A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a single Long-Billed Corella which is often seen with a small flock of Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos.  I wrote that the flock of Corella we see fly over us twice each day NEVER stops here.   Almost as soon as I published that post we have been visited by a sizable flock of Long-Billed Corella each day.  They don’t stay here for a long time, but seem to land sometime between 8 am and 9 am for a couple of hours of rollicking activity.  Then they’re off for the rest of the day.  Our solitary Long-Billed Corella stays with the Cockatoos instead of following the flock.

This has been my first real chance to observe the behaviour of the Corella en-mass.  They’re much more aggressive than the Cockatoos, Galahs and Rosella we have here, often squabbling among themselves, and pushing other birds away from any food they have their eye on.  They also seem to be hyperactive – always looking to do something.  This can mean clowning around and funny antics, but it can also mean sheer destructive behaviour.  They strip bark off the trees, bite through twigs (sending leaves hurtling down) and have chewed through the timber parts of the bird feeders.   Given this, I avoid putting bird seed out when the Corella are here.

While the flocks of Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos take to the trees if I step outside, they don’t see me as an intruder.  There are no warning calls from them.  However, the Long-Billed Corella resort to alarm calls the minute they catch sight of me, taking off for the tops of the trees, or the other side of the dam.

It has been fascinating to watch the Corella, but I must admit I am ready for them to resume their former habit of flying over our property twice a day on their way SOMEWHERE ELSE.

I’ve outlined some of the behaviour I observed in the captions beneath each of these photographs, so click on the first image and scroll through them full screen to read more.

Although the Corella are smaller than the Cockatoos, they still seem to dominate. This Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo was chased away from the tree by two Corella.

Two Australian Wood Ducks with a flock of Long-Billed Corella digging for food.

When alarmed, the flock takes to the trees. They wait a few minutes and then are on the move again.

The flock move from the back of the dam to a grassy verge.

In this photograph the bird at the bottom is stripping bark off the tree and dropping it on the ground, the two birds in the centre are displaying courtship behaviour (and were mating) while the bird in the top left corner screeched alarm calls.

When ruffled, the pink tones of the down shows through the white outer feathers.

One of the courting pairs.

Most birds seem to amble when on the ground searching for food. I’ve noticed that the Corella seem to move about at a fast pace, sometimes running.

Sometimes the flock flies toward the house, and take off over the roof. As they fly, the Corella constantly call to each other with a gaggle of grunts and caws. Collectively, it is an excited gabble.

I’m not sure if these two were actually a pair, but the Corella seem to be very social. They are always calling to each other, even when close by.

While the Long-Billed Corella squabble and call and run ragged over the trees, the resident Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos seek somewhere quiet to just sit and wait until the commotion is over and the Corella fly off to their midday location.