What do you know about parrot migrations?
What do you know about parrots that stay put all year round, follow a regular seasonal migration, or migrate nomadically depending on the weather and food supplies?
I know that the sulphur (they’re not members of iupac) crested cockatoos tended to home in on my place when the mandarin tree was fruiting. They only eat the seeds and throw the rest of the fruit on the ground. It got to the point that I cut the tree down this season.
Seems that they ,the parrots aren’t much different than us, HSS, except that they, the parrots, are only fuckin up one food source.
Seems also to prove the non existence of a God or Gods, cause if there was a God or Gods, he/she/it would cut us (HSS) down.
bob(from black rock) said:
Seems also to prove the non existence of a God or Gods, cause if there was a God or Gods, he/she/it would cut us (HSS) down.
How does it do that? I can’t even prove this parrot you sold me is dead!
mollwollfumble said:
What do you know about parrot migrations?What do you know about parrots that stay put all year round, follow a regular seasonal migration, or migrate nomadically depending on the weather and food supplies?
I suspect the following parrot species are migratory, in that they are sometimes present in large numbers and at other times I can’t find a single one:
White cockatoo, black cockatoo, galah, musk lorikeet, red-rumped parrot.
The musk lorikeet was around in large numbers for at least 2-3 months where I used to work before disappearing for over 18 months, then reappearing.
I have been told that the following parrot species migrate, but don’t have first-hand experience:
Orange-bellied parrot (seasonal Tas to Vic), swift parrot (seasonal Tas to Vic), budgerigar (depending on weather and food supplies).
The following parrots are always around, so don’t appear to migrate. Rainbow lorikeet, eastern rosella, eastern rosella – yellow variant, crimson rosella, scaly-breasted lorikeet.
The little corella is sometimes around and sometimes not, but I don’t have enough timing information to decide whether that’s because it migrates or whether I’m just looking in the wrong places.
mollwollfumble said:
mollwollfumble said:
What do you know about parrot migrations?What do you know about parrots that stay put all year round, follow a regular seasonal migration, or migrate nomadically depending on the weather and food supplies?
I suspect the following parrot species are migratory, in that they are sometimes present in large numbers and at other times I can’t find a single one:
White cockatoo, black cockatoo, galah, musk lorikeet, red-rumped parrot.
The musk lorikeet was around in large numbers for at least 2-3 months where I used to work before disappearing for over 18 months, then reappearing.I have been told that the following parrot species migrate, but don’t have first-hand experience:
Orange-bellied parrot (seasonal Tas to Vic), swift parrot (seasonal Tas to Vic), budgerigar (depending on weather and food supplies).The following parrots are always around, so don’t appear to migrate. Rainbow lorikeet, eastern rosella, eastern rosella – yellow variant, crimson rosella, scaly-breasted lorikeet.
The little corella is sometimes around and sometimes not, but I don’t have enough timing information to decide whether that’s because it migrates or whether I’m just looking in the wrong places.
A lot depends on what one means by migrate. Some parrots range over only a small area compared to others. Yet they will still move around within that range annually to different known food and water resources. Many parrots travel in large flocks only when they are young birds yet to mate. Yet some become what we call pests because they now have food sources close enough to stay in the one area all year around. Budgerigars migrate to wherever the water and food is, if they survive long enough. What we don’t have is the knowledge of how these birds behaved before we came along and changed the landscape.
I can be sure that the same parrot species turn up at the same places every year. That they have a meandering migration from food source to food source. There are also some species that turn up at the same places every ten or twenty or so years according to factors similar in that the Australian climate is fickle enough to cause these birds to vary their ranging accordingly.
If one sits in the same spot all year, the habits of local parrots can be observed. In one instance, A pair of blue bonnets nest at one and of my street, yet are never seen coming towards my end of the street. They range outwards from the other end. This is a distance of about 300 metres from their nest and range. They never visit my yard and surrounds. A pair of Major Mitchells are in my yard every day of the year and for a short period each year there will be upwards of twenty and sometimes sixty visiting my yard. Around four Mallee Ringnecked parrots will be in my yard every day of the year. Yet I would see black cockatoos, more than one species more rarely, perhaps only once per year or even once every decade or so. I’ve seen blue winged parrots in the same place at the same time of year, twenty years apart but never between those dates. The sulphur crested parrots never come near me apart from the odd birds that may have lost their compasses, yet they are major pests only a few km from my yard. I’ll have hundreds of galahs in my yellow box trees for a few weeks while they are breeding and smaller flocks all year around. Quarrion flock together and turn up here every year periodically. Virtually all of the parrot species I can see around my area will always be found in the same places as they nest in the same places and gather to feed in the same places year after year. It is not uncommon to see only the breeding pairs at certain times of the year and large flocks once the young have all left their nests.
