

White cockatoos are more commonly found in captivity than black cockatoos. The cockatiel is the easiest cockatoo species to maintain and is by far the most frequently kept in captivity. Some cockatoo species have been adversely affected by habitat loss, particularly from a shortage of suitable nesting hollows after large mature trees are cleared conversely, some species have adapted well to human changes and are considered agricultural pests.Ĭockatoos are popular birds in aviculture, but their needs are difficult to meet. Cockatoos are monogamous and nest in tree hollows.

They often feed in large flocks, particularly when ground-feeding. The second and larger branch is formed by the genus Cacatua, comprising 11 species of white-plumaged cockatoos and four monotypic genera that branched off earlier namely the pink and white Major Mitchell's cockatoo, the pink and grey galah, the mainly grey gang-gang cockatoo and the large black-plumaged palm cockatoo.Ĭockatoos prefer to eat seeds, tubers, corms, fruit, flowers and insects. The five large black-coloured cockatoos of the genus Calyptorhynchus form one branch. The remaining species are in two main clades. The phylogenetic position of the cockatiel remains unresolved, other than that it is one of the earliest offshoots of the cockatoo lineage. On average they are larger than other parrots however, the cockatiel, the smallest cockatoo species, is a small bird. Their plumage is generally less colourful than that of other parrots, being mainly white, grey or black and often with coloured features in the crest, cheeks or tail. The family has a mainly Australasian distribution, ranging from the Philippines and the eastern Indonesian islands of Wallacea to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Australia.Ĭockatoos are recognisable by the prominent crests and curved bills. Along with the Psittacoidea ( true parrots) and the Strigopoidea (large New Zealand parrots), they make up the order Psittaciformes. Find out more about this, the largest temperate woodlands in the world here.A cockatoo is any of the 21 parrot species belonging to the family Cacatuidae, the only family in the superfamily Cacatuoidea. Their tail bands are a solid scarlet red.īoth Carnaby’s and Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos can be found in the Great western Woodlands. Young males emerge from the nest three months after hatching looking like their mothers but as they mature at about three years of age, their pure black adult feathers emerge. Their tails are like the colours of the sunset from yellow, orange to red. Females’ bodies are covered in black feathers edged in gold while their heads carry yellow spots. The highly decorative plumage of the Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo make it a favourite amongst bird watchers.
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Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos are also declining due to urban expansion. This migratory species is declining rapidly due to the loss of around 87% of its woodland breeding habitat and as a result is listed as endangered. This includes the endangered Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo of south-west Western Australia. Six Australian species are predominantly black.
