shop


The Furry Critter Network

Salmon Crested Cockatoo Species Description

Back to Avian Species Menu

Breed Organization

National Audubon Society

Cornell Lab of Orinthology

The Avian Web


Other Names
Moluccan Cockatoo

Classification
Order Psittaciformes
Family Psittacidae

Scientific Name
Cacatua Moluccensis

Species Description

These birds have white feathers tinted with soft pink. The underside of the flight feathers and tail is tinged with yellowish-salmon. The broad, white, rounded crest has deep salmon-red inner feathers. The bill, legs and feet are black. The male has a black iris and the female has a reddish-brown iris.

At 50 cm, it is the largest of the white cockatoos. The female is larger than the males on average. It has white-pink feathers with a definite peachy glow, a slight yellow on the underwing and underside of the tail feathers and a large retractable recumbent crest which it raises when threatened, revealing hitherto concealed bright red-orange plumes to frighten potential attackers (may also be raised in excitement, or other 'emotional' displays). It also has one of the louder calls in the parrot world and in captivity is a capable mimic.

Habitat

Forests and woodlands of Ceram, Saparua and Haruku in the southern Moluccas, Indonesia; also introduced to Moluccan island of Amboina.

Distribution

Southern Moluccan Islands in Indonesia


Captivity

The Moluccan Cockatoo can no longer be imported into the United States because it is listed on the Wild Bird Conservation Act. However, they are being bred in captivity. They are popular for their beauty and trainability (which makes them popular in trained bird shows). The Moluccan Cockatoo is widely considered to be the one of the most demanding parrots to keep as a pet, due to their high intelligence, large size, potential noise level, and need to chew. Moluccan cockatoos require a very large and very sturdy cage or aviary. Moluccans are highly social, and pets are often extremely cuddly, affectionate, and gentle birds. This can lead to problems if a young cockatoo is spoiled with a great deal of attention and cuddling when young and does not get the opportunity to learn to play with toys, forage, or otherwise entertain itself. Moluccan cockatoos require a great deal of attention and activity to remain healthy and well-adjusted. Attention and training from human caregivers is important in keeping them occupied, as are chewable toys and foraging toys that require them to work for their food. As with most large cockatoos, the Moluccan Cockatoo may develop health and behavioral problems such as feather-plucking and aggression if not provided with the appropriate environment, attention, and enrichment opportunities.

Summary

Fairly noisy cockatoo with pleasant character; especially noisy when excited, but also during early morning and late afternoon; initially shy; wild-caught birds often extremely nervous; will then often only leave nestbox to feed; however young birds quickly become confiding; very hard chewers; regular supply of wood necessary; rotten wood and planks quickly chewed; colony system only possible in very large flight; trouble-free and not susceptible when acclimatised. Like other parrots, they have short tarsi but strong claws, and walk with a slow waddle, often using their strong bill as a third limb when climbing branches. They generally have long narrow wings used in rapid flight, with speeds of 70 km/h being recorded for some species. The black cockatoos, however, along with the Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, have shorted more rounded wings and a more leisurely flight.

The cockatoos have large bills which are kept sharp by rasping the two mandibles together when resting. The huge bills are complemented by large muscular tongues which help manipulate seeds inside the bills so that they can be de-husked before eating. During the de-husking the lower mandible applies the pressure, the tongue holds the seed in place and the upper mandible acts as an anvil.

The plumage of the cockatoos is less brightly colored than that of the other parrots, with species generally being either black, grey or white. Many species have smaller areas of color on their plumage, often yellow, pink and red, and usually on the crest or tail. A few species, like the Galah, have larger areas of color. In addition to their plumage many species have brightly colored bare areas around the eye and face, with the Palm Cockatoo having a large red patch of bare skin across the face. A few species exhibit sexual dimorphism in the plumage, with this being most pronounced in the Gang-gang Cockatoo and the Cockateil. Sexual differences in plumage are more common in the black cockatoos, but many cockatoos vary slightly in overall size and weight, with the males being on average larger. The iris color is often brown in adult females and differs from the black irises often seen in adult males, but this may not be totally reliable to identify the gender of a cockatoo.

Behavior: Cockatoos are diurnal, requiring daylight to find their food. They are not early risers, instead waiting until the sun has warmed their roosting sites before feeding. The 21 species are generally highly social and will roost, forage and travel together, often in large flocks. All species require roosting sites that are sometimes located near drinking sites, but many species may travel great distances between the roosting sites and feeding sites.

Cockatoos have several characteristic methods of bathing; they may hang upside down or fly about in the rain, or flutter in wet leaves in the canopy.

Calls and Communication: The vocalisations of cockatoos are loud and harsh. They serve a number of functions, including allowing individuals to recognize one another, warning others of predators, indicating individual moods, maintaining the cohesion of a flock and as warnings when defending nests. The use of calls and number of specific calls varies by species, some like the Short-billed Black Cockatoo have as many as 15 different calls, whereas others like the Major Mitchell's Cockatoo have far fewer. Some species, like the Gang-gang Cockatoo are comparatively quiet, but do have softer growling calls when feeding. In addition to vocalisations, the Palm Cockatoos communicate over large distances by drumming a dead branch with a stick. Cockatoo species also make a characteristic hissing sound when threatened.

Diet and Feeding: The cockatoos are versatile feeders and consume a range of food items. Seeds form a large part of the diet of all species; these are opened with their large and powerful bills. Cockatoos may feed either individually or in flocks that range in size from small to quite immense. The Galahs, corellas and some of the black cockatoos feed primarily on the ground, others feed mostly in trees. The ground feeding species tend to feed in flocks, which can wither feed in tight, squabbling groups where seeds are concentrated, or in more dispersed lines where the seeds are less concentrated and more widely distributed.

