Cocktaoos

There is debate among ornithologists on whether the Cockatiel should ge classified among the cockatoos or not.

Popular genera:

• Palm Cockatoo – Length: 32 inches
• Black Cockatoos – Length: 20-26 inches
• White Cockatoos – Length: 20 inches
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo – Length: 14 inches
• Salmon-crested Cockatoo – Length:  20 inches
• Rose Breasted Cockatoo – Length:  15 inches
• Little Corelia – Length: 16 inches
• Umbrella Cockatoo – Length:  16-18 inches
• Leadbeater’s Cockatoo – Length:  15 inches
• Gang-Gang Cockatoo – Length:  14 inches
• Cockatiel – Length: 12 inches

Geographical Origin:  Cockatoos are native to Australia, New Guinea and its neighboring islands, eastern Indonesia, the Moluccas, and the Philippines.  Depending on their genus and species, cockatoos live on timbered mountain slopes, in rain forests, or in open forests.  In some areas, cockatoos have become a plague to farmers because they are seed-eaters and will often destroy entire fields.

Special Characteristics:  The name “cockatoo” derives from a Malayan word meaning “pliers” or “vise” and referring to the bird’s powerful beak.  cockatoos nest in large, deep holes high up in hollow trees.  In most parrot species only the female incubates the eggs, but male and female cockatoos share this chore.  The Palm Cockatoo is not only the largest of the cockatoos but also has the longest beak, 4 inches, of all the parrots.  The cockatoo’s most striking feature is its erectile crest, which it raises when excited or frightened.  The beak of the cockatoo differs from that of other parrots in that the lower mandible is wider than the upper.

Suitability As A Pet:  Cockatoos are very popular but also very demanding pets.  They are gregarious birds, and if they are kept single they will readily develop attachments to humans.  But, if they do not get the company they need, they will be unhappy and pine away.  They are usually not exclusive with their favors and wil enjoy contact with a number of people.  They want to be petted often and a lot, enjoy gestures of affection, and like to keep busy.  Theya re very affectionate and playful and can put on amusing acrobatic shows.  Because they are agile climbers, they need a tree to tumble about on; and being powerful fliers they need sufficient space to fly in.  Some very tame cockatoos have been kept in complete freedom in their owners’ yards.  Their excellent sense of direction, their attachment ot people they know, and constant vocal contact with familiar people keep them from flying away.

Cockatoos can also be kept in a large outdoor aviary equipped with a room where they can get warm and be out of the weather.  If a cockatoo kept in an aviary will not have much contact with people, it cannot be kept alone.  Cages, aviaries, and nesting boxes have to be made of extremely durable materials because the cockatoo’s powerful beak can chew through the hardest objects.  It is possible to breed cockatoos, but breeding pairs become so pugnacious, that even familiar people are not safe from attack.

Talent for Speech:  The literature on parrots is in general agreement that cockatoos are not as gifted for speech as Amazons or Grey Parrots.  Of the cockatoos, the Little Corella is reputed to be the most able talker.  Some varieties of cockatoos can shriek quite loudly.  also, they will imitate all kinds of sounds and can learn to whistle. 

Life Expectancy:  Over fifty years.

Preferred Foods:  Sunflower seeds, wheat, oats, millet, canary seed, lettuce, dandelion greens, chckweed, carrots, fruit (especially cherries) willow twigs, and other twigs to gnaw on.

About Parrots

Large and small parrots are available in pet stores everywhere.  Parrots are frequently kept as pets, and it is not unusual for individuals to have more than one parrot.  Keeping parrots, however, is a demanding business that requires a great deal of time and patience, and it is not everyone who has sufficient amounts of either.

As a young girl, I always had a parakeet and enjoyed teaching him to talk.  My parakeet seemed to become attached to me, and was a great source of laughter, entertainment and joy.  He danced to music, repeated funny phrases, even mixing up “pretty bird” with “dirty bird” saying “pretty, dirty, bird.”  As a nine-year old girl, that would send me into giggles.

He was noisy at times, but would settle down when the cage was covered and slept through the night, quietly entertaining himself until I uncovered him and the day began. 

The owner of a budgerigar or canary deals with a domestic bird that has been bred in captivity for generations.  The owner of some parrots, however, may have to cope with awild bird that was probably flitting about in the jungles of its native habitat only a fwe months ago. 

He has on his hands a bird that has not yet digested the drastic change from a native biotope in the African, Australian, or South American jungles to a cage in a living room; a bird taht will therefore tend to be very shy because its past experience with human beings has been bad. 

We’ll discuss in some details how much patience and effort the owner of a parrot will have to invest before you can win its confidence and make them hand tame.

Parrots are “intelligent” and cannot be treated like birds on a lower level of biological development, nor can they be trained like a dog and taught to obey.  If they make a nuisance of themselves in the home, chewing on valuable furniture, for example, or nipping holesin clothing or biting through electrical wires, this is usually because they are bored.  Only if you parrot is propery occupied will he refrain from doing things that can damage your home or be harmful to him.

Ornithologists, the branch of zoology that deals with the study of birds, agree that the parrot disorder known as “feather plucking” in which the bird plucks out all its own feathers is psychic in origin.  Any parrot owner who does not keep this in mind, who leaves his bird sitting in its cage all the time, and talks to it only rarely through the bars will ineviably wind up with a phlegmatic (having or suggesting a calm, sluggish temperament; unemotional) pet that will become both physically and mentally ill within a short time.  Also, the bird will give him very little enjoyment because it will learn only a few words or may not learn to talk at all.

Popular varieties of parrots, such as cockatoos, macaws, and Amazons, as well as the small varieties like the lories and lovebirds will be discussed on this site.

Because of their different origins, these birds differ in their natures and in their nutritional needs.  It is also crucial that the parrot owner undestand the behavior of his feathered pet, and their amusing, exotic, and appealing behavior and characteristics.

In their native countries, parrots have been kept as domestic birds since time immemorial.  In the jungle villages of the Amazon basin, for example, almost every Indian hut has its pet parrot.  Indian women take parrot chicks from their nests and raise them on chicha, an Indian beer made from boiled sweet potatoes.

The indiscriminate capturing of parrots by animal dealers and native peoples and the changes in, and destruction of, their habitat have brought some varieties of parrots to the verge of extinction.  Dealers will stoop to any method of capturing the birds as long as it is quick and effective.  They cut down trees to rob nests and burn a sulfur smudge untul the birds fall out of the trees unconscious and can be picked up off the ground like dropped apples.  Some years ago, more than a million parrots were caught every year for sale as pets.  Up to 50% of these birds died as a result of capture and shipment from people who did not know what they are doing and don’t care.

Among young birds the mortality rate was even higher.  Concern about this high mortality rate caused improvement in shipping and housing conditions over the last decade.

Every imported parrot has to be examined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  With commercially imported birds, this routine examination is done following a 30-day quarantine period.  After quarantine every parrot is given a numbered band that certifies that the bird has been legally imported and his in fact been examined by a USDA veterinarian as required by law. 

Any imported parrot without a band should be regarded as a potentially contraband bird that may have been illegally imported.  The most important reason for examining birds after import is to see if they have Newcastle Virus, which is a threat to the U.S. poultry industry.

Spare your parrot the discomfort of wearing his band.  Remove it as soon as you ahve your bird at home.  He can injure himself with it as he will try to chew it off.  It is quite sufficient if you keep the band available among your other documents.