Cockatoo x Corella Hybrid?? Australia, QLD, Miles. (1 Viewer)

[Mungbeanweed]

I snapped this photo in Miles, Queensland. Sorry it's not the greatest, but the bird flew off before I could get my focus sorted out. I didn't notice till I was reviewing photos later, but I'm not sure that this is a Sulpher Crested Cockatoo? I can't see any evidence of a yellow crest, and I think the beak is a little paler and longer than I would expect from a cockie, and I'm not seeing enough colour on the face for a corella. It could just be a bad photo though???

 

[greykangaroo]

I see what you mean Mungo. I think it is a long beaked corella. Here is a photo from our house bird feeder in Perth.
Generally have a bit of red around the face but this looks like a very old bird.

 

[Butty]

this looks like a very old bird

I don't know what this means. Birds don't become 'very old' in appearance: they become adult and then stay the same until they die.

 

[greykangaroo]

Whatever you say Mungo. You must be right and I won’t argue because most things are different in Queensland.
But we have hundreds here at the house in Western Australia and the one I showed you in the photo is in the prime of life. Probably two or three years old.
They don’t look like that when they are old here. They seem to get smaller, hunker down and lose feathers and colouring.

 

[Butty]

How do you know such birds are 'old'? - rather than sick, young, moulting, etc?

 

[THE_FERN]

I don't know what this means. Birds don't become 'very old' in appearance: they become adult and then stay the same until they die.

Some do become old in appearance. Esp. parrots. Tend to lose feathers, for example

 

[moose1991]

Whatever you say Mungo. You must be right and I won’t argue because most things are different in Queensland.

Mungbeanweed never said anything.

That was Butty who replied.

 

[Butty]

Some do become old in appearance. Esp. parrots. Tend to lose feathers, for example

You may be referring to data that comes from captive birds? - where all sorts of additional factors come into play. And I'm not (and the forum isn't) concerned at all with captive birds.

 

[Butty]

I take it that the only species in the frame here are sulphur-crested cockatoo and little corella. The bill-colour and face-pattern seem wrong for little corella. So I can't see what stops it being a sulphur-crested cockatoo with crest issues.

 

[THE_FERN]

You may be referring to data that comes from captive birds? - where all sorts of additional factors come into play. And I'm not (and the forum isn't) concerned at all with captive birds.

No wild birds too. Of course many wild birds don't live long enough to get "old". Parrots are an exception

 

[THE_FERN]

I take it that the only species in the frame here are sulphur-crested cockatoo and little corella. The bill-colour and face-pattern seem wrong for little corella. So I can't see what stops it being a sulphur-crested cockatoo with crest issues.

I agree this looks more like sulphur-crested cockatoo rather than any corella. I would point to bill colour and shape, for example. Feather and beak disease can cause the birds to lose feathers.