Australian Farmers Deal With Over 17 Million Wild Parrots This Way - Australian Farming

Hello my friends, not only affected by mammals like wild rabbits, wild pigs, or rats. Every year, Australian farmers and ranchers suffer significant damage from millions of wild birds of the parrot family. Currently, there are 56 species of parrots living in most areas of Australia with an estimated number of more than 17 million individuals. Among them, the Galah Cockatoo, Sulfur Crested Cockatoo, Rainbow Lorikeet, and Budgerigar are the most popular parrot breeds on this continent. If there is a flock of parrots up to dozens, even hundreds of them appear near where you live. In addition to making annoying noises, they can also harm crops such as grain crops, fruit trees, and nut trees. In addition, parrots can also nest in inappropriate places like the recesses of your roof. Having dozens of parrots in your backyard also causes pollution due to the hundreds of piles of droppings they leave behind. These are Galah cockatoos, they are believed to be the most numerous of all parrots living on mainland Australia. In the wild, Galah's cockatoos are found in a wide variety of habitats, from arid hinterlands to wooded areas. In addition, this bird is also commonly seen in urban and suburban areas of the city. This is a cattle ranch in Maranoa County, southwest Queensland. Around this area is also home to a flock of Galah cockatoos with a number of nearly 300. Galah cockatoos often have a habit of eating grass and nuts. Every day, hundreds of Galah parrots often fly to this farm in search of water and food used for livestock such as corn or some other seeds. The appearance of these noisy birds causes a lot of discomfort to the people working on this cattle farm. Not only appearing around cattle and poultry farms. Galah cockatoos also frequently form large flocks and fly to fields of wheat or barley to feed. Galah cockatoos are often attracted to crops that are in the milk or paste stage. Even as soon as the seeding process is completed, these noisy birds may emerge and eat some kind of seed. Imagine what happens when you have a field of wheat ready to be harvested and hundreds of Galah cockatoos coming from nowhere to enjoy a free meal. In the northern parts of Australia, the breeding phase of the Galah cockatoo usually takes place from July to December each year and in the southern regions, the breeding period of this bird usually lasts from February to July. During each breeding season of a cockatoo pair, usually only 2 to 3 eggs are successfully hatched. However, once a young bird is an adult, they can live up to 25 years in the wild or up to more than 70 years when kept as pets. If you start keeping a Galah cockatoo as a pet right now, chances are you'll be the one to say goodbye to this world sooner than your pet. It is estimated that there are now more than 4 million Galah cockatoos living in the entire territory of Australia. Each year, this noisy bird costs Australian grain farmers about $173 million in damage to their crops. To control the population of Galah cockatoos, some localities in Australia have used measures such as culling or trapping. All controls must be in place in accordance with Australian wildlife laws and ensure that these birds are treated humanely. It is estimated that adopting measures to control the Galah cockatoo costs the Australian government nearly $4 million a year. If you are an Australian, tell us what negative impact the Galah cockatoo has had on your life. In addition to the Galah cockatoo, Budgies are also a parrot species found in abundance in Australia and the negative impact this small bird has on agriculture in this country is significant. In the wild, Budgies parrots usually live in flocks of about 100 individuals. However, the number of Budgies in the flock can increase to several thousand after the rainy season ends. The reason for the rapid increase in the number of Budgies in a flock after the rainy season is that at this time, the rapid growth of vegetation provides more food and nesting material. As a small bird and often live in flocks, Budgies parrots have always been considered the favorite prey of birds of prey such as falcons. In most areas of Australia, places where many Budgies live are also home to flocks of falcons. However, with an estimated population of nearly 5 million, the impact of birds of prey on the number of Budgies in Australia is negligible. It is estimated that only about 1.3% of Budgies in Australia die each year due to the impact of predators and other factors such as disease or hunting. In most areas of Australia, the breeding season for Budgies usually lasts from September to February of the following year. However, this bird can also completely stop breeding for a year if the weather conditions are too dry and lack of nesting material. After about 6 to 7 weeks, these young birds will be ready to leave the nest, and after each breeding season, the number of a colony of Budgies usually increases to about 13 to 17 times. Like most other parrot species in Australia, Budgies also have a habit of eating nuts and grains. A flock of parrots with hundreds or even thousands of them will cause significant damage to fields of wheat or sorghum that are about to enter the harvest period. In addition, fruit farms such as bananas or mangoes are also favorite places for a flock of Budgies. In the wild, an adult Budgues parrot needs to drink water at least 7 times per day. Therefore, small waterholes in arid regions of Australia are often the place where you can easily see the appearance of these small birds. In some cases where Budgies cause damage to crops or other resources, Australian landowners or agricultural authorities may take measures such as trapping, scaring or shooting to control their populations. . Overall, the impact that millions of parrots in Australia has on agriculture is quite large, especially on small farms. However, compared with other pests such as feral pigs or wild rabbits, the impact of parrots in Australia on agriculture is only a very small part.