![]() ![]() I’ve been spending up to six months in the field, returning to the same study sites for seven years now, and it’s quite possible that the birds recognise me personally and understand that I present no threat to them. Other species – pigeons, crows and North America’s northern mockingbird, for example – have been shown to discriminate reliably between familiar and unfamiliar humans based on facial features, sometimes up to years after just a single encounter. I believe they are almost certainly capable of recognising different human faces. They are a highly intelligent species with large forebrains, and probably excellent memories I’d like to think that it’s down to ninja-style stealth, but the answer is more likely to do with the birds themselves. I am often asked how I manage to get so close to palmies without spooking them. Many birders have to come back to the region around the Iron Range National Park several times before finally getting a decent view and photo of a palmy.įor the past seven years, however, I have been very fortunate to encounter them at close quarters on many occasions – sometimes even having three birds fly into a tree directly above my head. Most people are lucky to get a fleeting glimpse of this unique and majestic creature flying overhead. Palmies are infamous for being skittish and elusive. Video: Elusive palm cockatoos caught on film.Between us, PhD student Miles Keighley and I currently work over more than 10 Cape York sites, recording vocal and display behaviours in an effort to better understand this bird, and determine the extent to which its populations are genetically related. Thanks to a grant from the Hermon Slade Foundation, Rob was able to employ me to do the groundwork and find the answers. These questions and more have been a source of fascination for Professor Robert Heinsohn of the Australian National University in Canberra. Since the discovery of the behaviour in 1984, drumming by palmies has been a mystery to scientists who’ve puzzled over what the behaviour entails and in what context it occurs. This is clearly an example of sticks being used as tools, but unlike Jane Goodall’s famous chimpanzees, which use tools to forage, palm cockatoos don’t obtain treats in return for drumming. Like no other creature in the world, palmies fashion thick sticks from branches, grip them with their feet and bang them on trunks and tree hollows. ![]() If that’s not intriguing enough, perhaps more curious is their drumming behaviour. On occasion, when their mood is right, their bald red cheeks can flush with blood, turning from pale red to deep scarlet. Cockatoos are found in New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Australia – and of the 21 known species, the palmy is the heaviest and one of the largest. ![]() It’s no wonder, because it is a spectacular species. Despite the fact that the nearest city, Cairns, is 700km away, birders flock here from around the world and brave dirt roads and river crossings to see the iconic palm cockatoo in the wild. But there are some valid reasons why palm cockatoos are priced like that.We’re near the Lockhart River in a remote part of the Cape York Peninsula, far north Queensland. Generally, cockatoos range between $1000 to $3000 depending on the particular species and age.Ĭompare that to the $16000 worth of a palm cockatoo, and it sounds extreme. The price of a palm cockatoo is quite shocking, especially when you compare it to other cockatoo species. That said, verify the facts before you commit to buying a palm cockatoo based on a lower price. ![]() The owner may be trying to offload a problematic bird to you. Plus, palm cockatoos can be quite temperamental if they are not well trained (the training process is usually taxing). The bird may be too loud (they tend to be rather loud) or have underlying health issues. However, more often, if you find a cheap palm cockatoo, it probably has some issues. It may be possible that the pet owner may genuinely be looking for a good home for the bird. When you are looking for a palm cockatoo, remember not to jump at every bargain. Baby cockatoos will cost considerably less, plus you may get a lower price for a much older bird. ![]()
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