Although not quite as colourful as Australian parrots, Australian cockatoos are one of the cheekiest and smartest birds in Australia. Here are some pictures of cockatoos, and some cockatoo facts such as what do cockatoos eat and should cockatoos be pets; and a few facts about Red Tailed Black Cockatoos, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, and other species of cockatoos found in Australia.
Types of Cockatoos and Parrots Cockatoos are related to parrots. While parrots belong to the family Psittacidae and cockatoos belong the family Cacatuidae, both belong to the order Psittaciformes. Although Psittaciformes are found on all the tropical and subtropical continents in the world such as India, Africa, South-east Asia and southern regions in North America, by far the most of the world’s 350 species of Psittaciformes are found in Australia and South America. Because they are mainly found in Southern Hemisphere, it is thought that they evolved on Gondwana continent. Australian cockatoos are smaller and less colourful than South America’s Macaws and Amazons, but they are noisier and more active.
Cockatoo Noise and Social Nature All cockatoos are very social birds and they live in life-long couple bonds. They are also excellent communicators – palm cockatoos for example gather in large groups every morning before taking off from roosting sites to feed, and greet each other raising their crests and streching their wings. The crests of cockatoos are also erected whenever the birds are excited or alarmed. Cockatoos are also known to have piercing calls, which are believed to give information about location and identity of the caller, and sometimes warn about the presence of a threat.
What Do Different Types of Cockatoos Eat In mornings and late afternoons cockatoos fly around in large noisy flocks, while in the midday heat they rest in trees, nibbling leaves and bark, and open large seeds with their powerful beaks. As opposed to many other birds that swallow the seeds whole, cockatoos are not seed dispersers, they eat the seeds and in many cases they are known to eat the fruit only to get to the seed. As in all birds, the bill shape of different types of cockatoos reflects the diet: Long-billed Corellas use their beak to dig up bulbs and the long bill of Palm Cockatoos is used to open palm seeds. In the process they litter the ground under the trees with broken seeds, leaves and blossom – it is a good sign that helps to find them because while feeding in trees they are quiet.
Should Cockatoos Be Pets? Cockatoos have, along with parrots, the most evolved brains in all birds. They became easily tame if among people, and can imitate all sorts of noises, including peoples’ words. Palm cockatoo for example is known to make and use tools – the male drums on the bark with a grevillea nut, making a noise to defend its territory and possibly maintain the pair bond. Because of their sociable nature and intelligence, cockatoos have always been popular pets and just like parrots, their wild populations have been suffering from over-trading in many countries. Unless bred in captivity through many generations, the naturally sociable cockatoos that live in couples would not enjoy a life-long imprisonment in cage, particularly when alone - so think twice before you buy one. Australia banned the export of its native birds in 1960, and penalties for smuggling are heavy.
Breeding Seasons of Different Types of Cockatoos Different cockatoo species breed at different times of the year, depending on in which climate in Australia they live. (There is more exact information about cockatoo breeding times in the links below). All cockatoos need tree hollows for nesting, and logging of old-growth forests which have tree hollows large enough for a bird of the size of cockatoos, may have a bad effect on many cockatoo populations.
Types of Cockatoos in Australia With 14 species of cockatoos, 11 of which are endemic, Australia is a country with many types of cockatoos. Australian cockatoos are mostly white or black with red or yellow patches, some are pink or bluish. All cockatoos are fairly large birds and fly relatively slow.
Red Tailed Black Cockatoo and Glossy Black Cockatoo The largest group of Australian cockatoos, the seven species of Black Cockatoos cover different parts of Australia: Long-billed Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus baudinii) and Short-billed Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus latirostris) live in open forests and woodlands in south-western Australia.
The bluish-black Gang-gang Cockatoos (Callocephalon fimbriatum) are found in the forests of the cold south-eastern Australia, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus funereus) are found in Tasmania and the coast of Victoria and New South Wales.
The Red-tailed Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus banksii), the most common of Australian black cockatoos, live in northern parts of Northern Territory, northern and western parts of Western Australia, and almost everywhere in Queensland.
Types of Cockatoos - Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo The most common of white-coloured Australian cockatoos is the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita), which is found in northern and eastern parts of Australia, including Tasmania. It is one of the noisiest Australian cockatoos. It is a relatively large bird with a white plumage and a fanlike, yellow crest. Its undertail and underwings are pail yellow, and beak and feet are dark. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo lives in rainforest, forest and woodland, but also parklands and gardens in urban areas. It lives in pairs and small groups but can also be seen flying in large flocks in the outback. It mobs predators like birds of prey, large lizards and snakes. Female lays 2-3 eggs in a large tree hollow which are incubated by both sexes during 30 days. It eats mainly seeds, but also fruit, flowers, roots and insect larvae. Good places to see Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are Royal National Park south of Sydney, Mutawintji National Park in New South Wales, and the Grampians in Victoria.
Types of Cockatoos - Corella Cockatoo Other common white Australian cockatoos are corellas. Little Corellas (Cacatua sanguinea) fly in huge noisy flocks in the outback where they live in semi-arid areas, monsoon woodlands and scrubland habitats, but also farms and urban areas.
Long-billed Corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) has a long upper bill as the name indicates,and its pinkish patches on face and neck are larger than in other corellas. It feeds in large flocks on the ground and lives on farmlands and in Red Gum woodlands.
Western Corella (Cacatua pastinator) looks like a hybrid of the other two, having an intermediate-sized beak and red patches larger than those of Little Corella, but smaller than those of Long-billed Corella.
Galah Cockatoo and Major Mitchell Cockatoo Pink Australian cockatoos include the small Major Mitchell Cockatoos (Cacatua leadbeateri) that are found in parts of inland in all states of Australia, and the noisy, cheeky Galah Cockatoos (Eolophus roseicapilla) that are very common in all states except the waterless plains in inland Australia, and south-western corner of Western Australia.
Major Mitchell Cockatoos fly in small flocks and live in habitats with mallee, mulga, she-oak and Murray Pine. Galah Cockatoos live in woodland, grassland, parks and open scrubland, and are seen everywhere in the outback Australia.
NOTE: This website is written in British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all correct in the language used in Australia.
