This is not what I wanted
Major Mitchell Cockatoo
The Major Mitchell Cockatoo has to be one of Australia’s most beautiful birds. I also do not yet have a great photo of this species. The individual shown in today’s photo was in one of the aviaries at the Australian Reptile Park, near Sydney. Just seconds before I took this photo it had its crest up. I waited and waited, but it didn’t lift the crest again and we had to move on.
I think I will have to camp out on the farm where I grew up. That is where I last saw this species in the wild, but I was too slow with my camera before they flew off. You can see several other photos of captive birds here.
The photo below I took of two cockatoos during the Bird Show at Taronga Park Zoo some years ago. These are trained birds, not wild ones.
Major Mitchell Cockatoos at Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney
Pink Cockatoo
Cockatiel and Pink Cockatoo in aviary, Pinnaroo Caravan Park
The photo above shows a Cockatiel (left) and a Pink Cockatoo (centre) in the aviary in Pinnaroo, eastern South Australia. Both species are relatively common in the area. This is not a particularly good photo of the Pink Cockatoo – see below for a better shot which my son took some years ago at the Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney.
The Pink Cockatoo is also known as the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo, named after an early Australian explorer.
This beautiful member of the parrot family is widespread throughout much of the arid and semi-arid regions of mainland Australia. It is far less common than other cockatoos. It is always a special bird to see in the wild, especially when they land and they raise their stunning crests.
Major Mitchell Cockatoo (also called Pink Cockatoo)
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