Cockatoos are quite apt at bending metallic bars, opening joints etcetera, and snap locks are a good idea to decrease the risk of escape. Some captive cockatoos have developed strong bonds to compatible birds from other species.īoth single birds and pairs should ideally be housed in a room where you spend a lot of time. If you keep a single cockatoo, it will require a lot of interaction with you. In the wild, cockatoos live together in flocks consisting of anything from 8 to several thousands of birds. They are known to be both active and curious and are very fond of showing off new tricks and playing with interesting toys.Ĭockatoos are normally kept in pairs since it is hard to for a human keeper to spend enough time with the cockatoo. Captive bred animals of appendix I species are considered appendix II specimens when it comes to trade, and you must therefore adhere to the appendix II requirements.Ĭockatoos are intelligent and highly social animals and they must receive plenty of mental stimulations as well as social interaction in order to stay happy and healthy. Import, export and trade in wild-caught specimens of appendix I species is illegal, but can be permitted with a licenses in exceptional circumstances. Yellow-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua sulphurea.Red-vented Cockatoo, Cacatua haematuropygia.As of now, five species of cockatoo are listed on CITES appendix 1 (endangered species) while the rest are listed on CITES appendix 2 (vulnerable species). Also keep in mind that international and national regulations may not be identical to each other.Īll species of cockatoo are protected by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Always check out the latest regulations, since they change over time. Important information for prospective cockatoo ownersīefore you decide to purchase a cockatoo, it is important to familiarize yourself with national and international trade regulations. Males have their corresponding feathers unbarred and is spotting is much less common. Females usually have barred feathers on wings, tail and/ or body and you can often see contrasting ear area spotting. The members of this subfamily have a lot of melanin in their plumage and are decorated with red, orange or yellow on wings, tail and face. The genus Calyptorhynchus is divided into 2 subgenera: Calyptorhynchus (black-and-red cockatoos, 2 species) and Zanda (black-and-yellow/white cockatoos, 3 species). This subfamily contains four genera: Callocephalon (1 species), Calyptorhynchus (5 species), Eolophus (1 species) and Nymphicus (1 species). Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae (dark cockatoos) males and females look the same and are hard to sex. The members of Cacatuinae are not sexually dimorphic, i.e. This subfamily contains the genus Cacatua and the subgenera Cacatua (true white cockatoos, 6 species) and Licmetis (corellas, 6 species). This black cockatoo was earlier grouped together with other black species, but has now been moved to its very own genus and subfamily. The only known member of this subfamily is the Palm Cockatoo, Probosciger aterrimus, of the genus Probosciger. The family Cacatuidae is divided into three subfamilies: Cacatuinae, Calyptorhynchinae and Microglossinae. Cockatoos taxonomyĪ cockatoos belong to the family Cacatuidae a family which currently contains 20 described species. Half of the known species live wild in Australia only, seven is native to Indonesia, New Guinea and nearby south Pacific islands, and three species occur in both Australia and New Guinea. In the wild, cockatoos can only be encountered in Australia and nearby islands. It may also be derived from the Malay word for pincher, which is actually a very fitting description of this bird since its powerful beak can deliver really impressive pinch.Ĭompared to the true parrots, the geographical distribution of cockatoos is very limited. Some sources say it is a combination of the Malay words for parrot and sister, kaka and tuwah, while others think is comes from the Malay word for older sister, kakaktua (where kakak means sister and tua means old). The name is derived from the Malay name for these birds – kaka(k)tua, but the exact meaning of the name in Malay remains unclear. The species of the family Cacatuidae are commonly referred to as cockatoos.
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