About 3 years ago a large flock of long-billed corellas moved into the Goulburn area from Sydney. I was lucky enough to track the movements through the Marulan district, then Kenmore then Goulburn, where the flock of about 72 birds have continued to be based at Victoria Park, roosting there at night. Interestingly another first was a small flock of about 6 little corellas that has been reported once and disappeared almost overnight in another part of Goulburn. So far there has been one road fatality, but otherwise the long-bills seem quite at home, both feeding in mown grassland, on Crataegus fruits and elsewhere.
A local pet shop claims to have a hybrid between a long-billed corella and a sulfur-crested cockatoo. Has anyone heard of such an occurrence? I am a little sceptical and have yet to view the animal in question, but will report back if anyone is interested.
Hi poephila,
a most interesting question. A quick google of "hybrid cockatoos" shows that it is certainly possible, however I was unable to find any specific information on cross-breeding between those two particular species. I'd certainly be keen to learn more on what you discover. A friend on another forum is a bit of a specialist with parrots and I'll quiz her for more info ASAP and post what I can back here
Pete
I have seen 2 hybrids in the Veterinary Hospital that I use to work at, but none in the wild.
If I remember correctly, one was a Corella/Cockatoo cross, and the other was either a Corella/Galah cross or Cockatoo/Galah cross.
G'day Denis
It's a Wire-Tailed Swallow I snapped in Zimbabwe a year ago.
I just made a new [link=http://birdsinbackyards.net/forum/messages.cfm?threadid=D3A7396F-D97D-59... with some other shots of them.
Was just browsing the net when i came across your question. Just had to tell you that i have not heard of a long-billed corella cross a sulfur-crested cockatoo. On the other hand, the other day i was searching for hybrids as my hand-reared male superb parrot is getting cosy with a young cockatiel and was wondering if it was possible for them to produce offspring!?
I came across a galatiel- galah cross cockatiel. A very good looking bird! http://www.talkingbirds.com.au/galatiel.php
So i would say yes, it could be possible. Also found a princess parrot cross a scarlet-chested parrot.
http://www.talkingbirds.com.au/scarlet.php
Do you reckon i have a chance with my superb parrot?
Luke
Hi Luke,
Cockatiels are apparently very closely related, cockatiels being the smallest of the cockatoo group, so the galah cross is not completely out of the question, though somewhat surprising. I really would not encourage your superb parrot and I think it highly unlikely that anything would happen. Birds in captivity have all the requirements of birds in the wild, including social and sexual company. Perhaps, in the absence of any other outlet, your cockatiel (hope its not too young) doesn't mind, but I guess if it was me I'd try to find another superb parrot (especially since they're on the threatened list) of the opposite sex, get them slowly introduced from a distance and over time see if they get on, preferably in a large aviary with a nest hollow. There are plenty of web sites about all this and stacks of good books too.
Last century cross-species hybridisation was all the rage, producing a host of rather drab and lonely mules. This sort of birdy bestiality doesn't do much for the birds and certainly not for their species. Modern DNA technology means we never really have to do this to establish relationships. A few of the old timers around here used to glow effusively about their greenfinch-goldfinch crosses. On the other hand it certainly does happen in the wild (as my original thread postulates) and I have seen a crimson X eastern rosella fly through my own house paddock.
Happy birding.
Greetings from the northern Southern Tablelands of NSW
Hi. Just came across this thread and wanted to add that today we picked up a cross cockatoo/short bill corella who is about two years old. Not sure how to add photos on this site but will have a look at doing so tomorrow. Beautiful bird. We were after a companion for our long bill corella and literally came across this little beauty from a breeder in a neighbouring suburb. He is sleek and smaller than our long bill and has a somewhat finer sulphur comb than a regular cockie but has the blue skin stone around the eyes like a corella. No red markings of a long bill. He vocalises more like a corella but did make a few cockie sounds. From a distance, he looks like a cockie, it is only when he sitting side by side with our long bill that you can see he is about half the size of an adult cockatoo.
Hi Poephila, if you have a search of "Birdgirls" posts on this site you will see that she has posted images of Galah/Corella crosses.
If I remember correctly they have bred in her backyard in the nest boxes she has provided.
Thanks Tassie,
Haven't seen any of these yet, but a curious stalemate seems to have developed between Goulburn's white and grey cockatoos in terms of interspecies dominance and relationships. The other colours (such as blacks and gang-gangs) don't seem to have any part in this.
