Food: Their diet consists of bulbous roots, grass seeds, berries, nuts and herbaceous plants. Unfortunately for farmers the cockatoo likes crops such as oats and maize. To compensate for crop damage they also eat seeds of weeds, insects and their larvae. Flight: Uneven wing beat - flap, flap, glide sequences. They can also do fast swoops. Pale yellow feathers visible under wings and tail in flight. Voice: Harsh, raucous screech, also sharp squawks and whistles. |
Habitat: Prefers heavily timbered mountain ranges, temperate rainforests, swamp woodlands and timbered country along rivers as found at Bushy Park in Glen Waverley. Their range extends from the Kimberleys in northern Australia, to Cape York Peninsula and down along the east coast of Australia to Victoria, Tasmania and the south east corner of South Australia.
Breeding: The main breeding season in northern Australia is June to August, while in southern Australia breeding occurs from September to December. They make a nest of decayed debris in tree hollows, usually high up in a eucalypt near water and sometimes in tall cliff cavities. They usually lay 2 or 3 white oval eggs 47x34mm. The chicks hatch in 29 to 31 days and fledge after about 42 days. |
