Long-billed corella
Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox The long-billed corella, also known as long-billed cockatoo or slender-billed corella<ref name=maranda>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> (Cacatua tenuirostris), is a cockatoo native to Australia, which is similar in appearance to the little corella.<ref name="pizzey" /> This species is mostly white, with a reddish-pink face and forehead, and has a long, pale beak, which is used to dig for roots and seeds. It has reddish-pink feathers on the breast and belly.
TaxonomyEdit
The long-billed corella does not have any recognized subspecies.<ref name = zoonomen>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The first formal written description was by German naturalist Heinrich Kuhl in 1820.<ref name = zoonomen/> It is one of several related species of cockatoos called corellas and classified in the subgenus Licmetis within the genus Cacatua, members of which are known as "white cockatoos".
DescriptionEdit
The adult long-billed corella measures from 38 to 41 cm in length,<ref name = "birdsinbackyards">Birds in Backyards - Long-billed Corella</ref> has a wingspan around 80–90 cm, and averages 567 g in weight.<ref name="birdsinbackyards" /> It has a long, bone-coloured beak, and a rim of featherless, bluish skin around the eyes. The plumage is predominantly white with reddish feathers around the eyes and lores. The underside of the wings and tail feathers are tinged with yellow.
Distribution and habitatEdit
The long-billed corella can be found in the wild in Victoria and southeastern New South Wales. It has extended its range since the 1970s into Melbourne, Victoria<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and can now be found in Tasmania,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> South Australia<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and southeast Queensland.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> A feral population resides in Perth, Western Australia as of the mid-1980s,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> which has conservation implications as this species may hybridize with the endangered western corella.
The long-billed corella is found in grassy woodlands and grasslands, including pasture, fields of agricultural crop, and urban parks.<ref name="birdsinbackyards" />
Ecology and behaviourEdit
CallEdit
The call of the long-billed corella is a quick, quavering, falsetto Template:Not a typo!,<ref name="pizzey">Template:Cite book</ref> Template:Not a typo, or Template:Not a typo combined with harsh screeches.<ref name="birdsinbackyards"/>
BreedingEdit
Breeding generally takes place in Austral winter to spring (from July to November).<ref name="pizzey" /> Long-billed corellas form monogamous pairs and both sexes share the task of building the nest, incubating the eggs, and caring for the young.<ref name="birdsinbackyards" /> Nests are made in decayed debris,<ref name="pizzey" /> the hollows of large old eucalypts, and occasionally in the cavities of loose gravely cliffs.<ref name="birdsinbackyards" /> 2–3 dull white, oval eggs<ref name="pizzey" /> are laid on a lining of decayed wood.<ref name="birdsinbackyards" /> The incubation period is around 24 days and chicks spend about 56 days in the nest.<ref name="birdsinbackyards" />
FeedingEdit
The long-billed corella typically digs for roots, seeds, corms, and bulbs, especially from the weed onion grass.<ref name="pizzey" /> Native plants eaten include murnong Microseris lanceolata, but a substantial portion of the bird's diet now includes introduced plants.<ref name="birdsinbackyards" />
Relationship with humansEdit
As petsEdit
Long-billed corellas are now popular as pets in many parts of Australia,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> although they were formerly uncommon, and their captive population has stabilised in the last decade. This may be due to their ability to mimic words and whole sentences to near perfection. The long-billed corella has been labeled the best "talker" of the Australian cockatoos, and possibly of all native Psittacines.Template:Citation needed
As pestsEdit
Long-billed corellas are viewed as agricultural pests, particularly in western Victoria and Western Australia. They can cause significant crop damage, are known for tearing and playing with pieces of asphalt along roadsides, and even damaging power lines. Permits are regularly issued in Western Australia (and sometimes in Victoria) for the culling of this species. Within New South Wales, the corellas are the most common avian pest among sporting fields and golf courses, as they can dig holes in the ground up to 3 in across and 6 in deep.<ref name="birdsinbackyards" />
In July 2019, in a scene that was said to resemble a "horror movie",<ref name="USAToday 07-2019">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="TheGuardian 07-2019">Template:Cite news</ref> about 60 corellas in Adelaide, South Australia,<ref name="Newsweek 07-2019">Template:Cite news</ref> died in a suspected case of poisoning after "falling from the sky" wailing and bleeding from their mouths. At least 57 (95%) of the 60 birds were long-billed corellas, with a few short-billed corellas. It was hoped that whoever poisoned them could be traced, after toxicology tests were performed (which could nevertheless take several weeks to complete); in Australia, people are required to register if they purchase poisons, according to Sarah King (founder of Casper's Bird Rescue, who witnessed the deaths).<ref name="BBC 07-2019">Template:Cite news</ref> King also said that the poison was a slow-release variety that takes several painful weeks to kill the bird. Additionally, the local Alexandrina council had, previously, allowed for periodic culling of short-billed corellas due to crop damage, chewing on streetlights and wires, damaging infrastructure (such as buildings and sporting equipment), and unfairly outcompeting other native species of birds, insects, small mammals, and other organisms.<ref name="TheGuardian 07-2019"/>