Little corella

Little Corella
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Cacatuidae
Subfamily:	Cacatuinae
Genus:	Cacatua
Subgenus:	Licmetis
Species:	C. sanguinea
Binomial name
Cacatua sanguinea Gould , 1843
Combined Australian range of the Little and Western Corellas (in red).

The Little Corella, Cacatua sanguinea, also known as the Bare-eyed Cockatoo, is a white cockatoo native to Australia and southern New Guinea.

The Little Corella grows to 36 to 39 cm in length and congregates in flocks of up to several thousand birds, which often include many Galahs. The bird generally roosts in trees overnight, and flies off to feed in the early morning with an almost deafening screeching. It mostly feeds on the ground, eating seeds including cereal crops such as wheat and barley. It is so common that it has become something of a pest throughout much of Australia, and can be destructive to the trees in which it perches, by chewing the bark off smaller twigs. Corellas can be commonly found in the Melbourne suburbs of Camberwell and Ashburton, and are especially numbersome in Carrum Downs. This species has also a small feral population in Queanbeyan and Narrabundah.

It was known as Birdirra among the Yindjibarndi people of the central and western Pilbara. They would keep them as pets, or traditionally cook and eat them. The downy feathers are used in traditional ceremonies and dances where they adorn head and armbands.

In a tree

Flock of Little Corellas at Moomba Gas Fields, S.A. Aust

References

• Template:IUCN2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

• Flegg, Jim. Birds of Australia: Photographic Field Guide Sydney: Reed New Holland, 2002. (ISBN)
• http://www.centralpets.com/animals/birds/parrots/prt1153.html

External links

• World Parrot Trust Parrot Encyclopedia - Species Profiles
• Frostie the dancing cockatooto on YouTube