Male Galahs are highly active in the preparation and performance of nest maintenance, defence of the nesting site, display of ownership and even incubation of the eggs. One thought I have though is based on actually having spent the past few weeks observing my own Galah pair go through some fascinating stages in the preparation of their nest. This is another behaviour that might have a number of possible antecedents and plausible functions. Observation 2: 'Hunkering down' in the corner of the cage Could the action of draping the hanging toys over the back be providing a substitute for the lack of allopreening and close physical contact your Galah would otherwise direct towards and receive from a compatible partner? It's possible - but there may be other explanations so keep observing and keep critically thinking.
Physical interactions, close spatial orientation and even 'play' between wild Galahs suggest that when we observe Galahs performing behaviours such as draping a hanging toy over their back in a captive environment, we may be seeing the Galah seeking to engage with objects in its environment that serve as a replacement stimulus in the absence of natural stimuli.
My thought is to consider the lack of conspecific or compatible partner interaction and how the physical interactions with the hanging toys perform a functional substitute for tactile stimulation. One consistent link that I have noted in my experience is that species we observe doing this are most often those that naturally engage in physical pair bonding through tactile interaction. This behaviour is not exclusive to Galahs in pet or aviary environments and similar behavioural interactions in captive enclosures with enrichment objects might be observed with a range of parrot species. The functional reason for this behaviour is open to hypothesis, and there are potentially a number of reasonable suggestions that could be made to explain it. Observation 1: Draping hanging toys over his back This is certainly an amazing and challenging Cockatoo to share your life with! Here are a few thoughts of mine that you might hopefully find useful in understanding the behaviours of interest in your Galah… Your observations provide the platform for me to share a few insights into Galah behaviour from my own experiences.
As a fellow keeper and keen observer of Galahs, I share your intrigue into the behaviours you have described. Hi Barry, Great question! I really appreciate the observational anecdotes, as they help to form a visual picture of what you are experiencing.
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