I know that if I drive down to the river, I’ll always see the Murrumbidgee Lowry or Yellow Rosella. Yet I never see them elsewhere.
I can see the Superb Parrot in the same places every year but never anywhere else in the region. The same goes for the Swift Parrot.
Teleost said:
I know that the sulphur (they’re not members of iupac) crested cockatoos tended to home in on my place when the mandarin tree was fruiting. They only eat the seeds and throw the rest of the fruit on the ground. It got to the point that I cut the tree down this season.
I would have appreciated having such beautiful birds visiting my garden.
I guess we will manage to exterminate them in the end.
headsie said:
Teleost said:
I know that the sulphur (they’re not members of iupac) crested cockatoos tended to home in on my place when the mandarin tree was fruiting. They only eat the seeds and throw the rest of the fruit on the ground. It got to the point that I cut the tree down this season.I would have appreciated having such beautiful birds visiting my garden.
I guess we will manage to exterminate them in the end.
I’m happy not to get more than one wandering Sulphur Crested. They are too noisy for my delicate hearing. I’m very happy to have the Major Mitchells instead as they are quiet and jolly companions which are more attractive to myself.
I recall seeing the glee in the eye of a neighbour proudly proclaiming having watched the mallee ringnecks come in with landing gear down only to find the nectarine tree gone.
there are only two true migratory* Australian parrots.. both Tasmanian that fly to the mainland.
most of the rest follow rain patterns.*migration in birds is generally considered to be ‘cross country’ so using the word in this context is slightly incorrect, however, since the two tasmanian species cross bass straight (a treacherous journey for them) scholars can consider it ‘migration’
Arts said:
there are only two true migratory* Australian parrots.. both Tasmanian that fly to the mainland. most of the rest follow rain patterns.*migration in birds is generally considered to be ‘cross country’ so using the word in this context is slightly incorrect, however, since the two tasmanian species cross bass straight (a treacherous journey for them) scholars can consider it ‘migration’
^ this. :)
bob(from black rock) said:
Seems that they ,the parrots aren’t much different than us, HSS, except that they, the parrots, are only fuckin up one food source.
actually it’s the humans fucking up their food source… notch another up to us
Arts said:
actually it’s the humans fucking up their food source… notch another up to us
I alluded to that without swearing, earlier in the thread. ;)
roughbarked said:
Arts said:actually it’s the humans fucking up their food source… notch another up to us
I alluded to that without swearing, earlier in the thread. ;)
I was just replying in a B(fbr) manner.
Arts said:
roughbarked said:
Arts said:actually it’s the humans fucking up their food source… notch another up to us
I alluded to that without swearing, earlier in the thread. ;)
I was just replying in a B(fbr) manner.
My observations from home would generally agree with you Moll.
These parrots appear migratory (or rather, to move around seasonally). NW Sydney.
Glossy and Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
Corella (short billed)
King Parrot
These parrots I can find all year round:
Galah
Sulfur Crested Cockatoo
Crimson and Eastern Rosella
Rainbow Lorikeet
headsie said:
Teleost said:
I know that the sulphur (they’re not members of iupac) crested cockatoos tended to home in on my place when the mandarin tree was fruiting. They only eat the seeds and throw the rest of the fruit on the ground. It got to the point that I cut the tree down this season.I would have appreciated having such beautiful birds visiting my garden.
I guess we will manage to exterminate them in the end.
They are beautiful.
They’re also noisy, destructive, messy and altogether unpleasant when you have 20+ in your back yard squawking, destroying your fruit and dropping it all over the yard.
Between them, the fruit flies and the rats, I was getting a lot of smelly mess and no harvestable fruit. The tree had to go.
Arts said:
bob(from black rock) said:
Seems that they ,the parrots aren’t much different than us, HSS, except that they, the parrots, are only fuckin up one food source.
actually it’s the humans fucking up their food source… notch another up to us
Yes. In two ways, at least in suburban areas.
Firstly, we destroy their habitat.
Next, we plant “natives” to attract more birds. The problem is that usually these natives only attract the more aggressive species, who drive away others who have sought refuge there.
