in relatively open areas with scattered forests or shrublands. They are usually seen soaring or perched on fence posts or dead trees. These birds find their meals either by using their keen eyesight or by following other vultures, which possess a keen sense of smell. Lacking a syrinx (the vocal organ of birds) Black vultures are able to produce only grunts or low hisses. They lay their eggs in caves ...
or hollow trees or on the bare ground and generally raise two chicks each year. The Black vulture appears in a variety of Maya hieroglyphics in Mayan codices and is an important cultural symbol in Lima, Peru. Less