Major Mitchell Cockatoo 4

    "Few birds more enliven the monotonous hues of the Australian forest than this beautiful species whose pink-coloured wings and flowing crest might have embellished the air of a more voluptuous region" - Major Sir Thomas Mitchell.

    Wikipedia says: "Where Galahs readily occupy cleared and part-cleared land, Major Mitchell's Cockatoo requires extensive woodlands, particularly favouring Callitris, Allocasuarina and Eucalyptus." Which is exactly where this pair were, in a small piece of remnant woodland made up of Callitris, Allocasuarina and Eucalyptus. Nice to see theory coincide with what you find in the field.

    As PB says, this is the male.

    Comments and faves

    1. ★

      thetaipan, missnoma ... 2006 DEFUNCT see missnoma, Steffe, mason bryant, and 31 other people added this photo to their favorites.

    2. nightboss54 (69 months ago | reply)

      very lovely shot

    3. thetaipan (69 months ago | reply)

      Magnificent. Great shot.

      --
      Seen in my contacts' photos. (?)

    4. n3ttl3s (69 months ago | reply)

      Oh so well caught. I cant even imagine getting one of these in my camera lens. Amazing shots of a truly rare bird. absolutely wonderful..
      --
      Seen in Field Guide: Birds of the World (?)

    5. missnoma ... 2006 DEFUNCT see missnoma (69 months ago | reply)

      Yeah I can dream of catching one of these, they are here but never still for long enough...One day though... Excellent work you have done here, good for you...They are destructive characters, have eaten the power cables to the house pump and just love the rubber around the windows....Wouldnt it be great to get a picture of just that...

      Seen in The Australian Experience

      I think this bird image is really excellent. You are invited to post it to Excellence In Avian Photography. Please read the rules before posting your image.

    6. aaardvaark (69 months ago | reply)

      missnoma (great name!) - sorry about your power cables, for some reason I thought that galahs and sulphur-cresteds were the bad'uns. I know it doesn't make sense but it's hard to think of such a spectacularly beautiful bird doing such wicked things. You really should get your camera ready to snap one chewing on your cables, particularly if you catch the moment they reach the wire! At least you are lucky to have lots of them around, by the sound of it. Where are you located?

    7. jazzcd@sbcglobal.net (69 months ago | reply)

      Amazing bird! Amazing shot!

    8. mason bryant (69 months ago | reply)

      great shot! That is a very impressive mohawk that guy has there.

    9. brett.donald (69 months ago | reply)

      You LUCKY BASTARD!!! I would kill to photograph these in the wild, but were I fortunate enough to see one, I'm sure I'd never get images as good as these. I bet it made the whole trip seem worthwhile. I was out at West Wyalong in March, but never saw them. Congratulations.

    10. piedbutcher (69 months ago | reply)

      Brilliant set of shots mate, very well done.

      Looked up the sexing details:

      Females have a broader yellow band in the crest and a red eye.
      Males have a narrower yellow band and a dark brown eye.

      This is a male. The bird in picture 2 is a female.

      Great work!

    11. CJHudson (69 months ago | reply)

      Excellent shot...I especially love the fact that you got the crest. I took some shots of Major Mitchells at Eyre Bird Observatory many, many years ago but missed out on the crest.

      --
      Seen on your photo stream. (?)

    12. louise.design (68 months ago | reply)

      gorgeous

    13. blackwolf29 (61 months ago | reply)

      Hi, I'm an admin for a group called the most beautiful birds, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

      Awesome shot!

    14. Callocephalon Photography (59 months ago | reply)

      Excellent photo. I will be going out to Charcoal Tank today for the weekend with the banders, and hopefully I will finally see one in the wild. Great photo, top notch.

    15. Adam Blyth (36 months ago | reply)

      Simply outstanding.

    16. This photo was invited and added to the the most beautiful birds group.

    17. This photo was invited and added to the Louisa's Bird Gallery group.

    18. Mary Bomford (12 months ago | reply)

      Wow! I keep coming back to look at it again now I've found it. Just beautiful!

    19. aaardvaark (11 months ago | reply)

      Thanks Mary, it's one of my favourites this one. A serendipitous moment!

    20. lesleyb270 (2 months ago | reply)

      That is one of the best captures of a Major Mitchell I have seen.

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