One of Australia's most beautiful cockatoos, the Major Mitchell’s cockatoo is a vibrant, salmon-pink sight. Native to arid and semi-arid areas of Australia their wings are generally white with a darker pink underside and though it appears white when folded, its dramatic crest mimics the reds & golds of the desert.
They are named in honour of Sir Thomas Mitchell, an explorer and surveyor of Southeast Australia in the 1800s, who wrote “few birds more enliven the monotonous hues of the Australian forest than this beautiful species whose pink-coloured wings and flowing crest might have embellished the air of a more voluptuous region".
Quite territorial compared to other cockatoos, these cockatoo's are a monogamous species. They form bonds for life and tend to have a breeding territory of around two kilometres preventing other pairs from breeding in its area. Aside from breeding season, they are a social species and their flocks can number from 10 to 50.
These diurnal birds are a bit lazy, somewhat weak fliers and can generally be found dwelling on the ground or up in trees foraging for seeds. They are a mainly sedentary species, but will carry out local migrations seeking food and water.
They nest in large native pines in the Mallee and can be found most commonly in South Australia just north of the River Murray in Bookmark Creek and Gluepot Reserve.
