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Hi Birders,
I refer to recent comments about the
origin of Long-billed Corellas in coastal regions.It is a well known fact and
something that has been discussed on Birding-aus before (see the archives) that
the origin of Long-billed Corellas in eastern NSW came from birds trapped on and
near wheat fields in the mallee regions of NW Victoria and sold in pet shops for
Sydney in the early 1980's for $10 each. Many people in Sydney purchased the
birds and let them go, particularly in and around Centennial Park in Sydney's
Eastern suburbs. They may have also escaped from their cages because their bill
would appear to be much stronger than a galah and they would probably have been
housed in cages originally provided for Galahs. The birds spread from inner
Sydney, particularly first to the western outskirts of Sydney around horse studs
and dairy farms and then gradually up and down the coast. Prior to this time,
the tiny wild population in NSW was confined to a small area between the
Victorian border near Swan Hill and Deniliquin. It is interesting that their
distribution in NSW was then so limited yet on their release in Sydney, they
soon quickly became established. The provision of free grain around the horse
yards and dairy & beef feedlots west of Sydney, and the onion weed that is
so prolific in the playing fields, golf courses and public parks of coastal
regions no doubt assisted in their spread. On the Central Coast, they would
appear to have taken over many Galah nesting sites and they may soon out number
the Galah. Galahs themselves did not appear on the Central Coast until the late
1960s and early 1970s.
Alan Morris
Birding NSW Records
Officer
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