Hey! We are the beautiful and magnificent Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. We are well-known for our beautiful yellow crest. Cockatoos are parrots with a crest.
Here are few important points about us:
- Our beauty made us one of the favorite pets of humans. We are quite intelligent too!
- We can mimic human voices and also other surrounding sounds.
- Do you know? Our crest is erect only when we feel excited or sense danger or during mating.
- You can’t deal with our voice when we sense danger. Our screech is deafening.
- We have a really long lifespan compared to several birds. Fred and Cocky Bennett are two of us who lived for more than 100 years.
- Do you know? In a few areas of our range, we are so abundant that we are considered as pests.
- One important thing that a pet-owner should keep in mind is we are very attention-seeking and if we are bored, we break and destroy things near us.
SOME QUICK FACTS ABOUT US:
Our Scientific Name: Cacatua Galerita.
Identification: Parrot like cockatoo with white colored body and yellow crest.
Our Habitat: Tropical and subtropical rainforests, parks and gardens.
Our Range:
Food Habits: Omnivorous; feed mainly on seeds, grains, nuts, fruits, blossoms, insects, and insect larvae.
Breeding Period: Northern parts: May to September; Southern parts: August to January.
Number of eggs laid: 2-3 eggs.
Incubation period: 27-30 days.
Lifespan: about 40 years in wild; about 65 years in captivity.
IUCN red list status: Least Concern.
CITES: Appendix II.
Indian Wildlife Protection Act: Not listed.
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Cacatuidae
Genus: Cacatua
Species: C. galerita
COMPLETE DETAILS ABOUT US FOR ANIMAL ENTHUSIASTS:
We are the beautiful Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. We are large and white cockatoos. Let us tell you more about our species.
Sulphur crested cuckatoos are scientifically called as Cacatua GaleritaHOW WE LOOK:
We are little big cockatoos. Our total length ranges 44cm-55cm. We weigh an average of 800gms. We look like a parrot that is white in color. Underside of our wings and tail are pale yellow in color. We are distinctly known for our crest.
The crest which is present above our head is yellow in color (sulphur color, from which we got our name). The crest can be erected or held folded down. Males and females of our species look alike with only difference being eye color. Males have dark brown eyes whereas females have red tinted brown eyes. Young ones of our species look like adults. The four subspecies differ by following features
- C. g. galerita is normal
- C. g. fitzrovi has pale blue eye-ring and darker yellow feathers.
- C. g. eleonora is smaller in size
- C. g. triton is also smaller in size.
WE ARE FOUND IN:
We can be found in tropical and subtropical rainforests. We prefer living in urban and suburban areas, especially in parks and gardens.
Our range lies in the following areas depending on subspecies
- C. g. galerita is found in Cape York to Tasmania.
- C. g. fitzrovi is found in Northern Australia from West Australia to the Gulf of Carpentaria.
- C. g. eleonora is found in Aru Islands in the Maluku province of eastern Indonesia.
- C. g. triton is found in New Guinea and surrounding islands.
WHAT WE EAT:
We are omnivorous birds, but we mostly feed on grains. Our diet includes seeds, grains, nuts, fruits, blossoms, insects, and insect larvae.
OUR REPRODUCTION:
We are highly social birds and live in large flocks. We are monogamous birds and we have an adorable way to attract mates. To attract mates, we raise our crest, bob our head, and move the head side to side in the “8” pattern. We utter soft chattering notes in the process. Our breeding season in northern parts is from May to September and in southern parts, it is August to January.
We usually nest in tree hollows near water. The female lays 2-3 eggs at a time and the incubation period is 27-30 days. Incubation is done by both parents. The young born is taken care of and fed by both the parents. The young leave the nest after about 70 days.
They reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years of age. We can live for a long time. In the wild, our average lifespan is 40 years and in captivity, we can live for 65 years. However, we are seen living up to 100 years in wild and 120 years in captivity.
MORE ABOUT US:
We are very attractive and beautiful birds making us one of the favorite pets for humans.
We are quite intelligent birds.
We are generally noisy birds. We screech to communicate with each other.
We use our magnificent crest to show emotion. We raise our crest when we detect danger or get excited or during mating.
We have a peculiar method to detect predators. In our group, we have a sentinel bird that looks out for predators while others feed. When the sentinel detects danger, it gives out a deafening warning call.
OUR CONSERVATION:
We are very common and most abundant in our range. We are listed as “Least Concern” in the red list of IUCN and listed in CITES Appendix II. Our population is estimated to be more than 5,00,000 individuals. Locally, we are so abundant that we are sometimes considered as Pests.
