The Cockatoo Wingtags Project
This is Pina Colada, one of the birds in the study right outside our home
The Wingtags project is a Sydney based study aiming to learn more about a variety of Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo behaviours including site loyalty, breeding habits and foraging preferences. It was started by two local ecologists conducting research on how parrots adapt to urban environments.
The pair tagged 101 birds in 2011 and asked for the public's help in reporting sightings. Each tag number corresponds to one of the birds featured on their site, and you can also see how many times the bird has been reported and when it was last seen.
However, I must admit that even in the face of this good and very important scientific work, that my favorite thing about this study are the names they've given the birds. It is in this manner that I'm as pleased as punch to report that the bird above in the photo is named Pina Colada, who has visited us several times. In addition, I've also spotted AJ, Heineken, RatherBFishin, The Wig and Snow White around town.
It is important to point out that the tags do not injure the birds and should it bother them, they are able to chew through the tags to remove them. It's a study done to help scientists understand how growing cities affects bird populations and there is no doubt their findings will result in a better integration of the two.
Pina Colada, AJ and Cockajack
If you do see a wingtagged bird about Sydney, you can report the sighting on their website and even upload a photo of it. To report a bird or to learn more about the project, please visit their website:
Cheers,
Stephanie