Galah fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are galahs?

Galahs are medium-sized Australian cockatoos with rose-pink heads, necks and underparts, pale pink crests and grey backs, wings and tails. Their scientific name is Eolophus roseicapilla. These familiar birds are about 35 centimetres long and are easy to recognise by their colours and bouncing flight.

They are highly social birds that feed, travel and roost in flocks, sometimes containing hundreds of birds. Within a flock, adult galahs usually form strong, long-lasting pair bonds. They spend much of the day searching for seeds on the ground or resting in trees during hot weather.

Galahs occur across most of Australia in open woodlands, grasslands, farmland, parks and towns. Changes to the landscape after European colonisation, including cleared land, grain crops and extra water from dams and troughs, helped them spread from inland areas towards the coast and into cities.

A galah

A female galah and a male galah perched together.

Where do galahs live?

Galahs live across most of Australia but are less common in the driest deserts and dense tropical rainforests. They prefer open places with grass or low plants for ground feeding, trees for resting and nesting, and reliable water nearby. Suitable habitats include open woodland, grassland, farmland, parks, sporting fields and suburban areas.

Galahs use trees for resting, shelter and nesting.

What do galahs eat?

Galahs mainly eat seeds, especially grass seeds gathered from the ground. They also eat grains, berries, nuts, shoots, roots and some insects or grubs, particularly during breeding. Flocks may travel long distances to find food and water. Crops can provide such large food supplies that galahs are considered agricultural pests in some areas.

Galahs use their strong beaks to feed on grass seeds.

What do galahs sound like?

Galahs make a distinctive loud, high-pitched “chi-chi” screech. A flock can become very noisy when birds are flying, feeding or gathering to roost. Contact calls help flock members keep track of one another when they are spread across feeding grounds or moving between places.

Galahs call to keep in contact when gathering in flocks.

What is the life cycle of galahs?

Galah pairs usually nest in tree hollows lined with leaves. In southern Australia, breeding is mainly from mid-winter to early summer, although timing changes with local conditions. A female usually lays two to five eggs, and both parents share incubation for about four weeks.

Both parents feed the chicks in the hollow for another five to six weeks. After the young birds leave the nest, their parents continue feeding them for two to three weeks as they learn to find food and move with other galahs. Young galahs may not form breeding pairs until about four years old.

Parent galahs continue feeding their young after the juveniles leave the nest.

What adaptations do galahs have to help them survive?

A galah’s strong, curved beak can crack seeds, break apart seed heads and dig for underground plant parts. Strong feet help the bird grip branches and steady food, while broad wings support fast, acrobatic flight between feeding, drinking, nesting and roosting places.

A flexible diet and the ability to use farms, parks and towns help galahs cope with changed environments. Feeding in flocks makes food easier to find and gives more birds a chance to watch for danger. During hot weather, galahs reduce their activity and shelter among tree foliage.

Broad wings and a spread tail help galahs control their speed and direction in flight.

Why are galahs important?

Galahs are consumers in grassland, woodland, farmland and urban food webs. By eating seeds, shoots and small invertebrates, they transfer energy through ecosystems and influence the food available to other organisms. Like other birds, they are also part of food webs as potential prey.

Their success helps students investigate how animals respond to environmental change. Galahs have benefited from open feeding areas and artificial water, yet they still depend on trees for shelter and hollows for breeding. This makes them a useful example of both adaptation and interdependence.

Galahs are seed-eating consumers in woodland and coastal food webs.

How can you help galahs?

People can help galahs and other native birds by protecting mature and dead trees that contain safe nesting hollows, planting local native grasses and trees, keeping cats indoors and avoiding pesticides or poisons. Do not feed wild galahs bread or other human food. Observe them from a respectful distance and record sightings through a trusted citizen-science project such as Birds in Backyards.

Protecting hollow-bearing trees helps galahs find safe places to nest.

Related fact sheets

More bird fact sheets

• Birds fact sheet⁠ – Learn about bird features, life cycles, habitats and adaptations.
• Sulphur-crested cockatoo fact sheet⁠ – Compare another social cockatoo with a strong beak and loud calls.
• Yellow-tailed black cockatoo fact sheet⁠ – Discover a large cockatoo that feeds on seeds and depends on tree hollows.
• Crimson rosella fact sheet⁠ – Explore another seed-eating parrot that feeds on the ground and nests in hollows.

Habitats and ecosystems

• Tree habitat fact sheet⁠ – Explore how trees provide galahs with shelter, perches and nesting hollows.
• Ground cover habitat fact sheet⁠ – Learn how grasses and low plants provide seeds for ground-feeding birds.
• Eucalypt forest ecosystems fact sheet⁠ – Discover how trees, plants, animals and non-living features interact in eucalypt forests.
• Urban environments fact sheet⁠ – Investigate environments where galahs use parks, gardens, school grounds and sporting fields.

Food webs and ecological relationships

• Plants fact sheet⁠ – Learn how plants produce seeds, shoots, roots and other food used by animals.
• Insects fact sheet⁠ – Explore small animals that form part of bird food webs.

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