Peter and all,
My guess is that they were almost certainly after the nectar. Crimson
Rosellas do this as well - they make a real mess of the callistemons when
in flower, at times showering gardens here in the Blue Mountains with a
carpet of flower bits. They obviously have a "sweet tooth" but lack the
specialised tongue of honeyeaters or lorikeets and so must resort to
munching up the flowers to get at the nectar.
Cheers,
Carol
At 8:41 AM +1030 27/10/03, Peter Pfeiffer wrote:
> Here in Adelaide I have observed recently at least 20 Sulphur-crested
>Cockatoos in a profusely flowering Callistemon ( it looked like a 'Gawler
>Hybrid' ). Each bird bit through the branch just below the terminal
>flower and picked it up in it's left claw and proceeded to nibble away at
>the base of the stamens . Exactly what were they targeting as a food
>source ? Any ideas ?
>
> Cheers,
> Peter.
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