While some cockatoos are generalists taking a wide range of seeds, others are specialists. The Glossy Black Cockatoo specializes in the cones of Allocasuarina, often a single species, which it holds in its food and shreds with its powerful bill before removing the seeds with its tongue. Some species take large numbers of insects, particularly when breeding. The large bill is used in order to extract grubs and larvae from rotting wood. The amount of time cockatoos have to spend foraging varies with the season. During times of plenty, they may only need to feed for a few hours in the day, in the morning and evening, and spend the rest of the day loafing, but during the winter most of the day may be spent foraging. During hard times the cockatoos also display versatility in their diet, travelling widely in order to find food, feeding on more green plant material and in some species using their large bills to dig up corms.

Breeding: Cockatoos are monogamous breeders, with pair bonds that can last many years. They may also display site fidelity, returning to the same nesting sites in consecutive years. Courtship is generally simple, particularly for established pairs, with the black cockatoos alone engaging in courtship feeding. Established pairs do engage in allopreening, but all forms of courtship drop off after incubation begins, possibly due to the strength of the pair-bond.

Like most parrots the cockatoos are cavity nesters, nesting in holes in trees. In many places these holes are scarce and the source of competition, both with other members of the same species and with other species and types of animal. This competition is particularly intense amongst larger species.

The nesting hollows are lined with sticks, wood chips and branches with leaves. The eggs of cockatoos are oval and initially white, although they become discolored over the course of incubation. They range in size from 55*40 mm in the Palm Cockatoo to 26*18 mm in the Cockateil. Clutch size varies amongst the family, with the Palm Cockatoo and some other larger cockatoos laying only a single egg, and the smaller species laying anywhere between two to eight eggs. Amongst the cockatoos incubation and brooding responsibilities may either be undertaken by the female alone in the case of the black cockatoos or shared amongst the sexes as happens in the other species. In the case of the black cockatoos the female is provisioned by the male several times a day.

Aviculture: Cockatoos are very popular as pets, not only for their appearance but also for their intelligence and engaging personalities. Well-socialized cockatoos are often affectionate not only to their owner but to strangers as well. In spite of their attractiveness as pets there are drawbacks; they are potentially destructive, with the larger cockatoos in particular prone to destructive behavior. Cockatoos may show aggression during the breeding season; cockatoos are capable of very strong and painful bites.

They also require attention, although experts warn against "spoiling" young birds with too much attention as it make make the bird dependent on the owner, leading to problems later in life. Another drawback as a pet is the fact that most cockatoo species are very loud birds, though they naturally only vocalize for short periods of time twice a day. They can be expensive pets, with a cost which typically ranges from $500-$2000 for the more commonly available species. In addition to the actual cost, cockatoos require a very large cage for their size.

Cockatoos also require an out of cage gym or perch and a steady supply of toys, branches, cardboard boxes, or other chewable items, which prevents future self destructive behavior such as feather plucking. Cockatoos are capable of living up to 30-70 years depending upon species (around 20 years for the smaller Cockateils) and as such they require a long term commitment from their owners. Their longevity is also considered a positive trait as it reduces instances of the loss of a pet.

Cockatoos are popular for use in trained bird shows, and they can also be trained as pets. Cockatoos are generally less food motivated than other birds; some birds may be more motivated by a reward of petting or praise than of food. Cockatoos can often be trained to accept a parrot harness, enabling their owners to take them outdoors. Cockatoos have been used in animal-assisted therapy, generally in nursing homes.

In general, the smaller cockatoo species such as Galahs and Goffin's Cockatoos are considered to be much easier to keep as pets than large cockatoos such as Moluccans. In Australia, where Galah cockatoos are extremely abundant and inexpensive, they are often considered to be good first birds. The smallest species of cockatoo, the Cockatiel is a non-destructive and less demanding alternative making them extremely popular as pets, and among the species most often recommended to new bird owners.


Back to Avian Species Menu

Featured Rescues

"Don't Shop ... Please Adopt"

laptop pro

ASPCA

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®) was the first humane society to be established in North America and is, today, one of the largest in the world.

Our organization was founded on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans and must be protected under the law. Headquartered in New York City, the ASPCA maintains a strong local presence, and with programs that extend our anti-cruelty mission across the country, we are recognized as a national animal welfare organization. We are a privately funded 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, and are proud to boast more than 2 million supporters across the country.

The ASPCA’s mission, as stated by founder Henry Bergh in 1866, is “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.”


laptop pro

Petfinder

If you can’t find the pet you’re looking for on Petfinder, don’t give up. Some shelters maintain waiting lists for specific breeds, so don’t be afraid to ask! There are also breed-specific rescues for just about every breed, and most of them post their pets on Petfinder. (Petfinder can even e-mail you when a pet that fits your criteria is posted — just click “Save this Search” at the top of your search results page.)


laptop pro

Rescue Me

Jeff Gold, Founder, Rescue Me! Animal Rescue Network

Jeff Gold lives in Watkinsville, Georgia on the same property as Rescue Me's Animal Rehabilitation Center, with 18 rescue animals. Shown with him in the photo to the left are Maggie, Izzie and Cortez. In 2003, after learning there was nobody doing boxer rescue work in Georgia, Gold founded Boxertown, an organization which helped find homes for over 500 boxers during its first two years. Based upon this success, Gold came up with the vision for Rescue Me! ― a network which helps all breeds of dogs, cats and other animals find good homes, anywhere in the world. RescueShelter.com is also a free service of Rescue Me! and provides the world's largest and most up-to-date directory of animal rescue organizations for all breeds of dogs, cats and other animals, including a comprehensive directory of wildlife rehabilitators in over 150 countries.



Top