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Sulphur-crested Cockatoo  

Also Known As: Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, White Cockatoo
 
Sulphur_crested_cockatoo_26

Medium Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (likely C. g. elenora)

Credit: © iStock Photo
 
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Did You Know?
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos have been known to mob raptors and have been seen dropping leafy twigs onto a pair of Bat Hawks in an attempt to drive them away!

Species Profile
Genus:
Cacatua

Species:
galerita

Size: Adult Weight:
50cm (19.5 in) 815-975g (28.5-34.1 oz)

Races including nominate:
five: C.g. galerita, C.g. queenslandica, C.g. fitzroyi, C.g. triton, C.g. eleonora

Colourization Adult:
C.g. galerita: both adults generally white, washed with pale yellow on ear coverts and bases of feathers of cheeks and throat; yellow crest; eye ring white. In male, eye dark brown, in female, red/brown. Bill slate grey. C.g. queenslandica: both adults as in galerita but smaller in size; bill broader, depressed and ridged. C.g. fitzroyi: both adults as in galerita but with minimal yellow on ear coverts and feathers of cheeks and throat; broader, very ridged bill. Eye ring pale blue. C.g. triton: both adults as in galerita but with wider crest feathers. Eye ring blue. C.g. eleonora: both adults as in triton but bill smaller.

Colourization Juvenile:
C.g. galerita: like adults but sometimes with scattered feathers washed with pale grey. Eye pale brown. C.g. queenslandica: as in adults. C.g. fitzroyi: as in adults. C.g. triton: as in adults. C.g. eleonora: as in adults.

Call: Very loud, raucous, creaky sounding screech ending in upward or downward inflection. Also whistling. In alarm harsh gutteral screeches and shrill squawks. Perched birds may also produce low murmuring. Immatures emit a quiet, high-pitched whine, and a grating creaky call.

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Recent Academic Research: Google Scholar - search results

 

Content Sources:

Article "The Greater Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos," by S. Dobbs and C. Highfill http://www.birdsnways.com/cockatoo/sc.htm

Busch Gardens/Sea World Animal Adventure Camps http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordata/craniata/aves/psittaciformes/greater-sulphur-crested-cockatoo.htm

BirdLife International http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1399&m=0

CITES http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html

Internet Bird Collection http://ibc.lynxeds.com/

Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998.

Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1989.

Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.

Parrots in Aviculture, Low, 1992.

Psittacine Aviculture, Schubot, Clubb and Clubb, 1992.

Avian Pediatric Seminar Proceedings, various authors, 1988.