Major Mitchell's Cockatoo by Ken _Gilliland

Poser • Animals • posted on May 30, 2020

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Description

Its no surprise to most that with a Lesser Citron in my family, that a cockatoo set was bound to show up eventually. As I start to close in on completing the last birds in my latest project, its time to start sharing what I've been up to... In contrast to those of the galah, populations of the Major Mitchell's Cockatoo have declined rather than increased as a result of man-made changes to the arid interior of Australia. Where galahs readily occupy cleared and part-cleared land, Major Mitchell's cockatoo requires extensive woodlands, particularly favoring conifers (Callitris sp.), sheoak (Allocasuarina sp.) and eucalypt. Unlike other cockatoos, Major Mitchell pairs will not nest close to one another, so they cannot tolerate fragmented, partly cleared habitats, and their range is contracting. In the Mallee region of Victoria where the galah and Major Mitchell's cockatoo can be found to be nesting in the same area, there have been occasions where the two species have interbred and produced hybridized offspring. Previously it has been considered “Near Threatened” and was even speculated to be possibly “Vulnerable,” but data is insufficiently known on a continental basis. Clearing for agricultural development has stopped in all states except Queensland. Local declines reported as result of habitat clearance and trapping, although overall numbers (speculated to be c. 20,000 in 1990s) thought to be stable. It is named in honor of Major Sir Thomas Mitchell, who wrote, "Few birds more enliven the monotonous hues of the Australian forest than this beautiful species whose pink-colored wings and flowing crest might have embellished the air of a more voluptuous region." Rendered in Firefly without any post work. Models used are AMLM's "Outback" and my "SBRM Parrots v4: Cockatoos of the World".