Galahs are hugely entertaining birds, and they are delightful to observe
when breeding. They are not nearly as noisy and disruptive as when they are being fed, and
hence providing a nestbox is an unobtrusive way to attract them and keep them around
(although if multiple pairs of galahs are breeding in the same area, the creches that they
form for the young are far from unobtrusive).
That said, there are some negative aspects to attracting galahs. For a
start, there is no shortage of them; in fact, galahs are extending their range at a
considerable rate, and are probably competing successfully with other native hollow-users.
One of the most disturbing aspects of having galahs breed in a box is that
they can cause extensive damage to the box. On one occasion a box was totally destroyed
within two weeks of installation.
Galahs breed quite successfully in our Rosella box. To provide some
protection, the standard Rosella box contains a galvanised metal internal ladder and a
grip below the entrance of the same material. Additional protection is provided in our long-life
range of nestboxes which are designed specifically to provide protection against chewing.
As an example, our long-life Rosella box contains:
a polycarbonate entrance protector,
a lid wrapped in galvanised metal sheeting, and
- a galvanised metal plate on the floor.