By Crikey, check out that cocky!

A Visitor at Sunset, originally uploaded by bluemist57.

 

The Sulphur Crested cockatoo is probably the best known of Australia’s fourteen cockatoo species. You can’t miss this bird’s raucous screech. Very common in the North and Eastern parts of Australia.

 

 

Yellow-tailed-Black-Cockatoo, originally uploaded by ‘Stephen’.

 

The round yellow mark on the ear-coverts and pale-yellow panels on the upper surface ofthe tail are the key features for this bird of SE Australia.

 

 

Galahs & Cockatoo, originally uploaded by Donina.

Galahs are very common in Australia. You can tell the boys from the girls by looking them in the eye. Boys have brown eyes, girls have red. A supportive Dad who feeds the broody would-be Mum and does some of the incubating himself. And he will take on raptors such as kestrels and falcons with his mates.

 

 

Major Mitchell Cockatoos, originally uploaded by WindeBabe.

Aka the Pink Cockatoo. Note the gorgeous sunset pink underwing and undertail. Most commonly found in arid areas. Heaps around the Alice!

 

 

Anatomy of the wing – Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, originally uploaded by aaardvaark.

 

 

Black Cockatoo, originally uploaded by Timmy Toucan.

Actually a Red-tailed Black Cockatoo. And because of the spots it has to be either female or a young male. The Tiwi Islands people say the spirits of the dead are accompanied by these birds on their way to heaven; the screams warning of another spirit is coming.

 

 

 

Gang-gang Cockatoo., originally uploaded by Brenda-Starr.

This is a bloke because he has a bright red untidy crest. The girls have a grey head and crest and don’t go for the bed-head look. Must be a South-Eastern Australia thing?

 

 

black palm cockatoo, originally uploaded by shimmertje.

 

Northern Australia’s rain forests for this one particularly the Cape York region. This one is excited about something because the facial skin is red instead of the usual pinky-orange. He’s blushing!

 

Long-Billed Corella, originally uploaded by loma_prieta.

 

The Dampier cockatoo. Check out that bill! And it has a pink mark across the throat and a pinkish tinge to the underfeathers. You should look out for this bird if you visit Perth.

 

…and MY favourite, berries!, originally uploaded by aaardvaark.

 

The Little Corella. The important features are the short white bill. the pink stain between the bill and eye, and the pink tinge to the underfeathers. There shouldn’t be a pink bar across the throat – if you do see that you’ve found a Long-bill/Little Corella hybrid and its probably infertile.

 

 

Glossy black Cockatoo, originally uploaded by beeater.

 

Check out this bloke’s tail feathers! You’ll probaby see this one in a Casuarina tree if this uncommon bird makes an appearance for you.