Watching our wonderful wildlife
Parrots magazine|July 2020
I live in an area of the eastern suburbs of Melbourne where there are strict environmental controls over the clearing of native vegetation of eucalyptus and wattle trees. As a result, we are blessed with a large variety of native birds, including over 10 species in the parrot (Psittaciformes) family.
Michael Ransom
Watching our wonderful wildlife

We have five basic types, cockatoos, corellas, parrots, lorikeets, and rosellas. Cockatoos are the largest, with very strong bills for crushing their food. Corellas are similar to cockatoos, but generally feed on the ground, as their beaks are designed to dig food from the ground.

The parrots we see are usually smaller than cockatoos with bright and colourful plumage. They feed on seeds, flowers, nectar and insects, and often hold their food in their feet when eating. Lorikeets tend to be smaller again, feed on nectar, pollen and soft fruit, and travel in noisy, swift flying flocks. Rosellas have long tails, and large coloured patches on their cheeks. They feed on seeds, flowers, nectar and insects in trees and on the ground. The good thing is that all these birds are protected under our wildlife laws.

One of the largest parrots we see in our area is the beautiful Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, which is predominately black with a yellow streak in its tail. There is an Australian wine company that uses the name ‘Yellowtail’ to celebrate the value of this magnificent bird. We don’t see them every day, but they are a fairly regular visitor, often flying in groups of five to 10 with slow, leisurely wingbeats. We often hear them crunching at pinecones to get to the ripe seeds in autumn, and it is easy to tell where they have been, as there are usually half-chewed pinecones on the ground under the tree after they have had their meal.

We also have Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, with a distinctive yellow crest on top of their heads. They are often in large flocks, and will roost together in the evening in large trees. They are very noisy, and often wake us up early in the morning if they are nearby. These are the birds that are often taught to talk when in captivity.

This story is from the July 2020 edition of Parrots magazine.

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This story is from the July 2020 edition of Parrots magazine.

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