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- Title
The pre-European distribution of the Galah, Eolophus roseicapilla Vieillot: reconciling scientific, historical and ethno-linguistic evidence.
- Authors
BLACK, ANDREW; MCENTEE, JOHN; SUTTON, PETER; BREEN, GAVAN
- Abstract
Before its 20th century expansion the Galah, Eolophus roseicapilla, was considered a bird of the inland but its pre-European distribution has received scant and only recent attention. Galahs were unknown to early colonists until explorers travelled deep into the Murray-Darling, Cooper and Diamantina catchments. They were later found around the Gulf of Carpentaria and in the southern Kimberley, Pilbara and deserts of Western Australia. European and indigenous sources accord that Galahs were not established in Central Australia until the closing decades of the 19th century. In 19th century South Australia Galahs occurred only in the far northeast, along the Diamantina and Cooper drainages, and indigenous language groups elsewhere generally had no name for them. Their reported occurrence in the Gawler Ranges appears erroneous. In the pre-European period, the three presently recognised subspecies existed as almost or actual allopatric populations, although it is likely that eastern E. r. albiceps was in contact with northern E. r. kuhli. We find that the Galah's range expansion was not entirely centrifugal, as previously assumed, because it occurred towards the centre as well as coastwards.
- Subjects
ORNITHOLOGICAL literature; GALAH; VICARIANCE; COLONISTS; COLONIZATION
- Publication
South Australian Ornithologist, 2018, Vol 42, Issue 2, p37
- ISSN
0038-2973
- Publication type
Article