On more than one occasion I’ve had to halt interviews being conducted on country due to the raucous interference from our beloved Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos.

These birds, which are native to the northern, eastern and south-eastern (and a little bit in southern WA) parts of Australia, are typically friendly birds that will often make themselves quite comfortable on your shoulder. These, though, are generally in areas where they are used to human interaction – parks, etc.

Getting the nip

I have sometimes been nipped by a Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, usually when the bird is expecting food and it isn’t immediately forthcoming. Never, though, has the nip broken the skin – as it has on one occasion by a magpie (another story). Mostly it’s just a friendly little nip with barely any force behind it. So, despite the rather serious looking beak, I have always found this to be a most harmless bird.

When I’m in Melbourne, I will typically go through about 10 kilograms of bird seed every week, just feeding them once a day at the park. The seed, by the way, is specifically for Australian wild birds, such as cockatoos, corellas and parrots.

Once I pour out a line of seed, I can end up with anywhere between 10 and 80 birds, a mix of Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, Long-Billed Corellas, Common Corellas and Crested Doves.

Total confidence

Probably what I love most about these birds is their total confidence. It isn’t uncommon for a Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo to fly into my van – typically just on to the stove that’s near the door – and refuse to move.

And, as you can see in the above photo, as soon as I open a door, they’re just as likely to perch on the door as if daring me to close it and take away a new perching spot.

Yes, they’re noisy, but it’s a noise that I’ll never find boring.