Little Corella

Wild Little Corellas
© Geoff Whalan [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr

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Did You Know?

The population of the Little Corella is thought to be increasing instead of decreasing like so many other parrots.

Academic Research

Related publications: Cacatua sanguinea

Species Profile

Genus: Cacatua | Species: sanguinea

Size:

38cm (14.8 in)

Weight:

350-530g (12.25-18.5 oz)

Subspecies including nominate:

five: C.s. sanguinea, C.s. normantoni, C.s. transfreta, C.s.gymnopis, C.s. westralensis

Colour Adult:

C.s. sanguinea: Both adults in general white; pink/orange lores and hidden bases of feathers of the head; dark grey/blue, bare eye ring, extending well below eye. Eye dark brown.
C.s. normantoni: Both adults as in sanguinea but smaller in size.
C.s. transfreta: Both adults as in normantoni, but underwings and undertail washed with yellow/brown.
C.s. gymnopis: Both adults more pink/orange on lores and bases of head feathers, foreneck to upper breast and back of neck.
C.s. westralensis: Both adults as in gymnopis, but with brighter orange/red on lores and colour more strongly washed through feather bases of head to upper breast and mantle, reaching to blend with lower underparts and thighs; underwings and undertail washed lightly with deep yellow.

Colour Juvenile:

C.s. sanguinea: As in adult but with paler blue eye ring tinged grey/pink underneath eye.
C.s. normantoni: As in adult.
C.s. transfreta: As in adult.
C.s. gymnopis: As in adult.
C.s. westralensis: As in adult.

Call:

Contact call repetitive and squeaky.  A flock calling together sounds like distant geese.

Video Links:

More Information:

Avibase

Content Sources:

Wild Little Corellas
© Geoff Whalan [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr

Photos

View in Gallery

Did You Know?

The population of the Little Corella is thought to be increasing instead of decreasing like so many other parrots.

Academic Research

Related publications: Cacatua sanguinea

Species Care

Captive Status:

Rare; not exported from Australia, infrequently imported from New Guinea.

Longevity:

50-80 yrs

Housing:

Walk-in aviary, minimum length 3m (9.8 ft).

Diet:

Mix of small seeds: canary, oat, safflower, spray millet; limited sunflower, dry, soaked or sprouted; sprouted beans and pulses, cooked butterbeans and lentils, green leaves such as: Swiss chard, lettuce, sowthistle, dandelion, chickweed; vegetables such as: corn, carrot, celery, zucchini, squash, green beans and peas in the pod; fruit such as: apple, pear, orange, cactus fruits, bananas and others; nuts: walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, roasted peanuts; complete kibble.

Enrichment:

Provide lots of bird-safe chew toys (wooden block and vegetable tanned leather) and branches (pine, fir, elder, willow) for them to strip the bark off.

Nest Box Size:

Nesting log a metre long and 35cm (13.6 in) internal diameter or vertical box 12" x 12" x 24" (30.5cm x 30.5cm x 61cm).

Clutch Size:

2

Incubation Time:

26 days

Fledging Age:

6-8 weeks

Hatch Weight:

10g (0.35 oz)

Peak Weight:

374g (13.1 oz)

Weaning Weight:

245-305g (8.6-10.6 oz)

Wild Little Corellas
© Geoff Whalan [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr

Photos

View in Gallery

Did You Know?

The population of the Little Corella is thought to be increasing instead of decreasing like so many other parrots.

Academic Research

Related publications: Cacatua sanguinea

Species Wild Status

World Population:

Unknown, increasing.

IUCN Red List Status:

Least Concern

CITES Listing:

Appendix II

Threat Summary:

No threats presently but still a protected species (except S Australia). May be shot as a pest on private land.

Range:

C.s. sanguinea: N Australia, including larger offshore islands.
C.s. normantoni: W Cape York Peninsula south to Gulf of Carpentaria, N Queensland.
C.s. transfreta: S New Guinea between Kumbe and lower Fly Rivers.
C.s. gymnopis: Interior of E Australia, north to E Cape York Peninsula, N Queensland and west to NW South Australia. Introduced to Tasmania, and feral populations near urban centres in Australia.
C.s. westralensis: Coastal and inland C and W Australia, from Great Sandy Desert to Moora district and east to longitude 123 degrees. Feral population in Perth district includes gymnopis.

Habitat:

Found in riverine woodland adjacent to grasslands or agricultural areas (breeding season). Outside the breeding season they may be found in a wide variety of areas including Eucalyptus/Acacia scrublands with short grass, open or lightly treed grasslands, ricefields, sedge plains, mulga, mallee, Callitris/Eucalyptus woodland, semiarid and monsoon woodland and shrubland, spinifex, saltbush Atriplex, mangrove, crop areas, roadsides and suburban areas.

Wild Diet:

Grass and other seeds, paddy melons, nuts, fruits, berries, flowers, roots, corms, buds, shoots, insects, wood-boring larvae and blossoms.

Ecology and Behaviour:

Occur in large flocks (up to 70,000 birds) at a time to search for food; roost near water and drink before moving off towards feeding areas, often a long distance away. Feeding times morning and afternoon. Birds are playful, rolling on their backs or hanging upside down from wires. Commonly found in the company of Galahs.

Clutch and Egg Size:

2 ovate eggs, 39.0 x 28.5mm (1.5 x 1.1 in)

Breeding Season:

May–October in South Australia. Nest is in tree hollow.

Related Links:

Wikipedia

Wild Little Corellas
© Geoff Whalan [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr

Photos

View in Gallery

Did You Know?

The population of the Little Corella is thought to be increasing instead of decreasing like so many other parrots.

Academic Research

Related publications: Cacatua sanguinea

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