I had been waiting to get to Tygum Park to check out the resident corellas to see if they were Long Billed or Little corellas. Now I'm confused, as I think they are both. This was a flock of around 40 - 50 birds. Do they usually mingle in a flock or is this an unusual thing? I think the majority of the birds were Little Corellas, but some were definitely a question mark.
All Little Corellas , Karen . No Long Bills up that way.
Neil
I think that bottom one is a Long Billed Corella judging by the red in the neck feathers, the others look like Little Corellas.
Is Tygum Park in southern QLD? I thought the Long Billed range went all up along the east coast to about Rockhampton? I could just own a dodgy field guide though.
North Central Victoria
strictly a southern species , around Mt gambier area, through western Victoria and the Riverina going by Morecombe. Older Little Corellas will get a lot more red on them and the beak can grow quite long as well.
Neil
The Graham Pizzey & Frank Knight Field Guide to the Birds of Australia says there are feral resident flocks of Long Billed corellas around various towns, including Brisbane. Even the Little corella is considered feral near the coast being an inland and western Aus. bird, yet they've been around for quite some time, especially at Redlands when the area was farmed. I guess as the farms went, the birds ranged further afield. I wonder if, by mixing the flock, they might interbreed? Tygum Park is southside Brisbane.
It is interesting to know that the older Little corellas get more red, and longer beaks, as this may well explain this particular flock, and they are all Little Corellas.
Karen
Brisbane southside.
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Cacatua-sanguinea
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Cacatua-tenuirostris
Some interesting information about both birds here. The ranges for each type is more far reaching than the bird books show, and are probably a lot more accurate. Apparently they can live together but do not cross breed.
Karen
Brisbane southside.
long- billed Corella:
M-L
Thanks M-L. The bill on your bird is very noteworthy, which makes me think that Narly is correct when he says all mine are little corellas. The explanation that the older birds get more red in them helps too. That last photo of mine could be excused for causing my confusion though.
Karen
Brisbane southside.
little Corella:
M-L
Lot more red lower down around the neck and the upper mandible is longer and slender than sanguinea .
Old Little corella's can confuse matters but when you see them side by side with Long bill's it's fairly obvious.
Great pics by the way Karen
Neil
Neil
Thanks narly and M-L. I am satisfied that mine are all Little Corellas and the confusion sorted out. This first pic is a long bill corella that lives at a local nursery. That beak has always caused me to keep my distance. He is free to roam during the day but obviously loves his homely cage. And the second is another pair of the cheeky little corellas we saw today.
Karen
Brisbane southside.
We get both here - near Newcastle NSW - even though some of my books say the long-billed are only found in VIC and SA. They disappear between Aug and Jan, so they must breed elsewhere. Many pairs of each land in our trees in the afternoons, but I don't know if they flock together or just visit at the same time.
an interesting discussion
I had thought that Long-Billed Corellla were strictly a southern species until I got pic 1 at Mt Penang Parklands, Gosford, NSW in Sep '11
a bit of reading suggested as Karen says 'ranges for each type is more far reaching than the bird books show'.
I got pic 2 at Collaroy, NSW earlier this month
Narly says 'Older Little Corellas will get a lot more red on them and the beak can grow quite long as well'. I I wou I But
I believe that an overgrown beak would follow the natural arc of that beak and therefore a Little Corella with ovdergrown beak would still be discernable from a Long-Billed Corella.
Peter
Thank you, all. This has been an enlightening thread, learning about birds that are really "common" here. To learn that they are classed as "feral" amazes me. Though I think distinguishing some of the Littles from the Long-bills may take me some more practice, it has been made easier for me thanks to the pics and the comments here.
Karen
Brisbane southside.
There are both long and short bills pictured. There are now flocks up Brisbane way. The story is that a lot of them are from released and escaped birds. They often are in flocks with shortbills. They have the distinctive orange splash on their chest and also have a darker orange patch above their nose than the shortbills.
I have a flock that hang around my place. Will try to have a camera ready next time they are about.
Just to add - I saw a flock of mixed corellas raiding a pecan nut tree in the suburbs of Brisbane earlier this year which included both Long-Billed and Little Corellas.
Pic 1 - Long Billed, unless I'm mistaken.
Pic 2 - pair of Little Corellas.
Pic 3 - Couple more long-bills.
Every morning I get a good sized flock of Corellas flying over, heading in a westerly direction, then in the evening they come back, heading east.
There used to be a lot of farming and fruit farms to the east of me, but these are mostly gone and housing developments gone up. I wonder where the corellas feast daily now, as years ago they were never seen here.
Karen
Brisbane southside.
I live on the Central Coast of NSW. Recently two corellas appeared up on my deck where I occasionally feed wild birds. They are quite different from the usual corellas we see around here. From this thread, I suspect they might be long-billed corellas even though this is a long way from their usual habitat.