All About the Sulphur - crested Cockatoo

SPECIES Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
TAXONOMY Cacatua galerita
STATUS Least Concern (Redlist.org); Population Decreasing
Least Concern NT, QLD (ala.org.au)

A.k.a. Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, Ngaanbanaa, Muraay, Muyaay, Muuyii

Living up to 100 years in captivity, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are an extremely intelligent bird that also have the ability to mimic humans. These qualities have made them one of the most popular bird species and as a result, are kept as pets across the entire world. Considered as iconic among Australia’s numerous native bird species, they have been further popularised through tourism marketing to international audiences.

However, as pets they are only two generations removed from the wild. Their instinct to fly long distances in search of food contradicts confinement. Hormones influence their instinct to reproduce resulting in jealous attacks and screaming. They have the emotional intelligence of a four year old human and easily become bored and stressed when ignored. Although many pet owners begin with the best of intentions, these large and intelligent birds are very demanding and soon find themselves condemned to an unhappy and unsuitable living condition.

Distribution
Native to Australia, this large cockatoo is found throughout Australia. They are also found across many subcontinents including Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. They were introduced into New Zealand and Indonesia.

Habitat
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos prefer the safety of an arboreal roost and frequent areas across a variety of climatic conditions where this exists. They can travel long distances and will flock where food sources are abundant including farms and urban areas. They are common in human settlements where parklands exist.

Feeding
Their preferred food sources include seeds, nuts, blossoms, fruits, insects, and insect larvae. They will forage newly planted as well as ripening grains crops and will form large groups to harvest these opportunities. When flocking to feed, a few members of the group will perch nearby to remain on watch for danger. If present, they will raise their crests and become extremely vocal.

Behaviour
Monogamous and social, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is generally observed in large groups. Eack flock maintains its own roosting site which is seldom deserted. They will shelter in trees during the hottest times of the day. With a top speed of up to 70 kilometers per hour, they can fly at considerable heights and over long distances. They typically use a series of quick and shallow wing beats with gliding in between. Generally noisy, their distinctive ‘screech’ is commonly heard and used as a method of communication with other members of the flock as well as warning of impending danger. They are most vocal at the roosting site where they spend the most time in early morning and late afternoon.
Among their grooming rituals is the biting off of small branches to reduce the continual growth of their beak.

Appearance
Often confused with the Corellas, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo differs in having a larger white body with a striking yellow crest on top of their head and a pale yellow underside of the wings and tail. Their bodies can be as long as 50 centimeters and weigh 800 grams. Their wingspan stretches to 103 centimetres. The largest bird in this group is the Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.
Both the adult male and adult female are of similar appearance. Their bills and legs range from dark grey to black in colour. Females are identified by their red-brownish eye colour. Juveniles resemble adults.

Reproduction
The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo can live up to 100 years of age. They begin reproductive maturity by the age of four; and instinctively will remain with the same partner forming a strong bond.
The pair will seek out a suitable nesting site in an old growth tree, working together to line their nest with rotting wood and wood shavings. The female will lay a clutch of up to 3 eggs just once per year. Both parents will incubate the clutch until the hatchlings appear in 30 days. The chicks emerge covered in pale yellow down with their eyes closed.
Both parents will take responsibility to care for the chicks for up to 70 days. Although they are ready to leave the nest, their social characteristics will have them remain with their family units among the larger flock indefinitely.

Threats
As a result of caged bird popularity, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo has been unwittingly introduced into environments that it does not naturally occur in. Where they do occur naturally, large flocks are as destructive to urban gardens as they are to commercial fruit and grain crops.
This has resulted in being labeled a pest and although protected by government legislation, many have been shot at or poisoned in an effort to eradicate their presence. They also experience the loss of suitable nesting sites due to the ongoing habitat destruction occurring in old growth forests.