The Galah is a well known and widely spread cockatoo that is endemic to Australia. They are found throughout almost all of the mainland, and have been introduced to Tasmania. There are three subspecies, broadly found in the south-eastern, northern and western parts of the country. In our local area we have the south-eastern sub-species albiceps.
Galahs are a common site throughout the Toowoomba Regional Council area and can be seen in the parks and gardens of the city, as well as the woodland and agricultural areas. They have benefited greatly from the farming of grains, but this has come at a cost because the clearing has reduced the amount of available nesting hollows for them, and other cavity nesting birds.
Their diet is a lot more varied than people generally realise and apart from grains they will eat the rhizomes at the base of grasses, as well as insect larvae. In fact next time you see Galahs feeding on a lawn, look closely and you’ll probably see them pulling up the grass to eat the rhizomes, rather than just eating the grass seeds.
Galahs are usually found in pairs or sometimes small flocks comprised of a number of families, including immature birds, which are readily identified by their smaller size and paler grey and pink. Unpaired immature birds can sometimes form flocks of several hundred birds. When they are breeding both the male and the female will take turns at incubating the eggs. In the north they breed in autumn and winter, and in the south it is in spring and summer. For more information on birds, and videos of Galahs, see www.birdbites.com.au
This article first appeared in the High Country Herald on the 23rd of July 2024.