THE COVE CORELLAS,
OUR LOVE TO HATE GOLFER BIRD
Rainer Ebel, The
Parkway, Sanctuary Cove Qld
 |
| The central bird is a Long-billed Corella the others are the Short-billed form. Seeds are extracted from the cones of Pinus elliottii by both species and provide necessary calories as well as a number of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients. |
Three corella forms
exist for Australia; the Western form, as the name suggests, occurs in southwest
corner of the continent. The remaining
two forms, Short-billed and Long-billed corella are found just about everywhere
else including our east coast. At times, it appears that Sanctuary Cove habours
the entire Australian population. Last year (2014) my best estimate was 5-7000
birds, a small 2-3000 drop from the previous year!
The difference between these species is not
apparent from a distance but golfer close, the Long bill conspicuously sports
more salmon pink before the eyes, across the forehead, a slash across the chest
and when they fly, there is a pinkish wash to the under wings. For the Short-bill, blue-grey spectacles on
bare skin around the eye with very little to no pink is the main feature for
separation. The bill length is an obvious descriptor but who in their right
mind wants to measure its bill length! Ouch!
The history of any animal is important for
developing an appreciation and understanding of how the animal functions and
behaves. For plants and animals, we call
it natural history but it is no different from human history. Just like humans, animals repeat their actions
and activities but unlike humans, animals can adapt and evolve to survive by
increasing temporally and spatially their reproductive strategies while they
search for food, water, and cover. The hardy generalist such as corellas adapt
to changes in the natural landscape, accept their surroundings and learn to
coexist with humans. Sanctuary Cove corellas
are an example of adaption.
Corellas are loud, numerous and cause
destruction to course and golfer property but they provide some comic relieve
with their “drunken” antics which may be best described as play. There is no
evidence that birds of this species are intoxicated from the consumption of
pine seeds although Bohemian Waxwings have been observed enjoying a fermented
berry or two during warming spring weather in North America. I have collected and eaten some pine seeds
from the Pines with no apparent buzz. Perhaps, the consumption of a 50 kg bag of
seed may have done the trick!
Thirty or so
years ago, both species did not co-exist or inhabit the agricultural land now
known as Sanctuary Cove. Short-billed
Corella spread eastward from west of the Divide and the Long-billed Corella
moved northward from the Melbourne-Adelaide region into the southeast
Queensland. Large-scale adverse weather
patterns are known to move birds, as do changes to land use policies that
encouraged both residential and agricultural development. Local aviary escapees
are also a source for establishing population in new areas.
Give any
animal unlimited amounts of food, water, and cover and in time, they will adapt
and, they will flourish. In Sanctuary
Cove, the Pines incorporate an unlimited fresh water supply (ponds), nutritious
food (fertilized greens with its subterranean invertebrates and pine seeds), dense
cover (the Pines), reduced predators, and adequate roosts sites nearby. Limited are nest sites, which come the
breeding season encourages the majority of the corellas to emigrate. Not all remaining corellas will breed in the
Sanctuary Cove area.
If there is
a need to reduce the numbers of the Cove’s cockatoos, consider the complete
removal of the pine trees. If this is
not an option then reduce the availability of the cones that litter the ground
by mechanical means or by encouraging an understory of grasses and shrubs. If corellas cannot find their favourite food source then hunger and
intraspecific competition should force the majority to relocate. Without doubt, the corellas will adapt in time
by adjusting their numbers to the reduced food supply. However, the bigger
question remains: will the golfer adapt
by preventing ball loss in the understory or will ball loss retain the status
quo for Sanctuary Cove’s corella population?