Teleost said:
headsie said:
Teleost said:
I know that the sulphur (they’re not members of iupac) crested cockatoos tended to home in on my place when the mandarin tree was fruiting. They only eat the seeds and throw the rest of the fruit on the ground. It got to the point that I cut the tree down this season.I would have appreciated having such beautiful birds visiting my garden.
I guess we will manage to exterminate them in the end.
They are beautiful.
They’re also noisy, destructive, messy and altogether unpleasant when you have 20+ in your back yard squawking, destroying your fruit and dropping it all over the yard.
Between them, the fruit flies and the rats, I was getting a lot of smelly mess and no harvestable fruit. The tree had to go.
Mandarins aren’t necessarily the best in tropical areas anyway. It clearly wasn’t important enough to net.
Teleost said:
headsie said:
Teleost said:
I know that the sulphur (they’re not members of iupac) crested cockatoos tended to home in on my place when the mandarin tree was fruiting. They only eat the seeds and throw the rest of the fruit on the ground. It got to the point that I cut the tree down this season.I would have appreciated having such beautiful birds visiting my garden.
I guess we will manage to exterminate them in the end.
They are beautiful.
They’re also noisy, destructive, messy and altogether unpleasant when you have 20+ in your back yard squawking, destroying your fruit and dropping it all over the yard.
Between them, the fruit flies and the rats, I was getting a lot of smelly mess and no harvestable fruit. The tree had to go.
We live in a valley and see them here only occasionally. That is enough. I imagine that the people just 500m up the road are finding it difficult, especially at 6am every morning.
Speedy said:
Arts said:
bob(from black rock) said:
Seems that they ,the parrots aren’t much different than us, HSS, except that they, the parrots, are only fuckin up one food source.
actually it’s the humans fucking up their food source… notch another up to us
Yes. In two ways, at least in suburban areas.
Firstly, we destroy their habitat.
Next, we plant “natives” to attract more birds. The problem is that usually these natives only attract the more aggressive species, who drive away others who have sought refuge there.
Third, we plant non-native food sources. ie: Pinus radiata
Teleost said:
Here, one of them will have a go at me – flying directly at me – most afternoons. It’s quite unnerving, because they are quite large. I doubt I’ll try to grow any fruit because of the white cockatoos. We have thirty or forty of them.
headsie said:
Teleost said:
I know that the sulphur (they’re not members of iupac) crested cockatoos tended to home in on my place when the mandarin tree was fruiting. They only eat the seeds and throw the rest of the fruit on the ground. It got to the point that I cut the tree down this season.I would have appreciated having such beautiful birds visiting my garden.
I guess we will manage to exterminate them in the end.
They are beautiful.
They’re also noisy, destructive, messy and altogether unpleasant when you have 20+ in your back yard squawking, destroying your fruit and dropping it all over the yard.
Between them, the fruit flies and the rats, I was getting a lot of smelly mess and no harvestable fruit. The tree had to go.
mollwollfumble said:
mollwollfumble said:
What do you know about parrot migrations?What do you know about parrots that stay put all year round, follow a regular seasonal migration, or migrate nomadically depending on the weather and food supplies?
I suspect the following parrot species are migratory, in that they are sometimes present in large numbers and at other times I can’t find a single one:
White cockatoo, black cockatoo, galah, musk lorikeet, red-rumped parrot.
Aha, I have it.
In the past fortnight, the black cockatoo, galah and red-rumped parrot have returned to Melbourne after being absent during the winter. It isn’t completely coincidence that during winter, the insects also completely disappear from Melbourne. The timing of the return of these three species coincides with the return of the insects, in the past fortnight we’ve had flies return and then ants.
I hypothesise that black cockatoo, galah and red-rumped parrot are insectivores, preferring large insect larvae as a food source.
mollwollfumble said:
mollwollfumble said:
mollwollfumble said:
What do you know about parrot migrations?What do you know about parrots that stay put all year round, follow a regular seasonal migration, or migrate nomadically depending on the weather and food supplies?
I suspect the following parrot species are migratory, in that they are sometimes present in large numbers and at other times I can’t find a single one:
White cockatoo, black cockatoo, galah, musk lorikeet, red-rumped parrot.
Aha, I have it.
In the past fortnight, the black cockatoo, galah and red-rumped parrot have returned to Melbourne after being absent during the winter. It isn’t completely coincidence that during winter, the insects also completely disappear from Melbourne. The timing of the return of these three species coincides with the return of the insects, in the past fortnight we’ve had flies return and then ants.
