Tanimbar Corella eats Flame of the Forest seeds?

Lena Chow encountered a flock of noisy Tanimbar Corellas (Cacatua goffini) around a Flame of the Forest (Delonis regia) tree at Changi Village some months ago. In the above image, one corella is seen at one end of the long pod while another is at the other end. Although Lena did not actually see the corella feeding on the seeds, it is obvious that the corellas showed interest.

BESG’s list of plants that birds visit for food, etc. LINK has no record of any birds feeding on the fruits or seeds of the Flame of the Forest.

The Handbook of the Birds of the World states that “little is known about the diet” for this bird except maize (Rowley, 1997). Juniper & Parr (2003) similarly reports that except for its preference for maize crops, its food is unrecorded.

However, BESG has listed at least a dozen plants that this corella feeds on LINK.

Lena Chow
Singapore
14th September 2016

References:
1. Juniper, T. & M. Parr, 2003. Parrots: A guide to the parrots of the world. London, Christopher Helm. 584 pp.
2. Rowley, I., 1997. Family Cacatuidae (cockatoos). In: del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott & J. Sargatal (eds.), Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 4. Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Lynx Editions, Barcelona. Pp.246-279.