They are noisy
and very playful,
and they fly around in large
flocks that are easy to see when driving in the outback.
They are very common
cockatoos
to see,
probably the second most common ones, after sulphur crested cockatoos.
They are
found almost everywhere
in Australia, including Cape York (except the
northernmost parts of the peninsula).
They live in the open
areas and dry
open
woodland - a habitat that is abundant on the Cape York
peninsula.
Classification
and Subspecies
Galahs
belong to the cockatoo family, and like with many othe
Australian birds,
there are a few different
subspecies.
In south eastern Australia there is E.
r.
albiceps (the one most commonly kept as a pet overseas),
in Western
Australia there is the E.
r. roseicapillus (known by a paler grey body colour and a
deeper pink crest), and in northern
Australia there is the E. r.
kuhli, which
is a bit smaller than the other two.
What
Do They Look Like?
They are
about 34-38 cm long and can weigh up to almost half a kilo (430 grams).
They are pink and grey cockatoos,
with a grey back and wings; a pink belly, neck, throat and cheeks, and
a paler pink upper head. Legs are grey.
Like in many other birds, juveniles are duller than adults.
Male and female are
similar except the eye colour - female's eyes are lighter
in colour - red or reddish brown, while the male's are dark - brown or
almost black.
Where
Are Galahs Found?
Galahs
are native to mainland
Australia (introduced to Tasmania), and are one of the
most widespread Australian cockatoo species.
They are found in most
parts of the country - with
the exceptions of
inland Western Australia, around the crossing of the borders of
Queensland, South Australia and Northern Territory, parts of Tasmania
and south western Western Australia, northern Kimberley, northern Top
End (of Northern Territory), and also northern
Cape York.
But they are found on the southern and central Cape York peninsula.
Their favourite, and
original, habitatis
the outback,
open woodland and grassland, where they are often seen flying around in
large, noisy flocks and landing all together every now and then.
They particularly like
open country
so they benefited from the land clearing that has been happening since
the European colonialisation of Australia, and have now also spread to
urban areas, parklands, and farmland.
Apart from the land clearing they
also benefited from growing of grain crops, irrigation and
the increasing water, brought by farmers, to the regions that used to
be drier.
So their numbers have grown a lot.
Nesting
and Breeding
Galahs live in life long bonds with
their partner, which is not unusual amongst birds.
They are very loving to
their partner, often cosying up next to each other and
preening.
Like other parrots and cockatoos, they nest
in tree hollows
and cavities, which they line with leaves and small branches.
Their breeding season
is between July and December in the southern parts of Australia, and
between February and July in the northern parts.
Three to five white eggs
are laid, and both parents participate in incubation, which
takes about 25-30 days.
The young stay
with mum and dad for about eight
weeks before they leave the nest.
Behaviour
and Feeding
Galahs
often eat on the ground, where they look for many different seeds.
They also eat nuts
and fruits,
buds, grubs, roots and plant shoots.
They also eat crops
(rye, oats, wheat, sunflower seeds), and can cause big damage, making
some farmers to consider them pests.
They are very social birds,
hanging around in large flocks of up to 1000, and they are fast
and strong fliers.
They are very playful
and noisy,
screetching and doing lots of acrobatics and spins, and just like
rainbow lorikeets and other cockatoos and parrots, they hang upside
down in rain to catch the water into their plumage.
Name
and Culture
In other words they act
a little silly, which is reflected in Australian slang.
A person acting fool can
be called 'a bit of a galah'. A group of noisy people
talking can be called a galah session.
Galahs themselves can
also be
calledroseate
cockatoo,
rose breasted cockatoo, pink
and grey, or galah cockatoo.
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contains information that helps you getting started with planning of your trip.
You get to make early-stages desicions such as when to go, how long time you
should take, how to get
there and get
around, where
to stay (general info), what
will it cost..
and a short insight to what is there to see and do in Cape York.
This complete 300 pages
travel guide is all you need before and during your trip. Besides the
background chapters on the peninsula's history and wildlife; and the comprehensive detail about all
the places (down to prices, opening hours and full contact
detail), it has invaluable information on at least 10 four wheel drive tracks,
at least 30 guaranteed FREE
camping spots on the Cape (and at least 150 on your way to
the Cape), at least 40 best
swimming holes, all mapped; as well as practical things -
from fuel, roads, wireless internet and mobile phone reception,
how to deal with the national
parks booking rules; and Aboriginal land entrance and camping permits
and alcohol restrictions - to vehicle preparation and accessories and necessary recovery
gear by my vehicle-recovery-guy partner).
Not to mention locals'
tips on how to spot that croc and palm cockatoo ;-)
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This site uses British
English, which is the English we use in
Australia.
Disclaimer:
Although
best efforts have been made to ensure that all the information on this
website is correct, this site is not to be blamed should there be a
mistake.
This is the ORIGINAL Cape York Travel Guide run Locally on the Peninsula.