The Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea) is a distinctive Australian bird that can often be identified by a combination of plumage, shape, behaviour and voice. A relatively small white cockatoo with a short pale bill, bluish-grey bare skin around the eye and a subtle pinkish-red wash between the bill and eye. Adults are typically about 35–41 cm long, so size can be a useful clue when you compare the bird with nearby species.
How to identify a Little Corella
A relatively small white cockatoo with a short pale bill, bluish-grey bare skin around the eye and a subtle pinkish-red wash between the bill and eye. When you are trying to identify one in the field, start with overall size and body shape, then check the head pattern, bill, wing markings, tail and any unusually bright colours. Lighting can change how feathers look, so it is safer to use several features together rather than relying on one colour.
Little Corellas form very large, noisy flocks that feed on open ground and roost communally. Their playful social behaviour is often conspicuous in urban parks. Behaviour is often just as useful as plumage. A bird that repeatedly uses a particular feeding style, posture or flight pattern can be much easier to identify even when it is partly hidden or too far away for a perfect view.
Where does the Little Corella live in Australia?
Widespread across mainland Australia and increasingly common in many cities and coastal districts.
Typical habitat includes river country, open woodland, farmland, grasslands, parks and urban areas. The best places to look are areas that combine suitable food with safe roosting or nesting sites. Distribution can shift locally with rainfall, flowering, breeding seasons and food availability, so a species may be common in one district and much harder to find only a short distance away.
What does the Little Corella eat?
Grass seeds, grains, bulbs, roots and other plant material, often taken on the ground. The exact menu can change with season and location. Wild birds generally do best when they can use natural food sources, so this guide describes normal feeding ecology rather than encouraging people to offer processed human food.
Watching how a bird feeds can also help with identification. Note whether it forages on the ground, probes mud, takes nectar from flowers, hunts from a perch, dives into water or catches insects in flight.
Behaviour and calls
Little Corellas form very large, noisy flocks that feed on open ground and roost communally. Their playful social behaviour is often conspicuous in urban parks.
A loud, nasal screech and constant flock chatter are typical. Learning even one characteristic call can be extremely helpful because many Australian birds are heard before they are seen. Calls can vary with alarm, courtship, contact between flock members and time of day, so use voice together with visual clues.
Nesting and breeding
Pairs nest in tree hollows, especially near watercourses and mature woodland. Breeding timing varies across Australia and can be influenced by latitude, rainfall and local conditions. If you find an active nest or dependent young, observe from a respectful distance so the adults can continue normal feeding and defence behaviour.
Similar birds
Long-billed Corellas have a noticeably longer upper bill and stronger pink-red colour on the throat and face. Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are larger with a yellow crest. If you are unsure, compare bill shape, body proportions, eye colour, leg colour and voice as well as plumage. Photographs taken from different angles can be especially useful for checking difficult features after the sighting.
Quick identification tip
For a fast identification, remember three things: the bird is approximately 35–41 cm long; its key visual clue is a relatively small white cockatoo with a short pale bill, bluish-grey bare skin around the eye and a subtle pinkish-red wash between the bill and eye.; and its usual Australian setting is river country, open woodland, farmland, grasslands, parks and urban areas. Those three clues will usually narrow the options quickly before you compare similar species.
Sources and further reading
For additional Australian bird information, see BirdLife Australia bird profiles and the Australian Museum bird collection.
