Greetings All Yesterday Fay and I were surveying the edge of open woodland adjoining Tarong Power Station property [South Burnett region, Queensland]. Noted a pair of Galahs in the fork of a nearby gum. One bird appeared to be excavating, or at least clearing out, a small hollow about a metre up along the left-hand branch of the fork while the other Galah, at the fork junction itself, appeared to be rubbing its cheeks against the right-hand branch. It repeated this several times. Never having previously observed this behaviour in Galahs was wondering if anyone could offer an explanation. Cheers Julian www.birdingsouthburnett.com @osprey00
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Greetings Graeme First, my apologies for the slight delay in getting back to you – Fay and I have been up to the “proverbials” in birding and clearing up after the New Year madness. Many thanks for your email regarding that pair of Galahs. We did return to the tree in question shortly after the rain ceased [9.5mm in the space of an hour or so] but there was no sign of either bird. We’ll return again in the next day or so. If by the “book” you mean Ian Rowley’s “The Galah,” I already have a copy, as mentioned in my email to Stephen, although I was in error when I referred to having a number of his other tomes. On checking I find that I have confused Ian Rowley with Ian Newton [the author of a number of monographs on raptors]. I have had the pleasure of browsing through you website on a number of previous occasions. At the moment I have a small problem with over-usage of my download limits and will await the restoration of full speed [not that it’s very fast out here in rural Queensland] on 10.01.15. Cheers Julian http://www.birdingsouthburnett.com @osprey00
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Greetings Stephen, Phil, et al. Many thanks for the replies. The nest excavation/hollow clearing was never the behavioural puzzle; I’ve seen enough Galahs at nest-building to recognize the behaviour of the left-hand bird. The other bird was the puzzle. While I accept that Phil’s explanation may well be accurate, two things puzzle me further: [a] it must have been a terrifically toxic mite/ant as the Galah persisted in the rubbing for several minutes [b]why didn’t the Galah simply raise one of its feet to scratch the itch? I have a copy of the Rowley book you refer to Stephen; indeed, I have a number of his birding tomes. I sent the enquiry to birding-aus before I checked his WA findings. The bird in question was definitely not scarring; they were the only pair in the immediate area. Nor, as far as I could see/judge, was the bird engaged in bill-stropping. That leaves eye-wiping and this, admittedly, could well fit the bill [oops, half a pun?]. The right-hand Galah was certainly turning its head to rub both cheeks in turn. When the rain ceases I’ll pop out again with the scope to make further observations. Cheers Julian http://www.birdingsouthburnett.com @osprey00
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Hi Julian, I’ve just had a look Ian Rowley’s excellent book on Galahs [Rowley, I. (1990). Behavioural Ecology of the Galah Eolophus roseicapillus in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia (Surrey Beatty & Sons Pty Ltd, Chipping Norton)] to see if the behaviours you observed could be explained. He describes three social behaviours which may match what you observed: 1. Scarring (bark-stripping) – the stripping away of bark to expose the tree’s cambrium, or removing both the bark and cambrium to expose the xylem. Scarring occurs on the main trunk of the tree below or around the nest entrance, usually extending up to 10 cm from the tree hollow. Scarring occurs at the start of the breeding cycle and usually continues until incubation begins. 2. Bill-stropping – rubbing alternate sides of the bill on bare area of the scar or nearby areas of the tree, sometimes done vigorously. 3. Eye-wiping (particularly by males) – wiping sides of face on bare scar only. Ian Rowley suggests that these three behaviours are forms of territorial advertisement because the incidence of scarring is much higher at greater nesting densities. He also suggests that Bill-stropping may be a form of bill maintenance, and perhaps as a form of communication with its partner. Of course, Philip could also be right that the Galah that was rubbing its face against the branch could just be scratching itself (in attempt to get rid of feather mites?). But with the other bird actively working at or around the hollow makes me think it could be one or more of the behaviours described by Ian Rowley. Stephen Ambrose Ryde NSW —–Original Message—– Philip Veerman Sent: Wednesday, 31 December 2014 1:35 PM Cc: birding-aus@birding-aus.org Doesn’t seem to me that either behaviour is unusual. One was preparing a possible nest site, the other wiping its beak or scratching its face. Philip —–Original Message—– Julian B Sent: Wednesday, 31 December 2014 9:08 AM Greetings All Yesterday Fay and I were surveying the edge of open woodland adjoining Tarong Power Station property [South Burnett region, Queensland]. Noted a pair of Galahs in the fork of a nearby gum. One bird appeared to be excavating, or at least clearing out, a small hollow about a metre up along the left-hand branch of the fork while the other Galah, at the fork junction itself, appeared to be rubbing its cheeks against the right-hand branch. It repeated this several times. Never having previously observed this behaviour in Galahs was wondering if anyone could offer an explanation. Cheers Julian http://www.birdingsouthburnett.com @osprey00
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Doesn’t seem to me that either behaviour is unusual. One was preparing a possible nest site, the other wiping its beak or scratching its face. Philip —–Original Message—– Julian B Sent: Wednesday, 31 December 2014 9:08 AM Greetings All Yesterday Fay and I were surveying the edge of open woodland adjoining Tarong Power Station property [South Burnett region, Queensland]. Noted a pair of Galahs in the fork of a nearby gum. One bird appeared to be excavating, or at least clearing out, a small hollow about a metre up along the left-hand branch of the fork while the other Galah, at the fork junction itself, appeared to be rubbing its cheeks against the right-hand branch. It repeated this several times. Never having previously observed this behaviour in Galahs was wondering if anyone could offer an explanation. Cheers Julian http://www.birdingsouthburnett.com @osprey00
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