Galah

The Galah is one of the most widespread and abundant cockatoos in Australia, easily recognized by its two-toned rose-pink and grey plumage. It is a familiar sight across much of the continent, often gathering in large, noisy flocks.

Appearance

The face, neck, and underparts are a rich rose-pink, while the crown is pale pinkish-white and the back, wings, and tail are pale grey. The bill is short, pale horn-colored, and the legs are grey. A short, low crest of pale feathers can be raised slightly on the crown. Sexes are similar, though the female's eye is typically a pinkish-red compared to the male's dark brown eye.

General Impression

Galahs are conspicuous, sociable birds often seen feeding on open ground in large flocks, taking flight together in a striking wash of pink and grey when disturbed.

Key Field Marks

• Rose-pink face, neck, and underparts
• Pale grey back, wings, and tail
• Pale pinkish-white crown with a low crest
• Pale horn-colored bill

Similar Species

No other Australian cockatoo shares this precise combination of rose-pink underparts and grey upperparts:

• Major Mitchell's Cockatoo has a more extensively pink-and-white plumage with a striking banded crest of red, yellow, and white, and lacks the grey back.
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is entirely white with a yellow crest, quite different from the Galah's pink-and-grey pattern.

The sharply two-toned pink-and-grey plumage makes the Galah essentially unmistakable within its range.

Range

Widespread and common across most of mainland Australia, largely absent only from the driest desert interior and the wettest tropical far north in earlier times, though its range has expanded with land clearing for agriculture.

Habitat

Favors open grassland, farmland, woodland edges, riverine areas, and increasingly urban parks and gardens, generally near water and open ground for feeding.

Movements

Mostly sedentary, though flocks may move locally or nomadically in response to food availability and seasonal conditions.

Social Behavior

Highly gregarious, forming large flocks that can number in the hundreds, particularly outside the breeding season; flocks often perform coordinated aerobatic flight displays.

Voice

Gives a distinctive high-pitched, rolling screech, along with softer chattering notes while feeding or perched in flocks.

Feeding

Forages mainly on the ground for seeds, grains, and roots, and has adapted well to feeding in cultivated fields and pastures alongside native grasslands.

Nesting and Breeding

Nests in tree hollows, often lining the cavity with fresh eucalyptus leaves. Clutches typically contain two to five eggs, incubated by both parents for around 25 days. Galahs often breed in loose colonies and can reuse the same nest hollow across multiple seasons.