Liberal National Party senator James McGrath has drawn wide criticism for sharing a photo of a cockatoo trapped in the roof rack of his car.

The Queensland politician, who was once one of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's right-hand men, shared the picture to Facebook on Saturday.

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It showed the tail end of the iconic Australian bird trapped in the roof rack, accompanied by the caption: "Car 1. Flock of cockatoos 0."

Many social media users interpreted the post as boastful and questioned its purpose.

"It's absolutely abhorrent," one told 7NEWS.com.au.

"What a vile, vile thing to boast about doing."

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Another conceded that accidents happen, but said sharing it online is unnecessary.

"These things happen all the time but we don't make jokes about it," they wrote.

"Really poor form."

'Shame on you'

Wildlife Rescue Sunshine Coast founder Claire Smith was quick to condemn the senator.

“Basically, I think Senator McGrath has opened himself up for extreme criticism," she told 7NEWS.com.au

"You have a social responsibility as a politician. I think the Australian public expects more from its leaders and representatives.

"Shame on you, Senator McGrath."

'Highlighting reality'

Senator McGrath later updated his post, almost a full 24 hours after it was first published, to say the "context" had been missed.

"I was driving at 100 km an hour outside of Warwick when a flock of cockatoos flew into the car," he wrote.

"It was lucky that I didn’t crash.

"Like many people living in the country, wildlife and animal accidents while driving are a fact of life. The large amounts of roadkill on our roads is evidence of the dangers faced by drivers.

"The post factually highlighted that reality."

He strenuously denied he was boasting about killing the bird and did not edit his original caption.

Senator McGrath's office was approached for further comment.