Long-billed corella

Last updated

Long-billed corella
Cacatua tenuirostris - Pinegrove Memorial Park.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Cacatuidae
Genus: Cacatua
Subgenus: Licmetis
Species:
C. tenuirostris
Binomial name
Cacatua tenuirostris
(Kuhl, 1820)

The long-billed corella or slender-billed corella [2] (Cacatua tenuirostris) is a cockatoo native to Australia, which is similar in appearance to the little corella. [3] This species is mostly white, with a reddish-pink face and forehead, and has a long, pale beak, which is used to dig for roots and seeds. It has reddish-pink feathers on the breast and belly.

Contents

Taxonomy

The long-billed corella does not have any recognized subspecies. [4] The first formal written description was by German naturalist Heinrich Kuhl in 1820. [4] It is one of several related species of cockatoos called corellas and classified in the subgenus Licmetis within the genus Cacatua , members of which are known as "white cockatoos".

Description

The adult long-billed corella measures from 38 to 41 cm in length, [5] has a wingspan around 8090 cm, and averages 567 g in weight. [5] It has a long, bone-coloured beak, and a rim of featherless, bluish skin around the eyes. The plumage is predominantly white with reddish feathers around the eyes and lores. The underside of the wings and tail feathers are tinged with yellow.

Distribution and habitat

The long-billed corella can be found in the wild in Victoria and southeastern New South Wales. It has extended its range since the 1970s into Melbourne, Victoria [6] and can now be found in Tasmania, [7] South Australia [8] and southeast Queensland. [9] A feral population resides in Perth, Western Australia as of the mid-1980s, [10] which has conservation implications as this species may hybridize with the endangered western corella.

The long-billed corella is found in grassy woodlands and grasslands, including pasture, fields of agricultural crop, and urban parks. [5]

Ecology and behaviour

Feral parrots in Perth: The bird on the right is using its long beak to dig for food in short grass. Cacatua tenuirostris -Joondalup-8-3c.jpg
Feral parrots in Perth: The bird on the right is using its long beak to dig for food in short grass.
Wild bird in a coachwood/native daphne rainforest at Ourimbah, NSW Long Billed Corella Ourimbah.jpg
Wild bird in a coachwood/native daphne rainforest at Ourimbah, NSW

Call

The call of the long-billed corella is a quick, quavering, falsetto currup!, [3] wulluk-wulluk, or cadillac-cadillac combined with harsh screeches. [5]

Breeding

Breeding generally takes place in Austral winter to spring (from July to November). [3] Long-billed corellas form monogamous pairs and both sexes share the task of building the nest, incubating the eggs, and caring for the young. [5] Nests are made in decayed debris, [3] the hollows of large old eucalypts, and occasionally in the cavities of loose gravely cliffs. [5] 23 dull white, oval eggs [3] are laid on a lining of decayed wood. [5] The incubation period is around 24 days and chicks spend about 56 days in the nest. [5]

Feeding

The long-billed corella typically digs for roots, seeds, corms, and bulbs, especially from the weed onion grass. [3] Native plants eaten include murnong Microseris lanceolata , but a substantial portion of the bird's diet now includes introduced plants. [5]

Relationship with humans

As pets

Many feeding in Melbourne, Australia Cacatua tenuirostris -Melbourne -many feeding-8.jpg
Many feeding in Melbourne, Australia

Long-billed corellas are now popular as pets in many parts of Australia, [11] although they were formerly uncommon, and their captive population has stabilised in the last decade. This may be due to their ability to mimic words and whole sentences to near perfection. The long-billed corella has been labeled the best "talker" of the Australian cockatoos, and possibly of all native Psittacines.[ citation needed ]

As pests

Long-billed corellas are viewed as agricultural pests, particularly in western Victoria and Western Australia. They can cause significant crop damage, are known for tearing and playing with pieces of asphalt along roadsides, and even damaging power lines. Permits are regularly issued in Western Australia (and sometimes in Victoria) for the culling of this species. Within New South Wales, the corellas are the most common avian pest among sporting fields and golf courses, as they can dig holes in the ground up to 3 in across and 6 in deep. [5]

In July 2019, in a scene that was said to resemble a "horror movie", [12] [13] about 60 corellas in Adelaide, South Australia, [14] died in a suspected case of poisoning after "falling from the sky" wailing and bleeding from their mouths. At least 57 (95%) of the 60 birds were long-billed corellas, with a few short-billed corellas. It was hoped that whoever poisoned them could be traced, after toxicology tests were performed (which could nevertheless take several weeks to complete); in Australia, people are required to register if they purchase poisons, according to Sarah King (founder of Casper's Bird Rescue, who witnessed the deaths). [15] King also said that the poison was a slow-release variety that takes several painful weeks to kill the bird. Additionally, the local Alexandrina council had, previously, allowed for periodic culling of short-billed corellas due to crop damage, chewing on streetlights and wires, damaging infrastructure (such as buildings and sporting equipment), and unfairly outcompeting other native species of birds, insects, small mammals, and other organisms. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cockatoo</span> Any bird in the family Cacatuidae

