I’ve hoped to get a shot like this for a long time. This magnificent Pink Cockatoo tipped its head and displayed its crest in a way that was even more stunning than the shot in my imagination. What I hadn’t expected was the amount controversy over the naming of this spectacular species.
I absolutely love the details I was able to capture, even the way her front crest feather curves downwards gives me shivers of delight. Like Galahs the gender can be seen by the colour of the iris.
The controversy regarding their name relates to the fact that their name has been changed from Major Mitchell Cockatoo to Pink Cockatoo. This is something that I, and many others, lobbied for as Mitchell was responsible for atrocities against indigenous men, women and children. Several people spoke about the name being too bland for such a stunning bird – I have to agree about that. Others said that Galahs are known as Pink Cockatoos in their experience. Still others railed about the name being changed at all.
What I find interesting is that this species was officially called Pink Cockatoo back in 1926 in the RAOU database. The name was changed to Major Mitchell Cockatoo in 1977 and changed back to Pink Cockatoo in 2023. They have also been known by several indigenous names, including Wijugla which was interpreted as Wee Jugglers by early settlers.
I lost 20 followers from my facebook page when I shared this image, but gained 71 new ones – a big welcome to you all! It is interesting how passionate people were about the naming issue.
My 2007 Birds in Flight calendar can be ordered by clicking the link below or by visiting lirralirrashop.com
Happy birding, Kim
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