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The yellow crested cockatoo parrot is an interesting member of its family. There are two subspecies: large and small. Due to its beautiful appearance, sociability, and high intellectual abilities, this bird is most often chosen as a pet. It is worth noting that not all species of cockatoos can thrive in captivity. But the yellow-crested species is tamed the fastest because it feels comfortable in the company of a person.
Credit: Freepik
Appearance and features
| Name and classification | Species: Greater Yellow-crested Cockatoo Parrot Cacatua galerita (Plyctolophus galeritus) Subspecies: • Cacatua galerita eleonora • Cacatua galerita fitzroyi • Cacatua galerita galerita • Cacatua galerita triton Genus Cacatua Family Cacatuidae Order Psittaciformes | Species: Lesser Yellow Crested Cockatoo Parrot Cacatua sulphurea (Plyctolophus sulphurea) Subspecies: • Cacatua sulphurea abbotti • Cacatua sulphurea citrinocristata • Cacatua sulphurea parvula • Cacatua sulphurea sulphurea • Cacatua sulphurea djampeana • Cacatua sulphurea occ identalis Genus Cacatua Family Cacatuidae Order Psittaciformes |
| Body length | 46 – 56 cm | 32 – 36 cm |
| Adult weight | 0.8 – 1 kg (females are heavier) | 0.45–0.55 kg |
| Tail | White, reaches a length of 25 cm. | White, reaches a length of 12 cm. |
| Color | White with yellowish edges of feathers. The crest is yellow. | White. The crest of the ear area is yellow. |
| Beak | Dark grey | Dark grey |
| Eyes | Male: black; female: brown with a red tint. There is a white area around the eyes without feathers. | Male: gray-black; female: brown with a red tint. There is a bluish area around the eyes without feathers. |
| Paws | Dark gray | Dark gray |
| Conservation status | The population size is quite large; there is no threat of extinction. | Listed in the Red Book is a species that is on the verge of extinction. The entire population does not exceed 10 thousand individuals. |
Lifestyle in freedom
Large yellow cockatoos like to gather in flocks of up to 100 individuals, and small yellow cockatoos are no more than 20 pieces. Birds prefer to be near water sources. They are active in searching for food in the morning or in the evening. In the heat of the day and at night, they prefer to hide in the crown of trees and rest there. They are not considered good flyers, but they climb trees deftly.
It is worth noting their loud roar, among which one can distinguish sounds similar to puppy whining (during the mating season), cat meowing (when communicating with each other), hissing, muttering, whistling, and gurgling. The loud cries that birds make when migrating are considered distinctive.
The diet is dominated by fruits (papaya, mango, bananas, dates, guava), nuts (coconut), flowers with buds of mango trees, fruits, seeds, rhizomes, and small insects with their larvae. They love to graze grass on lawns and also raid agricultural fields (especially rice and corn fields), causing irreparable harm to farmers.
Credit: mchayat.online
Habitat
| Greater Yellow-crested Cockatoo | Lesser Yellow-crested Cockatoo |
| Forests, parklands, gardens, fields, and savannas of New Guinea, nearby islands, Tasmania, Kangaroo, and eastern-northern Australia. | Woodlands of Sulawesi and the Lesser Sunda Islands. |
How long do they live?
According to scientific information, Greater Yellow-crested cockatoos live up to 50 years, and Lesser Yellow-crested cockatoos live up to 40 years. But up to this age, parrots can live with proper care only in captivity. In the wild, their life expectancy is reduced by predators, poachers, natural disasters, and deforestation of natural habitats.
Reproduction in the wild
Yellow-crested cockatoos nest near water sources.From the age of 3 months, the young begin to fly out of the nest, but about 2 more months remain in the care of their parents.Their mating season falls in spring and autumn. The chicks hatch naked and blind after a month of incubation.They prefer to make nests in tree hollows at a height of 5 to 30 m from the ground. The clutch of the Greater Yellow Cockatoo contains 1-2 eggs, and the female Lesser Yellow-crested Cockatoo can lay up to three eggs. Both parents are involved in arranging the nest as well as incubating the eggs.
