“Galleries of pink galahs” goes the song by country music star John Williamson and it was appropriate that as the call of these enigmatic birds rang out over Melbourne I was searching for galleries of my own in the arts district of the city.
There was no time for birding on this trip to the mainland, however. It was spurred by the musical Chicago showing there, and a visit to see the latest offerings of the National Gallery of Victoria.
All the same three galahs with their “chi-chi” calls stopped me in my tracks on Princes Bridge over the Yarra.
Although I frequently see galahs in Hobart the birds that inhabit the grasslands of the Domain and the gardens of Lower Sandy Bay carry baggage for an old twitcher like myself because doubts centre on their legitimate place in the Tasmanian landscape.
Unlike two other cockatoos found here, the sulphur-crested and the yellow-tailed black, there is no evidence that the galahs existed in the state before the arrival of European settlers. The same applies to two other cockatoo species increasing in number here, the little and long-billed corella, which can be found mainly in the feedlots of the MIdlands
It is generally believed that the galahs were introduced from the mainland, probably cage specimens eventually released.
Despite their doubtful provenance, I enjoy watching the antics of the galahs when I see them.
John Williamson is right to include the cockatoos in his song about the outback. That is one landscape that would be incomplete without them and the one I most associate the galahs with, having once lived in far-north Queensland.
So it was unexpected to see them flying over central Melbourne, in a late-afternoon flypast that included a flock of rainbow lorikeets, another species that is rapidly colonising Tasmania.
The four parrot species introduced to Tasmania have an impact on native parrots because they compete for tree-hollow nesting sites. As far as I can see, the galahs are not in sufficient number to become a problem.
Although cockatoo species tend to come in black or white plumages, the galahs display in a gaudy costume which somehow says something about these comical, playful birds. I describe their plumage as a clown’s suit, with its striking pink on the breast and grey on the back. The head is capped with plumed, white feathers.
Galahs – which mate for life – are the most widespread and common cockatoo in Australia and are found in a wide range of habitats except for dense forest. They can gather in flocks of up to 1000 birds, spending most of their time on the ground feeding on seeds.
The name galah originates from the word “gilaa” in the Yuwaalaraay language of New South Wales. Although in our own English language the term galah might have become synonymous with a stupid or foolish person, this connotation is an injustice. These beautiful birds – like all members of the parrot family – are among the most intelligent of the animal kingdom.