![]() This group has alternately been considered as either a full family or a subfamily by different authorities. The cockatoos were first defined as a subfamily Cacatuinae within the parrot family Psittacidae by the English naturalist George Robert Gray in 1840, with Cacatua the first listed and type genus. Several species have adapted well to human modified habitats and are found in agricultural areas and even busy cities. ![]() The Philippine Cockatoo inhabits mangroves. Other cockatoo species, such as the Glossy Black Cockatoo, inhabit woodlands, rainforests, shrublands and even forests with an alpine climate. The most widespread species, such as the Galah and Cockatiel, are open-country specialists that feed on grass seeds. However, no species is found in all types of habitat. Some species have widespread distributions, with the Galah, for example, occurring over most of Australia, whereas other species have tiny distributions, confined to a small part of the continent, such as the Long-billed Black Cockatoo of Western Australia or to a small island group, such as the Tanimbar Corella, which is restricted to the Tanimbar Islands of Indonesia.Ĭockatoos occupy a wide range of habitats, from forests in subalpine zones to mangroves. Three species occur in both New Guinea and Australia. Interestingly, no cockatoo species are found in Borneo (despite their presence on nearby Palawan and Sulawesi) or many Pacific islands, although fossil remains have been recorded from New Caledonia. Eleven of the 21 species exist in the wild only in Australia, while seven species occur only in the islands of the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. On average they are larger than other parrots however, the Cockatiel, the smallest cockatoo species, is a small bird.ĭistribution and habitat Ĭockatoos have a much more restricted range than the true parrots, occurring naturally only in Australasia. Their plumage is generally less colourful than that of other parrots, being mainly white, grey or black and often with coloured features in the crest, cheeks or tail. ![]() Ĭockatoos are recognisable by the showy crests and curved and strong bills. The name cockatoo comes from the Malay name for these birds, kaka(k)tua, via the Dutch kaketoe. Along with the Psittacoidea ( true parrots) and the Strigopoidea ( New Zealand parrots), they make up the order Psittaciformes (parrots). Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii.A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae, the only family in the superfamily Cacatuoidea. ![]() The Birds of the Hawaiian Islands: Occurrence, History, Distribution, and Status. Status of Feral Populations of Exotic Cockatoos (Genus Cacatua) in Taiwan. Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance. The only consistent difference is the presence or absence of pink in the crest-however, this is sometimes concealed, and hybrid offspring are also likely to show some pink in the crest, so even the crest coloration is somewhat unreliable for identification.īirdLife International. The White Cockatoo is nearly all-white (with yellowish underwings and undertail) and Salmon-crested usually has a pinkish tone in its coloration (with pinkish, orangish, or yellowish underwings and undertail), but the tones of both species vary and viewing conditions make subtle differences in tone unreliable for identification. They are approximately the same size, with similarly-shaped crests and similar coloration. Moreover, it appears that they may have hybridized at least once in Hawaii, potentially producing intermediate offspring. They do not occur together naturally, but because both are popular cagebirds both have been found living ferally outside of their natural ranges, often in the same areas (e.g., Hawaii and Puerto Rico). White and Salmon-crested Cockatoos are sibling species that are endemic to nearby island groups in the Moluccas-White to the Bacan Islands and Salmon-crested to Seram and its neighbors.
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