Believed to be a female , duller than the male , with yellow spots on the head, neck and cheeks, in a small flock stripping seeds high up in a tree in North Queensland .
Also called the Banksia Cockatoo, this bird entranced the famous botanist Sir Joseph Banks ( 1743-1820 ).
They are distributed in western central and northern Australia to Queensland, New South Wales and northern South Australia , their breeding season April to August. Some of its habitat was probably destroyed in the bushfires.
The sound of seed pods dropping on a shed roof drew photographer Vallis to the flock ; there were warning screeches when the birds spotted him . Despite him trying to make contact by imitating your average caged, friendly , talking Sulphur-crested Cockatoo in a country pub , they flew away soon after.