Back when the district had only galahs and sulfur-crested cockatoos in terms of pale cockatoos, both species were regularly seen feeding together, but during breeding time the situation changed. On one memorable day in our valley a flock of seven sulfur-crested cockatoos was spending a considerable part of the morning investigating nest sites in mature yellow box and cabbage gums. Then one pair of galahs flew into the valley. Neither birds could claim precedence; if anything the sulfurs occupied the place more regularly, often roosting in these trees. Well, the 2 galahs really hoed into the sulfurs and succeeded in driving them all off amidst a great ruckus. The sulfurs were not impressed but gave way to the smaller galahs. Interestingly a flock of about 30 yellow-tailed blacks made their way through the canopy towards the end of the argument. They completely ignored and were ignored by the galahs.
The galah pair found a hollow and successfully raised one young, excluding sulfurs until they finished breeding and had left the valley. They seemed to tolerate another hollow-breeder very close by, the sacred kingfisher.
Now there are two more species of white cockatoo, long-billed and little corellas, all of whom seem to get on while feeding, the situation has changed again. The flock of about 70 long-bills took over the big trees in the park where sulfurs used to roost, though they tolerated a smaller number of sulfurs roosting there. I also observed them searching for nest hollows. When a similarly-sized flock of little corellas came a couple of years later they mixed readily with the long-bills.
A couple of years later and the littles now clearly dominate. They also unquestionably dominate galahs both breeding and roosting. They are now more commonly seen than the long-bills and may be displacing them. This is unlikely to be the case with galahs and sulfurs since there is a reasonably steady influx of these two species from rural areas to replace any displaced in town. The corellas seem only (so far) to be interested in the urban area.
From these and other observations I would suggest a pecking order of little corella at the top, then galah (perhaps on par with long-bills) then sulfurs at the bottom.
Has anyone else observed such a hierarchy?
Greetings from the northern Southern Tablelands of NSW
Hi guys, sorry to bring this old thread up again but I am interested in what you guys think this would be... Both my father and I think it's a Long-Billed Corella cross Sulphur Crested Cockatoo. He's a lighter build on top - bigger below and has less of a comb than a Cockatoo yet has the long bill and bigger 'mouth' like a Corella.
At first we thought he was a 'special' Cockatoo, however we have had them visit before and they look deformed, whereas this guy just looks like someone replaced his beak with a Corella's?
Unfortunately I can't post any photo's - it comes up with an error???
I have seen a Long-Billed Corella X Little Corella hybrid and they definitely have a blue tinge to them!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2629/3811229972_410e222d82.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2640/3811229968_d42b11f714.jpg
Hi Bivoir
I suspect your bird is a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (White Cocky)with "beak and feather disease".
I suggest you Google that phrase.
That condition causes a distortion of the beak and ultimately the feathers too, and the bird can end up sick. The beak distortion causes them to be unable to feed successfully, and their feathers drop out.
Cheers
Denis
Denis Wilson
www.peonyden.blogspot.com
Bivoir. Almost certainly, these birds have beak and feather. Whatever the situaion, you should take these to your local vet to have them checked out. If left on their own and should they have B&F, they could spread it throughout their colony and that could cause a real disaster.
As wildcare carers, we have seen this condition from time to time and have even had one or two birds "visit" us. When possible, we catch and take these to our local vet.
Here are a couple of photos of two easter long bills we care for.
This is Gilly, we found him hald dead early last year and has become my best mate since. He has helped me during my rehab after a massive heart attack:
This is Zippy, a female companion for Gilly we came across earlier this year:
And this is Honky, a western long bill who visits us every day, and is tame, but goes home with the flock each night. A bird with character as are all long bills:
Bivoir. Almost certainly, these birds have beak and feather. Whatever the situaion, you should take these to your local vet to have them checked out. If left on their own and should they have B&F, they could spread it throughout their colony and that could cause a real disaster.
As wildcare carers, we have seen this condition from time to time and have even had one or two birds "visit" us. When possible, we catch and take these to our local vet.
Here are a couple of photos of two easter long bills we care for.
This is Gilly, we found him hald dead early last year and has become my best mate since. He has helped me during my rehab after a massive heart attack:
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g242/katzworkz/Gilly/IMG_2158.jpg
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g242/katzworkz/Gilly/IMG_2076.jpg
This is Zippy, a female companion for Gilly we came across earlier this year:
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g242/katzworkz/Chris%20and%20Maria/IMG_3878.jpg
And this is Honky, a western long bill who visits us every day, and is tame, but goes home with the flock each night. A bird with character as are all long bills:
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g242/katzworkz/Honky%20-%20Zorro%20-%20Thumper%20-%20Jan%2008/HonkyDani012a.jpg
[img]http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g242/katzworkz/Honky%20-%20Zorro%20-%20Thumper%20-%20Jan%2008/HonkyDani012a.jpg
[/img]
Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best