CONTACT US
Chapter Secretary email:
[email protected]
Post: c/- P.O. Box 445
KILLARA NSW 2071 AUSTRALIA
- Chapter website: www.arthurphillipchapter.com.au
Fellowship of First Fleeters website (head office): http://www.fellowshipfirstfleeters.org.au
- Telephone via First Fleet House, Sydney, Australia: +61 2 9360 3788
- (Leave a message and a volunteer will call you back.)
Note: Websites are not linked - copy and paste to your URL to open.)
Top: The Sulphur-crested cockatoo: An Australian iconic bird, the sulphur-crested cockatoo is a large, white parrot with a distinctive yellow crest on top of its head which can be raised or left folded down. They raise and spread their striking crests when danger threatens or during mating. Its beak is dark grey-black. The underside of the wings and tail is a paler yellow. They gather in large numbers in the east and north of Australia and adapt well to parks and gardens in suburban areas.
Cockatoos are gregarious birds, gathering in flocks from a dozen up to several hundred. They are diurnal, though are not early risers, waiting until there is warmth in the sun before flying from their roosts to their feeding grounds, returning to roost at dusk. One individual watches for danger from a nearby perch while the others feed. They have short legs and a waddling gait when feeding on the ground. They are herbivores, eating mainly seeds, nuts, blossoms, fruits, insects, and insect larvae. Their preference is to use their left foot to grip when feeding or foraging. Being social birds, cockatoos spend time preening themselves and each other throughout the day. They produce preen oil from a gland on their backs and wipe their feathers with their heads or other already oiled feathers. They are very noisy birds – loud screeching is their main method of communication.
They are very intelligent, have engaging personalities, and are known for their ability to mimic – including human speech. The first words to be taught are often “Hello Cocky”. As mimicking birds they are hard-wired to connect sounds with motor skills, which means they can synchronize body movements to a beat. In captivity cockatoos can live as long as humans which gives them the timespan to listen, learn and mimic. So, cockatoos can dance – a skill very few animals have. https://australian.museum/learn/animals/birds/sulphur-crested-cockatoo/
Inset: Budgerigars are a native parrot to Australia. Its plumage is bright yellow and green, with a blue cheek and black scalloping on its wing feathers. Its tail is slender and dark blue. A small bird weighing between 30 to 40 grams, and measuring between 18cm to 20cm from top to tail. They are found in open habitats in scrublands, open woodlands, and grasslands, normally gathering in small flocks, but large flocks can converge when good seasons make water and food readily available and this dictates their nomadic movement.
Budgerigars have been bred in captivity since the 1850s, evolving into a huge range of colours and patterns from mauve, olive and blue to pure white. "Budgies" are one of the world's most popular pets; in captivity the male can mimic human speech and other domestic sounds.
https://www.bushheritage.org.au/species
Images from the internet
© Arthur Phillip Chapter of Fellowship of First Fleeters 2023 -