Cockatoo @ NUS

Heard the unmistakeable noisy chatter of a cockatoo just as I was preparing to walk back to the lab from Kent Ridge. The Tanimbar Corella (Cacatua goffini) together with the Sulphur-crested cockatoo which have been sighted frequently here are exotic, probably escapees from pet owners (Tanimbar Corellas are under CITES appendix I). From their name, the Tanimbar Corella is native and endemic to the Tanimbar islands in Indonesia.

To me, cockatoos are remarkable acrobats for their size, hanging at seemingly impossible angles to reach their food. Their beaks also seemed to act as a third limb, just like how some monkeys use their prehensile tails.

And so, as I kept photographing the bird, another flew over (above). Just as I inched closer for a perfect shot, three more rushed to get into the limelight. And just so great that my battery died on me at this moment... =.=