Facts About Cockatoos

Cockatoos belong to the bird family Cacatuidae, which most taxonomists recognize as containing around 21 species, native to Australia, New Guinea, the Philippines, and nearby islands of Wallacea and Indonesia.

Cockatoos are famous for the movable crest of feathers on top of their heads, which they raise when excited, alarmed, or displaying, and flatten when relaxed.

Unlike most other parrots, cockatoos lack the bright blue and green structural feather colors seen in species like macaws; their plumage is mostly white, black, or gray, often accented with patches of yellow, pink, or red.

Cockatoos are highly intelligent birds capable of problem-solving, tool use, and learning to mimic human speech and sounds.

Goffin's cockatoos, a species studied extensively by researchers, have been observed making and using tools, including shaping sticks to retrieve food that's out of reach.

Cockatoos are highly social and, in the wild, live in flocks that can number in the hundreds. As pets, they bond strongly with their owners and can become distressed if left alone too long.

Cockatoos are among the longest-lived birds kept as pets. Many species can live 40 to 60 years in captivity, and some individuals have lived past 80. The oldest verified cockatoo, a Major Mitchell's cockatoo named Cookie, lived to be 82 years old.

Cockatoos are known for extremely loud, raucous calls used to communicate across long distances in the wild - a trait that can make them challenging neighbors when kept as pets in close quarters.

Cockatoos have strong, curved beaks built for cracking open nuts and seeds, and their diet in the wild also includes fruits, roots, and insect larvae.

Cockatoos are generally monogamous and often form long-term pair bonds, with mates preening each other regularly as a form of social bonding.

The sulphur-crested cockatoo, native to Australia and New Guinea, is sometimes considered an agricultural pest because large flocks can damage crops and feed on grain.

Sulphur-crested cockatoos in Sydney, Australia, have been documented learning to open household garbage bins by lifting the lids with their beaks and feet - a foraging behavior that spread between different cockatoo populations over time.

Several cockatoo species, including the yellow-crested and Moluccan cockatoo, are listed as endangered or critically endangered in the wild due to habitat loss and the illegal pet trade.

Pet cockatoos require large cages, daily out-of-cage time, mental stimulation, and a varied diet - without enough attention, they can develop stress behaviors like feather plucking.

The palm cockatoo of northern Australia and New Guinea is known for drumming - it fashions sticks or seed pods into makeshift drumsticks and beats them against tree trunks as part of a courtship display.