I was walking along a bush path at Manly Dam when I heard a cockatoo making a big fuss on the other side of the creek that feeds into the dam. I looked across the water in time to see the cockatoo leaping off its perch and launching itself towards a branch not far away. As the cockatoo landed on its new perch, a dark shape took off from that same branch and floated away to another tree.

I grabbed my camera and zoomed in on the bird that the cockatoo had chased off. It was a Nankeen Kestrel:

It looks like a female bird, with its light-coloured head and the dark-grey “tear mark” going down vertically from its eye.

Common name: Nankeen Kestrel
Scientific name: Falco cenchroides
Length: 30-35 cm; wing span: 60-80 cm
Date spotted: 29 January 2026 (summer)
Location: Manly Dam Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’19.8″S 151°14’35.5″E

The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo looked very pleased with itself, now owning the area where the hawk had been resting:

Common name: Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Scientific name: Cacatua galerita
Approximate length: 50 cm; wing span: up to 103 cm

It takes a brave bird to attack a falcon. On the other hand, it takes a brave bird to stand up to a cockatoo, especially when the cockatoo is bigger than you. I think the falcon was vulnerable as it was perched on a branch. If it had been in the air, the cockatoo might have come off worse.

The photos aren’t very clear, since the birds were far away on the opposite side of the dam. Still, they’re good enough to identify the birds.

After a couple of minutes of enduring the cockatoo’s screeching and prancing, the kestrel decided enough was enough. It floated away in search of a quieter location:

Nankeen Kestrels are small falcons, quite common in Australia. They feed on small mammals and birds, reptiles, and insects.

This is only the second time that I’ve spotted a Nankeen Kestrel. My first sighting was of a male bird in Victoria.

Happy bush-walking all!