Keeping at home
Due to their friendly nature, yellow cockatoos are very popular among breeders. By devoting a lot of time to caring for and communicating with these birds, you can get funny and cheerful pets that willingly become friends with humans.
Intelligence and Temperament of Yellow Crested Cockatoos Parrot
Sociability, friendliness, and curiosity are the main character traits of the yellow crested cockatoo parrot. Sometimes they “stick their nose” even where it shouldn’t be.
The bird’s intellectual abilities are comparable to those of a 2-3-year-old child, and its vocabulary usually contains no more than 10 short phrases. It looks especially funny when the cockatoo begins to imitate the tone of a person or the ringtone of a phone. It is worth noting that the parrot will not simply perform a variety of tricks. This is preceded by long training and communication with the bird.
Credit: Pexels
Cage for a parrot
In order for the bird to feel comfortable, it should, first of all, recreate good living conditions. The cage should be of such a size that the bird, when swinging its wings, does not catch the bars with them and does not hit them when jumping. The best solution is to equip the bird with a large aviary. But if this is not possible, then it is recommended to get a cage with dimensions of 1.7 x 1 x 1 m. The frame of the cage is only made of solid metal.
The bird house should be equipped with the following equipment:
- A house for sleeping (dimensions 0.4×0.4×1 m).
- Wooden perches.
- Feed with the drinker.
- A beam for grinding off the beak.
- A variety of toys.
The cage or enclosure should be cleaned daily and washed once a week. Feeders and drinkers are washed every day. Disinfection of the home and equipment must be carried out monthly.
Yellow-crested cockatoo: All about the parrot species
Feeding
The recommended feeding schedule is two times a day (morning and evening).
Birds are fed:
- Grains (corn, buckwheat, rice, wheat, millet, and soflora).
- Legumes.
- Fruits (pear, apple, bananas, raisins).
- Berries (raspberries, strawberries).
- Vegetables and herbs (carrots, eggplants, beets, cucumber, fennel, celery, dill).
- Seeds (hemp, canary seed).
- Seeds.
- Protein supplements (chicken meat, boiled egg, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt).
- Eggshells, chalk, and cuttlefish shell.
Breeding at home
Yellow-crested cockatoos breed in captivity if given the right conditions. Birds from the wild that are at least 3 years old, or 6-year-old birds raised in captivity, are suitable for mating.
During the mating season, the female and the male must be moved into a separate enclosure, where a nesting house is set up for them. The recommended dimensions of the nest are 0.37 x 0.35 x 1 m. After successful mating, the female lays eggs. Both parents incubate the chicks for one month.
The chicks hatch naked and blind. Caring for the offspring falls entirely on the shoulders of the newly-made feathered parents, who feed the offspring for up to 3 months. It is at this age that the grown chicks are removed from the parental enclosure.
Diseases and prevention
The yellow-crested cockatoo is susceptible to the following diseases:
- bacterial diseases;
- psittacosis;
- fungal infections of the beak, paws, and skin;
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- avitaminosis;
- feather mite;
- respiratory tract pathologies;
- self-plucking;
- physical injuries.
The best prevention is to prevent the development of a pathological process in the bird’s body. To do this, you should follow these simple recommendations:
- Take your bird to the veterinarian periodically.
- Carry out timely cleaning and periodic disinfection in areas where cockatoos are kept.
- Feed your birds correctly.
- Before contacting your pet, be sure to wash your hands.
- When walking around the apartment, protect the bird from possible dangers.
- Maintain comfortable indoor conditions (temperature +18–+25 °C, humidity 60–80%).
Despite the great popularity of the Yellow-crested Cockatoo among people, you must weigh all your options before purchasing one. A bird, like any other living creature, is not a toy. She becomes attached to a person, trusts him, and hopes for his support. If you don’t have time to care for and communicate with the handsome yellow-crested bird, then you should refuse to buy a bird. But if you have the desire and opportunity, the yellow-crested cockatoo will become a real decoration in the house and a faithful friend for all family members.
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