This is thought to have come from the silly antics of Galah birds. The word galah is also used in Australia for a silly person, a bit of a clown. The Yuwaalaraay are a tribe from northern New South Wales, around the area of Lightning Ridge. Galah (gilaa) is the bird’s Yuwaalaraay Aboriginal language name. Many Australian cockatoos and parrots are colourful – read about red-and-green King Parrots here. Males and young birds have dark brown eyes. You can tell a female Galah by the colour of her eyes: just remember “ pink for girls”. Please slow down on the road when you see a flock of galahs nearby, and if you see a dead one, get out and move it off the road to save its family. Their loving family will congregate near the dead baby, confused, and sometimes also get hit. When young galahs are first learning to fly, they will often misjudge cars on the road and get hit. Galahs make their nests in hollow parts of trees – in spring it is not uncommon to see adult galahs entering or renovating hollows. The male Galah chirps and screeches in an effort to impress the female while courting. Galah pairs share the nesting and parenting duties of their offspring, and baby Galahs stay with their parents for months or years. ![]() ![]() To see a huge flock of galahs flying like daredevils, high and low, at great speed, is one of the great sights of Australia. They are powerful and acrobatic, and think nothing of doing loop-the-loops, and ducking through branches at speed, all in a show of their aerial mastery. Galahs are very fast – they are known to fly at 70km/hr. It is an impressive sight, especially at dawn and sunset – their bright pink breasts glow in the warm light. Galahs can travel and roost in flocks of 1000 birds. They are important seed dispersers – many seeds germinate after galahs carry them to another site, and then drop them intact or partially-eaten. They also eat seeds from many Australian shrubs and trees, including Acacias (Wattles) and Casuarinas (She-oak). Galahs are seed-eaters, so are often seen feeding on grass seeds on the ground. ![]() Here are 5 amazing facts about the Galah that you may not know. The Galah Eolophus roseicapilla is sometimes known overseas, and in the pet trade, as the Rose-breasted Cockatoo. In East Gippsland on the Wildlife Journey tour we often see Galahs near the Snowy River at Orbost, where we stay at the Snowy River Homestead. You can see Galahs in almost any part of Australia, mucking around, playing, squawking and having fun. Galahs are one of Australia’s favourite birds.
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