Inconclusive sighting

Can you identify this sighting?

Request use of media

Identification history

Comments from moderator

Refer to comments

	Insufficient or inconclusive evidence	6 Nov 2018	ArcherCallaway
	Unverified	4 Nov 2018	SilkeSma

Identify this sighting

Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.

User's notes

Somebody told me that they saw a Galah at this tree doing the massive ring barking (I can't personally confirm this). Why do they have this behaviour?

3 comments

ArcherCallaway wrote:

6 Nov 2018

Excerpt from trip report in the COG Gang-gang Newsletter a few years ago describes this phenomena (Page 11 of http://canberrabirds.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/G-g_2016_July_WEB.pdf)
" (referred to in HANZAB as scarring, and is worked on for up to an hour a day over many years, from the beginning of the breeding season until the start of incubation, especially by the male. It is done on the nest tree, either around the nest hollow or on the trunk, and varies in size from a very small chewed area to covering 5m of the trunk. It involves “interspersed bouts of working on scar with bill-stropping" and “eye-wiping by wiping face on scar, [which] leaves behind a dusting of fine powder from skin of periophthalmic ring". Most Galah nest trees have some scarring, and it may be a territorial display as it is much more prominent in areas of high Galah density). "

We will not be confirming this record based on this image/comment due to lack of any conclusive evidence.

SilkeSma wrote:

7 Nov 2018

Thanks Ryu, that's very interesting.

ArcherCallaway wrote:

7 Nov 2018

There are various other unconfirmed theories as well such as it may make it more difficult for potential predators to climb the tree.

Please Login or Register to comment.

Sighting information

At least 1 Abundance
SilkeSma Recorded by
Collections
SilkeSma Inconclusive

Record quality

Images or audio
More than one media file
Verified by an expert moderator
Nearby sighting(s) of same species
GPS evidence of location
Description
Additional attributes

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Queensland

Northern Territory

Western Australia

South Australia

Victoria

Tasmania