Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

NAME:
Eng. Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Yellow Crested Cockatoo
Lat. Cacatua Galerita

On the photo up you can see sulphur crested cockatoo with yellow crest on the head.

ORIGIN: All birds of the Cockatoo family are found in Australia, on the islands and New Zealand. This species can be found in eastern and south-eastern Australia, Tasmania, and the Islands including New Zealand.

PHYSICAL APPEARENCE: In nature, cockatoos can be seen only in white, black and pink apart from the Cockatiel described later. These are the only parrots that have a crest. Their sex is not distinguishable. The eye color in the male is something of a darker shade than in females.
They live 50 to 80 years if provided with hospitable conditions. In nature, their life span is much shorter.
Apart from this species of cockatoo, there are a few other species that differ not only in physical appearance but also by size : Lesser Suphur-crested Cockatoo (33 cm;13 in), Blue-eyed Cockatoo (50 cm; 20 in), Salmon-crested Cockatoo (52 cm; 20.5 in), White Cockatoo (45 cm; 18 in), Goffin's Cockatoo (32 cm; 12.5 in), Galah (35 cm; 13.5 in), Bare-eyed Corella (40 cm; 15 in). The conditions required for keeping and feeding of all these species are the same as that for the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.

Sulphur crested cockatoo in aviary.

KEEPING AND CARE: As pets they are kept exclusively separate so as to allow them to socialize more easily and to adapt to humans. As the exportation of these birds has been forbidden because of the interest of natural heritage protection, one can only buy the parrots that have been bred in captivity. The birds that are bred in captivity are more calm and more easily socialized. Some breeders feed these birds by hand and separating them from the parents about 20 days after hatching. Even though it seems to be a cruel way of raising, such birds are very capable of adapting and imitating human speech.
These parrots should be kept in spacious cages or in the case of the more socialized birds, allowed to be free on a stand.
It is always recommanded to get a cage or a stand before buying the bird, so one can choose the most comfortable place before acquiring the bird so as not to upset the bird. The cage with a bird has to be placed out of draught winds and direct sunlight because these are the most common reasons for premature death. This also applies to other pets.

This is me taking recording of pet cockatoo.

DIET: Cockatoos are fed with a mixture of larger seeds consisting of striped sunflower, peanuts, shelled oats, maize seeds, walnut, various fresh and dried fruit, and vegetables. The important mineral and vitamin components should be included in their nutrition.


BREEDING COCKATOO PARROT: One has to take care of various factors in order for the breeding to be successful. Birds should be settled in appropriate aviaries with a lot of green plants and natural light. It is recommended that the aviaries consist of two parts, an inner part and outer uncovered part which has to be more spacious so the bird can fly, with a few rungs for sunbathing or bathing if it rains. This is important so as to imitate the natural living conditions.Minimal length of the outer part should be 3.0 m (118 in) width 0.80 m (32 in) and height 2.0 m (78 in). The inner part should not be so spacious so that the birds can spend most of the time in the outer part. Breeding in closed areas is possible to acheive with the adequate temperature which can even reach 35C (95F) with minimal air humidity, just as it is found in nature.

Male and female cockatoo pair in aviary ready for breeding.

After the adequate conditions are provided, an important factor to be considered is nutrition. Apart from the standard mixtures, nutrition is enriched by food supplied with vitamin E that stimulates breeding and food based on eggs. They settle in tree holes, so they should be provided with a nest made of an old stump or wooden box, 60 cm (24 in) in height, 40 cm (16 in) in width and length, filled with slightly larger wood chips. Females usually clutch two, rarely three eggs, about 4 cm (1.5 in) in size and a shiny white color.

This is a baby of umbrella baby cockatoo. It is feeded by hand - that way we get best tamed birds.

Incubation lasts from 25 to 30 days. The younglings are fed by both parents and stay in the nest about 8-10 weeks. The eye color of the younger birds is darker, but after six months gradually changes from lighter to white color. The young birds separate from their parents after they start to feed themselves. If the adult birds are not good parents it is still possible to feed the bird by hand. As a supplement to the average nutrition, food based on eggs enriched with proteins can be added.

INTERESTING FACTS: The cockatoo family is characterized by the crests on their head. The crest is a very good indicator of a bird's mood. When a bird feels upset and frightened the crest is erected, accompanied by a loud calling. White crests are seen only in one type of species (White Cockatoo), but they can be in yellow, pink, red or black in color.

Baby cockatoo bird wait to found the new owner.

They differ according to size depending on the species.
They have a great ability to imitate human speech.
Their life span in a cage can reach up to 80 years.
They can hold great grudges if they are badly treated.
They like learning to perform various reckless acts.
Of the big parrot species, these parrots are the most common pets.