A cockatoo is any of the 21 species of parrots belonging to the family Cacatuidae, the only family in the superfamily Cacatuoidea. Along with the Psittacoidea and the Strigopoidea, they make up the order Psittaciformes. The family has a mainly Australasian distribution, ranging from the Philippines and the eastern Indonesian islands of Wallacea to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanimbar corella</span> Species of bird

The Tanimbar corella, also known as Goffin's cockatoo, is a species of cockatoo endemic to forests of Yamdena, Larat and Selaru, all islands in the Tanimbar Islands archipelago in Indonesia. It has been introduced to the Kai Islands, Indonesia, Puerto Rico and Singapore. This species was only formally described in 2004, after it was discovered that the previous formal descriptions pertained to individuals of a different cockatoo species, the Ducorps' or Solomons cockatoo. Tanimbar corellas are the smallest of the white cockatoos. It is classified as Near Threatened due to deforestation and bird trade. It breeds well in captivity and there is a large avicultural population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major Mitchell's cockatoo</span> Type of cockatoo

Major Mitchell's cockatoo, also known as Leadbeater's cockatoo or the pink cockatoo, is a medium-sized cockatoo that inhabits arid and semi-arid inland areas of Australia, though it is seen regularly in other climates, for example, South-East Queensland's subtropical region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great knot</span> Species of bird

The great knot is a small wader. It is the largest of the calidrid species. The genus name is from Ancient Greek kalidris or skalidris, a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The specific tenuirostris is from Latin tenuis "slender" and rostrum "bill".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-tailed black cockatoo</span> Species of bird native to the south-east of Australia

The yellow-tailed black cockatoo is a large cockatoo native to the south-east of Australia measuring 55–65 cm (22–26 in) in length. It has a short crest on the top of its head. Its plumage is mostly brownish black and it has prominent yellow cheek patches and a yellow tail band. The body feathers are edged with yellow giving a scalloped appearance. The adult male has a black beak and pinkish-red eye-rings, and the female has a bone-coloured beak and grey eye-rings. In flight, yellow-tailed black cockatoos flap deeply and slowly, with a peculiar heavy fluid motion. Their loud, wailing calls carry for long distances. The whiteae is found south of Victoria to the East of South Australia and is smaller in size. The yellow-tailed black cockatoo is found in temperate forests and forested areas across south and central eastern Queensland to southeastern South Australia, including a very small population persisting in the Eyre Peninsula. Two subspecies are recognised, although Tasmanian and southern mainland populations of the southern subspecies xanthanotus may be distinct enough from each other to bring the total to three. Birds of subspecies funereus have longer wings and tails and darker plumage overall, while those of xanthanotus have more prominent scalloping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galah</span> Type of cockatoo

The galah, also known as the pink and grey cockatoo or rose-breasted cockatoo, is the only species within genus Eolophus of the cockatoo family. Found throughout Australia, it is among the most common of the cockatoos. With its distinctive pink and grey plumage and its bold and loud behaviour, it is a familiar sight in the wild and increasingly in urban areas. It has adapted well to urban expansion, and appears to be replacing the Major Mitchell's cockatoo in parts of its range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White cockatoo</span> Species of bird

The white cockatoo, also known as the umbrella cockatoo, is a medium-sized all-white cockatoo endemic to tropical rainforest on islands of Indonesia. When surprised, it extends a large and striking head crest, which has a semicircular shape. The wings and tail have a pale yellow or lemon color which is exposed when they fly. It is similar to other species of white cockatoo such as yellow-crested cockatoo, sulphur-crested cockatoo, and salmon-crested cockatoo, all of which have yellow, orange or pink crest feathers instead of white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-vented cockatoo</span> Species of bird

The red-vented cockatoo, also known as the Philippine cockatoo and locally katala, abukay, agay or kalangay, is a species of cockatoo. It is endemic to the Philippines though pressured by various environmental degradation and illegal pet trades, the population of the Philippine cockatoo is somehow growing owing to Katala Organization.It is roughly the size and shape of the Tanimbar corella, but is easily distinguished by the red feathers around the vent. It is threatened by habitat loss and the cage-bird trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulphur-crested cockatoo</span> Species of bird

The sulphur-crested cockatoo is a relatively large white cockatoo found in wooded habitats in Australia, New Guinea, and some of the islands of Indonesia. They can be locally very numerous, leading to them sometimes being considered pests. A highly intelligent bird, they are well known in aviculture, although they can be demanding pets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solomons cockatoo</span> Species of bird

