Cockatoos are smart and lovable, but they can be naughty too. They often chew wood decking and paneling on houses, raid bird feeders, and strip rubber seals from street lights. They can also destroy their cages without enough attention and toys.
Some cockatoos have broad distributions, while others are confined to a small area of Australia or a group of islands. Some are leucistic, which makes them even rarer.
Red-tailed black cockatoo
The Red-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) is one of Australia’s most iconic birds. It is a large parrot that resembles a blackbird with a bright red panel on its tail and yellow markings on its body. It is very loud and often squawks to communicate. It has strong beaks that it uses to crack open hard seeds in trees. It is found in many parts of Australia.
The birds nest in tree hollows, and they line the holes with decayed wood. The female usually lays 1 egg, but sometimes 2, and the chick is fed by both parents for about 28 to 30 days.
The bird feeds on a variety of native and introduced grains, but its main food source is eucalyptus seed. It has a preference for larger-fruited eucalyptus species, including the marri in Western Australia, Darwin woolybutt (Eucalyptus miniata) in northern Australia, and bloodwoods Corymbia polycarpa and C. intermedia in Victoria and Queensland.
Slender-billed corella
Slender-billed corellas are white birds with peach or salmon-colored markings around their eyes and necks. They have long beaks that allow them to dig for food. They also have a short crest and patches of bare skin colored blue-grey. This bird is native to Australia and can be found in grassy woodlands.
They are very affectionate pets and require daily handling and socialization to maintain their emotional health. They should be kept in cages that provide ample room for flight. They should be misted frequently to keep their plumage and skin healthy. They are not strong chewers, but they may be able to open escape-proof latches, so locks are recommended.
They can be found in the wild around Victoria and southeastern New South Wales. They are also common in urban parks and gardens. In captivity, they are known for their talkative behavior and can mimic entire sentences. They can live for 30 to 40 years, but they are vulnerable to habitat loss and disease outbreaks.
White-tailed black cockatoo
Black cockatoos are sociable birds but they also love spending quality ‘couple time’ with their mates. They have short, rounded crests and glossy black feathers and both males and females have whitish bills.
This cockatoo is known as a tree dweller, foraging in mallee and sandplain woodlands using their long narrow bills to crack open woody seed pods or cones and extract the seeds. It is found only in Western Australia where it nests in jarrah and marri trees. Its population has halved over the past 45 years and it is now endangered.
The Western sheoak (Allocasuarina fraseriana), orange wattle (Acacia saligna) and balga (Xanthorrhoea preissii) are some of its preferred habitat trees. It feeds mainly on seeds of proteaceous plants such as Banksia, Hakea and Grevillea but will also eat eucalyptus fruit. It is vulnerable to drought, disease, pests and the impact of localised adverse weather events, such as heatwaves. It can also be impacted by land clearing for agriculture and development.
Red-vented cockatoo
Red-vented cockatoos are active, high-energy birds that require lots of attention and socialization. They are very affectionate and gentle with their owners. However, they can be destructive if they are not given the proper environment and care. They can also be preyed on by falcons, owls, snakes, and other large predators.
This species is critically endangered in the wild due to habitat loss and illegal trapping for the pet trade. Its numbers have dropped significantly, and it is rare to find a bird in the pet market. It is a monotypic species of the Cacatuidae family and is found in the Philippines. It is also known as the Philippine cockatoo and agay.
This bird has a distinctive tall, luxuriant crest that it raises expressively. The eyes of mature females are red, while those of males are black or dark brown. It is difficult to breed this bird in captivity, and its lifespan is not precisely documented.
