Long-billed Corella

Taxobox | name = Long-billed Corella
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1

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regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Psittaciformes
familia = Cacatuidae
subfamilia = Cacatuinae
genus = "Cacatua"
subgenus = "Licmetis"
species = "C. tenuirostris"
binomial = "Cacatua tenuirostris"
binomial_authority = Kuhl, 1820
range_

range_map_caption = Long-billed Corella range (in red)The Long-billed Corella, "Cacatua tenuirostris", is a cockatoo native to Australia. Species are mostly white, with a pink face and forehead. They also have faintly pink feathers on the breast and belly, and yellow on the underside of the wings and tail. The birds have a long white beak, which is used to dig for roots and seeds.

Long-billed Corellas measure about 40cm in length and have a wingspan of about 80-90cm and averages 640g in weight.

The species can be found in the wild around western Victoria and southern New South Wales. Feral populations have sprung up in Sydney and Perth from the release of unwanted birds. This has serious implications in Western Australia where they may hybridize with the endangered southern race of the Western Corella.

Corellas as Pets

Long-billed Corellas are also popular as pets in many parts of Australia. Although they were once uncommon as pets, their population has stabilised in the last decade. This may be due to their amazing 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 even other native Psittacines.

Corellas as Pests

Long-billed Corellas are viewed as agricultural pests, particularly in western Victoria. They can create significant crop damage and are also well known for tearing up pieces of asphalt along roadsides and even damaging powerlines. Currently, Long-billed Corellas are culled in many parts of Victoria in order to reduce the amount of damage that they cause.

References

* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

* Flegg, Jim. "Birds of Australia: Photographic Field Guide" Sydney: Reed New Holland, 2002. (ISBN 1-876334-78-9)
* [http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/advice/endangeredspecies/threats.asp Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) website - Threats to wild bird populations]
*Hunt, chris. "A Guide To Australian White Cockatoos, their management, care and breeding. Sydney: ABK Publications (1999)