The animal on the cover of Think Java is a red-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii), also known as Banks' black cockatoo after an 18th-century English botanist. It is a large bird native to Australia, found in many habitats such as forests, open plains, or riverlands, often nesting in eucalyptus trees.

As suggested by their name, these birds have black plumage, though only males have vivid red panels on their tails. They are typically around 2 feet in length and weigh between 1–2 pounds. Like other cockatoo species, the red-tailed black cockatoo has a large curved beak, the ability to raise a feathered crest on its head, and feet with 2 toes facing forward and two facing backward. This allows them to grab and manipulate objects with one foot while gripping a branch with the other. Interestingly, the vast majority of cockatoos are left-footed.

The diet of the red-tailed black cockatoo is primarily made of up of eucalyptus seeds, though it will also eat nuts, fruits, insects, and various grains. They are very noisy birds, and will flock in large groups near plentiful food sources. However, this species is typically very shy around humans.

Due to their reliance on trees for shelter and food, the red-tailed black cockatoo is sensitive to deforestation, which threatens some populations in southeastern Australia. In addition, while Australia requires a special license to keep and breed these birds, they are still affected by illegal smuggling for the pet trade—they can have long lifespans in captivity and are in high demand.

Many of the animals on O'Reilly covers are endangered; all of them are important to the world. To learn more about how you can help, go to animals.oreilly.com .

The cover image is from Wood's Illustrated Natural History. The cover fonts are URW Typewriter and Guardian Sans. The text font is Adobe Minion Pro; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is Dalton Maag's Ubuntu Mono.