Little Corella

The Little Corella is a mostly white cockatoo with a short, low, rounded crest that is often barely visible when relaxed. Bare skin around the eye is pale blue-grey, and there is a subtle salmon-pink tinge on the lores between the eye and the bill.

Compared to the similar Long-billed Corella, it has a noticeably shorter, stubbier bill and little to no pink coloring on the breast.

Key field marks

• Mostly white plumage with a short, low crest
• Pale blue-grey bare skin around the eye
• Short, stubby bill
• Very large, noisy flocks, often numbering in the thousands

Similar species

The Long-billed Corella has a much longer, more slender bill and extensive salmon-pink to red markings across the face, throat and upper breast that the Little Corella lacks. The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is larger, with a tall yellow crest, unlike the Little Corella's short white crest.

Range

Widespread across mainland Australia, largely absent only from the far southwest, the wetter southeastern coastal strip, and Tasmania. Range and numbers have expanded in recent decades, including into many urban areas.

Habitat

Open woodland, grassland, farmland, and areas near watercourses and wetlands where it can drink and roost communally in large numbers.

Movement

Largely sedentary to locally nomadic, with movements often tied to water and food availability, especially in arid regions.

Voice

Extremely noisy, giving loud, raucous screeching and chattering calls, particularly at large communal roosts.

Feeding

Forages mainly on the ground, using its bill to dig for seeds, roots, bulbs and tubers, as well as taking grain and other seed from farmland.

Breeding

Nests in tree hollows, usually near water, and occasionally in cliff cavities. Pairs are monogamous and often nest within large, loosely associated flocks.