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.

Identifying Birds – Which Is It?

Identifying birds is both fun, and relaxing.  Let the world around you, and these flying flowers take you away from your everyday cares!

The “Which Is It?” checklist will help you identify birds.

Where and When; Habitat; Impression; Comparison; Habits

Identification Flashes; Sounds

Important Details; Tail and Wings

Where and When:

Where refers to geographic region.  Birds are among the most mobile and far-ranging species on earth, but almost all birds spend most of their lives within rather strict geographic ranges.  So, one important clue to a mystery bird’s identity is where you see it. 

Occasionally, an individual or small group of birds turns up in an unexpected location, much to the delight of ardent birders, but this is uncommon.  If you are having trouble identifying a new bird and think it might be a rare and accidental visitor to your geographic region, invite an experienced birder to check out the stranger.  In the excitement of seeing an unfamiliar bird, beginning birdwatchers often misidentify an expected local species.

When refers to the season of the year, another important clue in identifying a mystery bird.  “When” will be different for many species depending on what part of the US or Canada you live in.  The examples below refer to birds that range in the Southeast.  This is just a sample.

Permanent residents – live in the same geographic region all year long: Blue Jays, Northern Mocking birds, Eastern Bluebirds, and European Starlings are permanent residents in the Southeastern United States.

Summer residents – breed and raise their young in one region and then leave to winter in warmer regions.  Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Puple Martins, Wood Thrushes, and Red-eyed Vireos are summer rsidents in the Southeast.

Winter visitors – come to a geographic region only during winter months, after their breeding season.  Purple Finches, Evening Grosbeaks, White-throated Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Hermit Thrushes are winter visitors in the Southeast.  If you feed birds only during the colder months of the year, you will see mostly permanent residents and winter visitors.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Transients – pass through a geographic region only once or twice a year during their spring and/or fall migrations.  Southeastern transiets winter in Central American, South America, or the Caribean and breed in geographic regions in the northern US and in Canada, and we may see them in our years for only a few days or w3eks each year.  Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Tennessee, and Magnolia Warblers are transients in the Southeast.

Blackpoll Warbler

Accidentals – are birds taht are not expected in a particular geographic region anay time of year.  Most new birdwatchers “see” many accidental species, but as they gain experience they realize they may have made erroneous or hasty calls.

But, look carefully!  An accidental bird may just choose your backyard as the place to give the birding world a thrill!  For exmple, there is a story of a birdwatcher, during the month of October, a Green Violetear Hummingbird stayed for more than one week at a feeder in Asheville, North Carolina, about 1,500 miles north of its normal Mexican range.

 Green Violetear Hummingbird

Important Details: “Crests” – Cardinals, some species of jays, titmice, and waxwings have long, well-developed crests or topknots.  Some species of flycatchers and finches have shorter, smaller crests.

Important Details: Underparts – Doves and some other species have plain, unmarked underparts.  Other species, like thrashers, ahve streaked underparts, while thrushes and others have spottted or round markings.

Identification Flashes:  sharply contrasting feathers – The eye-catch flash of sharply contrasting feathers will help you identify Northern Flickers and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Important Details:  shape of the bill – Seed-eaters, like Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, have cone-shpaed bills that help them crush seed coats.  Insect-eaters, like Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, ahve small, tweezerlike bills that help them pick up their prey.  Meat-eaters, like Red-tailed Hawks, ahve hooked bills that help them tear apart their prey.

Habitat – Most birds live in environments that meet their specific requirements for food and cover.  When you see a mystery bird, note the type of vegetation where it is, that will give you a good clue to its identity.

Impression – First impressions of a mystery bird will give you clues for comparing it with birds you already know.  Notice if the stranger looks like a crow, jay, robin, sparrow, wren, dove, or other common bird.  Also notice its approximate size.  It’s hard to accurately estimate a bird’s size in inches, centimeters, or feet, but you can judge whether it’s sparrow size or smaller.  robin size, crow size or larger than a crow.

Comparison – Decide whether your mystery bird looks like a species you already know.  If so, you have a head start in identifying it.  Identifying a mystery bird involves comparing a newcomer with other species and eliminating species whose geographic ranges and features don’t match the newcomer’s. 

For example, you may deduce that a new bird is a woodpecker of some kind because it looks and acts like a woodpecker.  Make notes about its size, field marks, and the sounds it makes, and then compare it to the descriptions of woodpeckers in books or magazines.

Habits – Your mystery bird’s habits give you important identification clues, es[pecially if the bird looks like another species.  Make notes about how the stranger behaves. 

Ask: 

• Does it feed only on the ground or only on the hanging feeder? 
• Is it solitary or does it come and go with a group of similar birds? 
• Does it walk , like many ground-dwelling birds do, or does it hop, like many tree-dwelling species do? 
• If it climbs trees, does it back down the tree in a hitching fashion like a woodpecker?
• Does it walk headfirst down the tree like a nuthatch, or spiral slowly up and aroaund the tree like a Brown Creeper?
• Does it cock its tail over its back like a wren?
• Does it bob it ’s tail up and down like a phoebe?
• Is it resting in a cavity or in the open?
• Does it fly in a direct line?
• Does its flight path undulate?

Identification Flashes: Many birds have colorful contrasting patches of feathers that produce eye-catching flashes of color when theya re exposed.  Sometimes these flash amrks are enough to identify a mystery bird without seeing its other field marks.

Identification flashes include the white outer tail feathers of flying Eastern Meadowlarks or Dark-eyed Juncos and the white oval patches on the outer winys of flying Northern Mockingbirds and Red-bellied Woodpeckers.  Other quick clues include the bright white rump patches of Northern Flickers and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, the yellow rump of the Yellow-rumped Warbler, the crimson crown of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and the brightly colored speculum on the trailing edge of the wings of many ducks.

Sounds:  The songs male birds sing during the breeding season and the calls birds make year-round are often species specific.  Professional ornithologists doing bird-census work may identify more than ninety percent of the birds in an area by sound rather than sight.

Most bird species inhabit treetops, the darkest part of the woodlot, or other places where they may be difficult to see, but their songs and calls reveal their presence and their identity.  Some species, partcularly the small flycatchers in the genus Empidonax, are so similar in appearance that it is difficult to tell them apart with accuracy even when holding the bird in your hand, but their sounds are very different.  Nothing beats listening to these vocal vertebrates, and as you learn their calls, you will be able to identify and more fully enjoy the birds in your backyard.