Pink-and-grey cockatoo, Red-breasted cockatoo, Roseate cockatoo cockatoo
The galah has a pale silver to grey back, a pale grey rump, a pink face and breast, and a light pink mobile crest. It has a bone-colored beak, and the bare skin of the eye ring is carunculated. Its legs are grey in color. The sexes appear similar; however, adult birds differ in the color of their irises; the male has very dark brown (almost black) irises and the female has mid-brown or red irises. Adults are more brightly colored than juveniles. Juveniles have a greyish breast, crown, and crest, and brown irises with whitish non-carunculated eye rings.
The galah lives in most parts of Australia, including some offshore islands, and it has been introduced to Tasmania. It occupies a range of habitats, including woodland, grassland, and shrubland. It also adapts well to urban areas, pastures, parks, and agricultural land, though it avoids dense forests.
Highly sociable birds, galahs are often seen in huge flocks that number as many as 1,000 individuals. They tend to feed in either the morning or late afternoon. They often mix with other species of cockatoo. In hot weather, flocks spend much of their time sheltering among shrubs and trees. They are often seen in acrobatic postures, sometimes hanging upside down, holding on by one foot only, flapping their wings, and giving a loud “scree!” At dusk, they perform further acrobatics before roosting. They fly swiftly through the treetops, twisting and turning as they swoop towards the ground, screeching as they go.
Galahs are herbivores (granivores) and eat mainly seeds and grains they find on the ground. Their diet may also include fruits, nuts, berries, grasses, green shoots, leaves, and barks from trees.
Galahs are monogamous birds and pairs mate for life. Males display to females by strutting towards them, bobbing and waving their heads and raising their crest, giving soft calls, and also clicking their bills. The breeding season in the north is from February to July, and in the south from July to December. Galahs nest in tree hollows or in cavities in cliffs. Often many pairs nest close to each other. Females lay between 2 and 5 white eggs, and incubation lasts around 4 weeks, shared by the parents. The chicks are fed at the nest by their parents for 5 to 6 weeks. They then leave the nest to gather in a “crèche tree”, along with other young birds. For 2 to 3 more weeks, they are still fed by their parents. Then the parents fly away to molt. The young are independent by between 6 and 8 weeks old. Young birds join large nomadic flocks with non-breeding birds until they are 2 to 3 years old. They are ready to breed when they are four years old.
The galah is an abundant and widespread species, and it is not currently considered at risk of extinction. Galahs are, however, considered a pest throughout most parts of Australia and can be trapped, shot, or poisoned in an effort to reduce losses to local agriculture, especially in grain-producing districts.
According to the IUCN Red List, the global population size of galahs has not been quantified, but the species is described as common. This species’ population is increasing today and it is classified as least concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
Galahs are important for seed dispersal, which is of great importance for ecology and the evolution of plants. But often they can cause damage to the trees they roost in by chewing the bark.
