Slender- (Long) billed Corella
FAMILY: Cacatuidae
GENUS: Cacatua
SPECIES: tenuirostris
Description:
Medium white cockatoo
with a small white crest, areddish crescent on the
breast, reddish forehead and blue/grey periopthalmic
ring (of a different shape than that of the Little Corella.
Slight sexual dimorphism with being slightly larger and
females sometimes having slightly smaler mandibles
and/or slightly less colour on the throat and face.
Generally found in pairs or small parties during the nesting
season, but highly gregarious in feeding or roosting flocks outside those
times.
Length:370mm.
Subspecies:
The relationship of the
Slender-billed Corella with the Long- billed Corella of south-western Australia has been cause for
considerable dis agreement, but currently the latter
is considered to be a subspecies of the Little Corella.
Distribution:
Restricted to
southeastern Australia, extending from the Riverina
south to the vicinity of Melbourne and west to the Coorong in South Australia. Its numbers and range has drastically declined
following the arrival of Europeans.
Habitat:
Essentially open country
near woodland or River Red Gum forests, cereal crops and native grasslands near
water.
Diet:
Foraging is almost
entirely on the ground and diet includes bulbs of native and introduced plants,
seeds and fruits.
Breeding:
From July to November.
The usual nesting site
is a tree cavity, most often in a large River Red Gum, but has been known to
burrow into cliffs and high banks when suitable nest sites are not available.
Both the male and female prepare the nesting site, and both share incubation and
care for the young..
In captivity it has been
difficult to provide these birds with acceptable nesting boxes or logs. It
would appear that the best course of action is to provide them with a range of
nesting opportunities (boxes and logs, presented horizontally, verticaly and inclined, etc.). The preferred nesting
material is a mixture of wood shavings and dirt or peat moss.
Clutch:
2-3 white oval eggs.
Incubation period: 24 days. Fledging usually occurs at 56 days.
Mutations and Hybrids:
Hybrids have been
recorded with the Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
and the Galah.