Cockatoos
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| Black Palm Cockatoo |
Photo taken by Real Macaw member
Jay Misonznick
Cockatoos account for 17 of the 330 known species of parrots. These species once occurred naturally in Australia, New Guinea, the islands of Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, and the Philippines. The Australian species include the Greater Sulfur Crested, the Gang Gang, Galah (Rose Breasted) Leadbeaters (Major Mitchell's), Bare-eyed, Slenderbilled (Longbilled), Glossy Black, Red-tailed Black, Yellow-tailed Black, White-tailed Black, and the Black Palm. The Indonesian, New Guinea, and other island species include the Umbrella, Lesser Sulfur, Citron, Moluccan, Goffins, Triton, Eleonora, Blue-eyed, Ducrops, and Red-vented.
All cockatoos have moveable crest feathers. Cockatoos not only differ from other parrots because they are crested, but for a few exceptions, they are either black or white. This is caused by the lack of the Dyck texture in their feathers. In other parrots the presence of this feature produces color by the way it reflects light. Cockatoos also lack oil glands, but they do produce a fine powder which is the result of the breakdown of their down feathers. You can always tell if there's a cockatoo in the house look at the TV; it has white powder on the screen. A word of warning this powder can aggravate respiratory problems in some people.
Domestically bred hand-fed babies acquired just after weaning make the best pets. Unweaned babies (still eating formula) can cost less but it is best to let experienced individuals handle the weaning process properly. The larger species, such as the Greater Sulfur Crested or the Moluccan could cost from $1800 to $3000. Smaller members of this group can run from $800 up to $1800.
Cockatoos are popular because of their intelligence, often affectionate behavior and their ability to mimic. In the 1970's this popularity started to threaten their existence in the wild. Certain species of Indonesian cockatoos are thought to be extinct in the wild.
These birds need companionship and stimulation. Their owners must be willing to provide lengthy play time with lots of interaction amongst each other. In fact, some people think that a cockatoos fondest wish would be to become permanently grafted to their owner. Have you ever heard one scream when it wants to be with its owner. It's not pleasant!
If you don't place guidelines on the birds they can quickly become over-demanding household terrors. The larger species, can easily destroy a wall or expensive furniture if left out of it's cage unsupervised. Keep them occupied with lots of destructible toys.
They should be provided with a large enough cage so that when standing in the middle of the cage its wings don't touch any of the sides. Cockatoos need cages with strong bars and welds. All too often birds costing several thousand dollars are housed in cages only worth 100 - $150. Remember these birds think they are the second coming of Houdini, so you may have to add more locks to its cage.
Feather plucking and mutilation are problems associated with these birds. These behaviors are often in response to psychological or stress related factors and much less to disease conditions. Placing a bird in a breeding situation is not a cure- all. Some continue to pluck after they are placed with a mate.
Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease on the other hand does affect a large number of Cockatoos. The cause of this disease is a virus which, if contracted, is always fatal. A simple blood test can identify the virus. Symptoms of the disease are: unnatural feather loss and growth, extremely fast beak growth, production of powder stops, and they have a shiny beak.
In closing, Cockatoos are not for everyone. But if you feel you can provide the care, attention and housing most of these birds require you will be rewarded many times over with a lifetime of enjoyment.
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