The Solomons cockatoo, also known as the Ducorps's cockatoo, Solomons corella or broad-crested corella, is a species of cockatoo endemic to the Solomon Islands archipelago. This small white cockatoo is larger than the Tanimbar corella yet smaller than the umbrella cockatoo. The species is common across most of the Solomons, absent only from Makira in the south. It inhabits lowland rainforests, secondary forests, cleared areas and gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little corella</span> Species of bird

The little corella, also known as the short-billed corella, bare-eyed cockatoo, blood-stained cockatoo, and little cockatoo is a white cockatoo native to Australia and southern New Guinea. It was known as Birdirra among the Yindjibarndi people of the central and western Pilbara. They would keep them as pets, or traditionally cook and eat them. The downy feathers are used in traditional ceremonies and dances where they adorn head and armbands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern spinebill</span> Species of bird

The eastern spinebill is a species of honeyeater found in south-eastern Australia in forest and woodland areas, as well as gardens in urban areas of Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart. It is around 15 cm long, and has a distinctive black, white and chestnut plumage, a red eye, and a long downcurved bill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-eyed cockatoo</span> Type of cockatoo

The blue-eyed cockatoo is a large, mainly white cockatoo about 50 cm (20 in) long with a mobile crest, a black beak, and a light blue rim of featherless skin around each eye that gives this species its name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western corella</span> Species of bird

The western corella also known as the western long-billed corella, is a species of white cockatoo endemic to south-western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corella (bird)</span> Subgenus of birds

Licmetis is a subgenus of the white cockatoos. They are collectively known as corellas in Australia. Three of the six species are primarily – or only – found in Australia, while the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Solomons each have an endemic species. They are relatively small cockatoos and – unlike the members of the subgenus Cacatua – all have pale bills. While most show yellow-tinged underwings and some red to the face, none has conspicuously coloured crests.

Butler's corella is a medium-sized white cockatoo endemic to Western Australia. It is one of two subspecies of the western corella.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muir's corella</span> Subspecies of bird

Muir's corella is a stocky, medium-sized white cockatoo endemic to Western Australia. It was the threatened nominate subspecies of the western corella. It was removed from the WA's threatened species list in November 2012 as a result of successful conservation efforts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triton cockatoo</span> Subspecies of bird

The Triton cockatoo is one of the four subspecies of the sulphur-crested cockatoo. The cockatoo was first described by Dutch zoologist, Coenraad Jacob Temminck, in 1849. There is no documentation as to why Temminck selected this name however it is suggested that it was named after the Dutch corvette, Triton, which operated off the Dutch New Guinea coastline, in 19th century.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Cacatua tenuirostris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22684820A93048181. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22684820A93048181.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. Maranda, Gene. "Slender-Billed Corella birds". birdchannel.com. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pizzey, Graham; Knight, Frank (1997). Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. Sydney, Australia: HarperCollins. p. 264. ISBN   0-207-18013-X.
  4. 1 2 "Zoological Nomenclature Resource: Psittaciformes (Version 9.013)". www.zoonomen.net. 2008-12-29.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Birds in Backyards - Long-billed Corella
  6. Loyn, Richard H.; Menkhorst, Peter W. (2011). "The bird fauna of Melbourne: Changes over a century of urban growth and climate change, using a benchmark from Keartland (1900)". The Victorian Naturalist. 128: 210–232.
  7. Webber, Wynne, ed. (2017). Tasmanian Bird Report No. 38 July 2017. Hobart, Tasmania: BirdLife Tasmania. ISSN   0156-4935.
  8. Emison, W.B.; Beardsell, C.M. (1985). "Distribution of the long-billed corella in South Australia". South Australian Ornithologist. 29: 197–205.
  9. Woodall, Peter F.; Woodall, Leith B. (2001). "Little and long-billed Corellas feeding on hoop pine seeds, and their 'footedness'". Sunbird: Journal of the Queensland Ornithological Society. 31: 30–32.
  10. Blythman, Mark; Porter, Gary (2020). "Movement of introduced Little Corellas 'Cacatua sanguinea' and Long-billed Corellas 'C. tenuirostris' in south-western Western Australia". Australian Field Ornithology. 37: 48–55.
  11. Kalhagen, Alyson (2020). "Slender-Billed Cockatoo Are One of the Best Pet Birds". The Spruce Pets. Retrieved 2021-08-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. Bote, Joshua (2019-07-12). "Dozens of birds fall from the sky like 'a horror movie.' They were poisoned, experts say". USA Today . Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  13. 1 2 Zhou, Naaman (2019-07-12). "'Like a horror movie': Dozens of corellas dead after falling from sky in suspected poisoning". The Guardian . Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  14. Georgiou, Aristos (2019-07-12). "DOZENS OF BIRDS DROP OUT OF THE SKY IN SUSPECTED POISONING: 'THE SCENE LOOKED LIKE A HORROR MOVIE'". Newsweek . Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  15. "Australia corella deaths: Dozens of birds found in suspected poisoning". The BBC. 2019-07-12. Retrieved 2019-07-16.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Cacatua tenuirostris at Wikimedia Commons