I hypothesise that black cockatoo, galah and red-rumped parrot are insectivores, preferring large insect larvae as a food source.
on whatgrounds?
Breeding grounds?many birds may at times be omnivores.
roughbarked said:
mollwollfumble said:
mollwollfumble said:I suspect the following parrot species are migratory, in that they are sometimes present in large numbers and at other times I can’t find a single one:
White cockatoo, black cockatoo, galah, musk lorikeet, red-rumped parrot.
Aha, I have it.
In the past fortnight, the black cockatoo, galah and red-rumped parrot have returned to Melbourne after being absent during the winter. It isn’t completely coincidence that during winter, the insects also completely disappear from Melbourne. The timing of the return of these three species coincides with the return of the insects, in the past fortnight we’ve had flies return and then ants.
I hypothesise that black cockatoo, galah and red-rumped parrot are insectivores, preferring large insect larvae as a food source.
on whatgrounds?
Breeding grounds?many birds may at times be omnivores.
Red-rumped and galah feed in the grass. I’ve never known what they feed on, but it’s very clear that it’s not nectar. Insect larvae makes sense. Black cockatoo is known to feed on insect larvae. The return of insects to Melbourne at the same time as these three parrots seems like more than coincidence.
I saw both red-rumped and galahs a month ago in Holbrook. Insects hadn’t disappeared from Holbrook at the time.
Red rumps, grass parrots, eat seed in the grass:
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Psephotus-haematonotus
Galahs are also seed eaters:
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Eolophus-roseicapillus
There is lots of information at birds in backyards about all sorts of Australian birds.
Yellow tailed blacks are the only one of your three that may be partially insectivorous.
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Calyptorhynchus-funereus
buffy said:
Yellow tailed blacks are the only one of your three that may be partially insectivorous.
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Calyptorhynchus-funereus
Yeah.
Parrots like galahs will tear up roots and eat them. budgies will be seen enjoying charcoal and digging in the dirt. However they don’t eat the myriads of insect life while they bury their heads in the dirt.
Black cockatoos frequent this area when the oak trees have seed pods on them. They also feed in plantation pine forests, attacking pine cones, probably for seed but possibly for insect larvae.
My understanding has always been that parrots are herbivores, but will eat meat, such as roadkill, if the opportunity presents itself.
IME with my galah, he always has a parrot seed mix available, but if it is safe, will usually be offered a selection of the foods we eat. His favourite food is cooked egg. Last night, be preferred the chicken meat to the red capsicum that was on offer.
Speedy said:
Black cockatoos frequent this area when the oak trees have seed pods on them. They also feed in plantation pine forests, attacking pine cones, probably for seed but possibly for insect larvae.My understanding has always been that parrots are herbivores, but will eat meat, such as roadkill, if the opportunity presents itself.
IME with my galah, he always has a parrot seed mix available, but if it is safe, will usually be offered a selection of the foods we eat. His favourite food is cooked egg. Last night, be preferred the chicken meat to the red capsicum that was on offer.
Lock parrots in a cage together and some may get eaten. They fight over nests and mates and stuff like that.
roughbarked said:
Speedy said:
Black cockatoos frequent this area when the oak trees have seed pods on them. They also feed in plantation pine forests, attacking pine cones, probably for seed but possibly for insect larvae.My understanding has always been that parrots are herbivores, but will eat meat, such as roadkill, if the opportunity presents itself.
IME with my galah, he always has a parrot seed mix available, but if it is safe, will usually be offered a selection of the foods we eat. His favourite food is cooked egg. Last night, be preferred the chicken meat to the red capsicum that was on offer.
Lock parrots in a cage together and some may get eaten. They fight over nests and mates and stuff like that.
hmmm :/
Arts said:
roughbarked said:
Speedy said:
Black cockatoos frequent this area when the oak trees have seed pods on them. They also feed in plantation pine forests, attacking pine cones, probably for seed but possibly for insect larvae.My understanding has always been that parrots are herbivores, but will eat meat, such as roadkill, if the opportunity presents itself.
IME with my galah, he always has a parrot seed mix available, but if it is safe, will usually be offered a selection of the foods we eat. His favourite food is cooked egg. Last night, be preferred the chicken meat to the red capsicum that was on offer.
Lock parrots in a cage together and some may get eaten. They fight over nests and mates and stuff like that.
hmmm :/
It is not like they are cannibals. However caging them is not their natural environment.
Might be relevant here:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-13/meat-eating-rainbow-lorikeets-in-world-first-study/6764514