Galah
Eolophus roseicapilla
Also called Rose-breasted cockatoo, Roseate cockatoo, Pink and grey cockatoo, Galah cockatoo
From Australia. Originally a bird of the semi-arid and arid interior, it now lives across most of the mainland in woodland, grassland, farmland and city parks, and has reached Tasmania and New Zealand.12
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Feathered; medium cockatoo with a short, mobile crest
A mid-sized cockatoo in soft rose-pink and silver-grey. The face, neck and underparts are deep pink, the short crest is a paler pink or whitish, and the back and wings are pale grey. The beak is a pale bone colour. Adult males usually have very dark brown eyes, while females have mid-brown to reddish eyes.21
Personality what they are like
An intelligent, playful and outgoing cockatoo that is comfortable around people. It is a real flock bird that wants plenty of company, and it can learn to copy a wide variety of sounds and words. It does best with a keeper who has time for daily interaction.3
Daily activity how busy a day looks
High. Galahs enjoy swings, toys and chewing, and benefit from daily out-of-cage time and foraging so they can search for food as they would on the ground in the wild.342
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Like other cockatoos it produces powder down, so regular baths or showers help keep the feathers in good shape. Offer safe wood and toys to chew and shred.4
Home where they are happiest
A roomy, strongly built cage with daily time out, or better still an aviary; the World Parrot Trust suggests an aviary at least 7 m long. LafeberVet gives cockatoo cage bar spacing of 1.3-1.9 cm and perches 1.9-5 cm across depending on species.24
Food basics what goes in the bowl
In the wild it feeds mostly on the ground on grass and grain seeds, with buds, berries and insect larvae. At home, use a quality pellet as the base with vegetables, some fruit and a measured amount of seed, rather than seed alone.124
Company who they like around
Highly sociable. Wild galahs gather in flocks from ten to around a thousand birds, and a pet needs daily company and attention.23
The story where it all began
Vieillot gave the galah its scientific name in 1817, and it now sits alone in its own genus. The common name comes from 'gilaa', a word from the Yuwaalaraay and neighbouring Aboriginal languages of north-western New South Wales. Farming and new water sources helped it spread widely across Australia, where it is now one of the most familiar parrots.21
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
The galah is one of the few parrots whose wild population has grown rather than shrunk, helped by extra food from farming.1
- 2
In Australian slang, calling someone a 'galah' means they are acting like a clown or a fool.2
- 3
Its name comes from the Aboriginal word 'gilaa'.2
- 4
You can often tell the sexes apart by eye colour: males have almost black eyes, females brown to reddish ones.2
- 5
A well-kept galah in captivity has been recorded living to about 72 years.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern, with an increasing population.1
- CITES
- Appendix II.1
- Taxonomy
- Described by Vieillot in 1817; the only member of genus Eolophus, with three subspecies (roseicapilla, albiceps, kuhli).2
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Galah. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Fresh food and waterevery day
- Cage linerevery 2 days
- Full cleanevery week
- Bath offerevery 3 days
- Nails checkevery month
- Beak checkevery month
- Toy rotationevery week
- Out-of-cage timeAbout 2 hours a dayevery day
- Vet check-upevery year
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Galah - World Parrot Trust Parrot Encyclopedia parrots.orgused for names, size, weight, range, diet, lifespan, status, population trend
- Galah - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.orgused for size, weight, description, lifespan, taxonomy, etymology, flocks, aviary size, fun facts
- Get To Know The Galah: The Pink 'Too - Lafeber lafeber.comused for temperament, mimicry, social needs, lifespan
- Basic Information Sheet: Cockatoo - LafeberVet lafeber.comused for cage bar spacing, perch size, bathing, diet basics
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.