Fun Long-billed Corella Facts For Kids

Long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris), also known as the slender-billed corella, is an exquisite cockatoo with white plumage that is native to south-eastern Australia. Both adults are mostly white in color with red lines, frontal band, fore neck. Their base feathers of head and neck are red, which becomes paler orange-pink on the bases of feathers of the upper back, mantle, and breast. Their eye rings are pale blue and brown in color.

They are found in abundance, with a total population of over 40,000 friendly and intelligent individuals. Interestingly, rainbow lorikeet parrots are considered to be the largest among the corellas.

Long-billed corella travels on the ground with a remarkable hopping motion. They do not have the stager walk like other cockatoos and parrots and are unique birds in their own rights! They are incredibly sensitive, affectionate, and also one of the independent cockatoos. These birds are not as needy as other species. The long-billed corella likes to chew on electric wires and wooden things, a potentially lethal hazard. Read on for more on them! For more info on other birds, take a look at these pileated woodpecker facts and pheasant facts.

‍

What type of animal is a long-billed corella?

The long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) is an intelligent, outgoing, and friendly bird and its tantrums are entertaining.

What class of animal does a long-billed corella belong to?

Long-billed Corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) belongs to the Aves class of animals.

How many long-billed corellas are there in the world?

With a population exceeding more than 40,000 individuals, these species are extremely common birds among their range.

Where does a long-billed corella live?

The long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) is native to southwestern Australia, from extreme south-eastern Australia through western Victoria and New South Wales.

What is a long-billed corella's habitat?

The long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) build their nests in the hollows of large eucalypt trees near water bodies and in cavities of loose, gritty cliffs. These birds prefer grassland, grassy woodlands that include crops and pasture, and have a feral population distribution in urban area parks.

They leave the nest at dawn for drinking water and then go to feeding areas returning back to roost at dusk. Before settling for the night in their nest, these birds engage in exciting acrobatics.

Who does long-billed corella live with?

Long-billed corellas (Cacatua tenuirostris) are monogamous and remain paired for life. They are social birds and build their nests in colonies on the same trees. This bird is seen nesting with flocks of other corella species. Feral populations in Perth and Sydney come from the release of unwanted birds.

How long does a long-billed corella live?

A long-billed corella's average lifespan is 25 years in the wild. In captivity, with proper care and diet, these species can live up to 30 years.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season of long-billed cockatoo is between July to November, and they form monogamous pairs and mate for life. If any one of the mates dies or goes missing, the partner will experience sadness. During the breeding period, pairs will build nests on eucalyptus trees near the water bodies. These birds reach their sexual maturity at the age of three years old.

Female long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) lays 2-4 eggs and the incubation period for this bird is 24 days; both parents take turns incubating the eggs. Chicks start to develop wing feathers that are large enough for flight in about 55 days of hatching.

What is their conservation status?

Long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) is listed as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as due to the vast population and distribution of this bird, it is considered a pest in many regions of Australia. Their population is declining due to the loss of a suitable habitat range.

What do long-billed corella look like?

The long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) is monomorphic, making it difficult to identify the different sexes of this bird. It is a white, medium-sized bird with a plump and stocky body, short tail, short crest, and a peculiar long upper mandible that runs to the bill. There is an orange-pink dash on its forehead and throats; it also has a faint yellow dash under its wings and tail and an orangish-red arc across its upper breast. The eye-ring of this cockatoo bird is pale gray-blue in color.

How cute are they?

Long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) birds are extremely cute due to their friendly, energetic, and comical behavior, which helps them in winning over people! The white with pink-red plumage of the bird makes it a visual treat!

How do they communicate?

These birds in the wild produce loud pitch squeals that oscillate and produce a 'curr-ur-rup-curr-ur-up. This long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) is the best talker, and it can learn clear, complete sentences and mimic a whole sentence; and they are also considered 'quiet' parrots and do not scream loudly.

How big is a long-billed corella?

The long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) species are medium-sized cockatoos, as they can grow up to 15-16.1 in (38-41 cm) in length with a wingspan of 31.5-35.4 in (80-90 cm). In comparison, the palm cockatoo is bigger than them, while the pink cockatoo is of a similar size.

How fast can a long-billed corella fly?

These birds can fly up to 40 miles in search of food, and it is often found that they fly in flocks of more than ten. Yet, we do know their exact flying speed.

How much does a long-billed corella weigh?

These cockatoos weigh up to 19.8 oz (560 g), with the males being slightly larger than females.

What are the male and female names of the species?

At present, no particular names have been assigned to the specific sex of the species.

What would you call a baby long-billed corella?

Baby long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) birds are called chicks. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs. The young chick resembles adults, but it has few red markings on its breast with dull wings and tail when compared to adults.

What do they eat?

Long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) prefers a diet of grass seeds, especially from the grain crops. These species have been seen feeding on bulbs, corms, roots, and seeds, especially from the weed onion grass, which they forage from the ground.

Are they dangerous?

Slender-billed cockatoos are a species of birds known for affection, caring, friendly, and comical nature. They are easy to socialize with and friendly.

Would they make a good pet?

In Australia, long-billed corellas are often ignored for the more vibrant species of cockatoos that have a more considerable levitated crest on their heads. However, these birds have an endearing, charming personality and marvelous talking ability that makes them better cockatoo pets.

Slender-billed cockatoos are devoted pets and crave daily interaction with their owners; the daily socialization and handling help to maintain their emotional health.

Did you know...

Two similar species that look similar to the long-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) are the little Corella (Cacatua sanguine) and sulfur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita). The little corella lacks the red color on the front neck, forehead and has a shorter upper mandible whereas, the sulfur-crested cockatoo has a yellow crest and black bill with no red color on their entire body but are almost similar in flight.

Long-billed corella are large birds, and they require larger cages to live comfortably. They require a cage space of at least 3-4 square ft. These birds prefer to spend time with their owner and require ample exercise.

Slender-billed corella needs to spend at least some time outside their cage to play and stretch muscles, which helps them to maintain good physical and mental health.

The long-billed corella has been seen hybridizing with the subspecies of little corella known as the western corella that is native (endemic) to south-western Australia.

Long-billed corellas from Australia are smart pets that can solve problems easily and can get into trouble if they are not being watched when out of their cages.

How can you tell how old a corella is?

The average lifespan of a corella is 25 years, but they can also live as long as 100 years depending on their survival, and it is impossible to tell how old an adult is once these birds reach the age of 5 years old, the eye color change for both males and females.

What is the difference between a cockatoo and a corella?

The long-billed corella belongs to the genus Cacatua and comes under the Licmetic subgenus, which includes white cockatoo species. On the other hand, a cockatoo is a bird with a curved beak and overt feet belonging to the family Cacatuidae.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these moorhen facts and red kite facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable long billed corella coloring pages.