7 replies to this topic

[Son of a Beach]

The Sulphur Crested Cockatoo is also known as the 'noisy cockatoo' (by my 20 month old daughter, who is quite the bird watcher).

I've been told that they're actually not native to Tasmania, but were introduced from mainland Australia many decades ago. This makes me feel much better about cursing them under my breath when they wake me up early in the morning (why is it that a bird that is capable of making a wide variety of noises when domesticated, chooses to make the most offensive loud screech most of the time in the wild?). Despite all this, they're a remarkable and beautiful bird, and there are a LOT of them in Tasmania.

There's a large flock of them that's been hanging around the Legana/Rosevears area for the last 10 years or so. I'd guess between 200 and 300 when the whole flock is assembled, but you usually only see 50 to 100 at a time.

Here's a couple of photos of them taken from my back door. The last one is a close up snipped from one of the other photos. Sorry about the quality... it's an old cheap and nasty camera, and I'm not much of a photographer.

[Shane V]

Great info and good shots for an old cheap and nasty camera. Thanks for sharing Nik

[Mystic]

Nice shots and info. Not sure if I would call the sulher crested the "noisy" cocky, those blacks sure let you know they are in the area.

[Son of a Beach]

Nice shots and info. Not sure if I would call the sulher crested the "noisy" cocky, those blacks sure let you know they are in the area.

I like the black cockatoos, and although their call is quite loud, it is not as offensive as the sulphurs'.

The black sounds like a loud squeaky door, I reckon, and (to me) it is not annoying to listen to at all, whereas the sulphur crested is just a raucous screech that really grates on my eardrums. :-)

The blacks usually get by in only small flocks too (at least near my place), whereas the large numbers of sulphurs which usually stay together increases the amount of noise they make simply because there's so many more of them.

[Mystic]

LOL. We tend to get more blacks than whites in this area (except for a couple of extremely noisy domesticated whites across the road). Though the whites we do see here are usually only in very small groups. I could imagine flocks the size you see would be exceptionally difficult on the ears at times.

[Marks]

Is this bird native to Tassie?

I pass one friendly one from a pet shop almost everyday, but it looks smaller framed, but with the same distinct crest. At night, when the shop is closed, the bird still makes noises. Hopefully the residents nearby get a good rest still

[Son of a Beach]

Is this bird native to Tassie?

I was of the understanding that it was NOT native to Tasmania, however, after doing some quick searching around, I can't find any definitive statement to this affect. Indeed multiple sources claim that it is native to Tasmania (as well as all of Eastern Australia and Papua New Guinea).

[tassiesim]

nice shots Nic,
there is also quite a few that hang out in a couple of paddocks on the Midlands Highway before Conara Junction have been there for the last 10ish years ,
Normally we dont see large amounts of sulfur Crested Cockatoos over here , just intermittent pockets of them,
but due to the drought all over Australia there seems to be more flying south than a few years ago, we are even getting a few short and Long Billed Corellas in Hobart and I saw one the other day just out of Launceston,

When I was living in Sydney a year ago the White Cockatoos are everywhere hanging of power lines and dive bombing cars I had never seen anything like it before but my friends thought I was quite troppo as I wanted to stop and watch them all the time , yet the numbers in Sydney Suburbia alone are now to the stages of becoming pests,

I hadnt long been back in Tassie when on the east coast i saw for the first time ever a flock of Black and yellow Cockatoo's my excitment at seeing them was great, then over at Anna and Margies place asd I was leaving to come home I saw again a large flock of about 15 birds , but to them it is quite normal but to me the city dwelling sparrow watcher it was exciting stuff,