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Galah

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                      iGalah
   Pair of Galah cockatoos
   Pair of Galah cockatoos

                             Conservation status

   Least Concern (LC)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom:   Animalia
   Phylum:    Chordata
   Class:     Aves
   Order:     Psittaciformes
   Family:    Cacatuidae
   Subfamily: Cacatuinae
   Genus:     Eolophus
   Species:   E. roseicapilla

                                Binomial name

   Eolophus roseicapilla
   Vieillot, 1817
   Galah range (in red; all-year resident)
   Galah range (in red; all-year resident)

                                  Synonyms

   Cacatua roseicapilla Vieillot, 1817
   Three galahs in Canberra
   Enlarge
   Three galahs in Canberra

   The Galah, Eolophus roseicapilla, ( IPA: [gə'laː]) is one of the most
   common and widespread cockatoos. It occupies open country in almost all
   parts of mainland Australia.

   Galahs have a pale to mid grey back, a pink face and chest, and a light
   pink crest. Sexes are similar, differing only in eye colour: the male
   has a brown iris, the female red. Typical birds are about 350mm long
   and weigh between 300 and 400 grams.

Systematics

   The classification of the Galah was difficult. It was separated in the
   monotypic genus Eolophus, but the further relationships were not clear.
   There are obvious morphological similarities between the galah and the
   white cockatoos that make up the genus Cacatua and indeed the galah was
   initially described as Cacatua roseicapilla. Early DNA studies allied
   the galah with the cockatiel or placed it close to some Cacatua species
   of completely different appearance. In consequence, it was thought that
   the ancestors of the galah, the cockatiel and Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
   diverged from the main white cockatoo line at some stage prior to that
   group's main radiation; this was indeed correct except for the
   placement of the cockatiel. Ignorance of this fact, however, led to
   attempts to resolve the evolutionary history and prehistoric
   biogeography of the cockatoos, which ultimately proved fruitless
   because they were based on invalid assumptions to start with.

   It fell to the study of Brown & Toft (1999) to compare the previously
   available data with their mitochondrial 12S rRNA sequence research and
   resolve the issue. Today, the galah is seen, along with Major
   Mitchell's Cockatoo, as an early divergence from the white cockatoo
   lineage which have not completely lost their ability to produce an
   overall pink (Major Mitchell's) or pink and grey (galah) body plumage,
   while already being light in colour and non-sexually dimorphic. The
   significance of these two (and other) characters shared by the
   Cacatuinae had previously been explained away in earlier studies by
   strict application of parsimony on misinterpreted data.

   Aviary-bred crosses of galahs and Major Mitchell's Cockatoos have been
   bred in Sydney, with the tapered wings of the galah and the crest and
   colours of the Major Mitchell's, as well as its plaintive cry.

   Three subspecies are usually recognised. The south-eastern form, E. r.
   albiceps, is clearly distinct from the paler-bodied Western Australian
   nominate subspecies, E. r. roseicapillus, although the extent and
   nature of the central hybrid zone remains undefined. Most pet birds
   outside Australia are the south-eastern form. The third form, E. r.
   kuhli, found right across the northern part of the continent, tends to
   be a little smaller and is distinguished from albiceps by differences
   in the shape and colour of the crest, although its status as a valid
   subspecies is uncertain.

Ecology

   Galahs are found in all Australian states, and are absent only from the
   driest areas and the far north of Cape York Peninsula. They appear to
   have been self-introduced to Tasmania. They are common in some
   metropolitan areas, for example Perth and Melbourne, and common to
   abundant in open habitats which offer at least some scattered trees for
   shelter. The changes wrought by European settlement, a disaster for
   many species, have been highly beneficial for the galah because of the
   clearing of forests in fertile areas and the provision of stock
   watering points in arid zones.

   Galahs are highly social and very long-lived: though they are sometimes
   kept as pets, this is not something to be undertaken lightly as they
   bond socially with their owners and may well outlive them, and like
   most cockatoos, are noisy and require a great deal of attention and
   care.

Australian slang term

   "Galah" is also derogatory Australian slang, synonymous with 'fool' or
   ' idiot'. Inquiries of Australian countrymen in the 1970s suggest that
   this is a misunderstanding. It seemed to be that the reference to a
   'silly galah' is based on the sheer exuberance of the species and its
   willingness to indulge in play behaviour - galahs appear completely
   devoid of "dignified" or calm behaviour to the observer. Max [at Manly
   Vale WRL, 1977] held that galahs are very self-confident and have a
   great zest for life, and seem not in the least disturbed in anything
   they may care to do or be caught doing. It is very common to see them
   hanging by one leg from telephone or power lines in a rainstorm getting
   soaking wet and screeching with delight. There are many reports of them
   tobogganing down the corrugated roofs of outback buildings.

Gallery

   male Galah

   female Galah

   Galahs sitting in a gum tree

   Suburban galah, Canning Highway, Perth

   Galahs roosting in a dead Yellowbox

   Flock of galahs

   Galahs taking off with a motion blur
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galah"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
