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Fourteen members of the Cockatoo family are found in Australia. Of these, two have extensive pink coloration. The Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla), also called the Rose-breasted Cockatoo or the Pink and Gray Cockatoo, is common over an extensive range that covers most of Australia. Their range is expanding as water is left out in troughs and ponds for cattle in the drier areas of Australia. Farmers consider them to be grain pests, and huge flocks of Galahs can be seen congregating in recently harvested fields and on the mounds of harvested grain. Even when the grain mounds are covered with tarps, Galahs, with their strong beaks, can break in and get to the grain.
The Pink Cockatoo (Cacatua leadbeateri), also called Major Mitchell's Cockatoo or Leadbeater's Cockatoo, also has a large range in Australia, but the species is sparsely distributed throughout the range. Unlike the Galah, Pink Cockatoos have not benefited from the changes due to farming in their range, as they are more dependent on woodland than the Galah. Unlike many parrot species, Pink Cockatoos will not nest close together, so fragmentation of the woodlands results in few nesting sites for the birds. While the name Major Mitchell was officially recognized as the common name of this bird in the past, as Major Thomas Mitchell published the first image of the species, the name was changed to Pink Cockatoo, as Mitchell was involved in the slaughter of a group of Aboriginals. Two subspecies exist. This image shows the western subspecies, which has a red band through the crest. The eastern subspecies has a yellow band that bisects the red crest band. In both species, males have dark brown, almost black, eyes and females have light brown eyes. Both of the birds pictured here are males.
Galah: Nikon Z9, Nikon Z 600mm f/4 VR S, 1/1000 second @ f/5.6, ISO 1100
Pink Cockatoo, Nikon Z9, Nikon Z 600mm f/4 VR S, 1/3200 second @ f/4.0, ISO 180
The Pink Cockatoo (Cacatua leadbeateri), also called Major Mitchell's Cockatoo or Leadbeater's Cockatoo, also has a large range in Australia, but the species is sparsely distributed throughout the range. Unlike the Galah, Pink Cockatoos have not benefited from the changes due to farming in their range, as they are more dependent on woodland than the Galah. Unlike many parrot species, Pink Cockatoos will not nest close together, so fragmentation of the woodlands results in few nesting sites for the birds. While the name Major Mitchell was officially recognized as the common name of this bird in the past, as Major Thomas Mitchell published the first image of the species, the name was changed to Pink Cockatoo, as Mitchell was involved in the slaughter of a group of Aboriginals. Two subspecies exist. This image shows the western subspecies, which has a red band through the crest. The eastern subspecies has a yellow band that bisects the red crest band. In both species, males have dark brown, almost black, eyes and females have light brown eyes. Both of the birds pictured here are males.
Galah: Nikon Z9, Nikon Z 600mm f/4 VR S, 1/1000 second @ f/5.6, ISO 1100
Pink Cockatoo, Nikon Z9, Nikon Z 600mm f/4 VR S, 1/3200 second @ f/4.0, ISO 180
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