Ricoh Caplio R6

427 views as at 24 February 2012

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A raucous Sulphur-crested Cockatoo on a prolonged visit to my home in Batemans Bay on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia early one Summer evening.

It stayed (most unusually) for the best part of an hour, drinking,bathing and preening. During that time, I was able to walk from about 14 metres distant up to about 1.5 metres away from the bird. As I moved closer with my camera in hand (shooting on the way), I talked to the bird and it “talked” back, seeming quite relaxed. It continued it’s ablutions for some time after I finished photographing and returned inside the house.

The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo : Cacatua galerita is a large white parrot. It has a dark grey-black bill, a distinctive sulphur-yellow crest and a yellow wash on the underside of the wings. Sexes are similar, although the female can be separated at close range by its red-brown eye (darker brown in the male). This is a noisy and conspicuous cockatoo, both at rest and in flight. Young Sulphur-crested Cockatoos resemble the adults.

The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo’s range extends throughout the northern and eastern mainland, and Tasmania. A small population has become established around Perth, Western Australia. The species also occurs in New Guinea and the Aru Islands, and has been introduced into New Zealand and Indonesia. Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are found in a variety of timbered habitats and are common around human settlements. The birds stay in the same area all year round.

The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo’s normal diet consists of berries, seeds, nuts and roots. It also takes handouts from humans, but watch out for your fingers! Feeding normally takes place in small to large groups, with one or more members of the group watching for danger from a nearby perch. When not feeding, birds will bite off smaller branches and leaves from trees. These items are not eaten, however. The activity may help to keep the bill trimmed and from growing too large.

The eggs are laid in a suitable tree hollow, which is prepared by both sexes. Both birds also incubate and care for the chicks. The chicks remain with the parents all year round and family groups will stay together indefinitely.

The popularity of the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo as a cage bird has increased its range, as these birds either escape or are released deliberately in areas where they do not already occur. The species has become a pest around urban areas, where it uses its powerful bill to destroy timber decking and panelling on houses.

Edited from Australian Museum’s “Birds in Backyards” website.