Sulphur Crested Cockatoo as seen on Wikipedia
There are 21 species of Cockatoos with an Australian heritage ranging from the Philippeans and eastern Indonesian islands of Wallacea to New Guinea and the Soloman Islands and Australia.
The name Cockatoo originated from the 17th century Malay name KAKATUWAH meaning vice or grip, probably referring to its strong beak. Our Moluccan Cockatoo has a very impressive beak which can do severe damage, but luckily Cockatoos are very affectionate by nature and she does not use that beak to harm people. Our daughter has reported her nipping at her on occasion when she is demanding attention. She regularly grabs my hand as I’m putting her onto her perch and places it under her wing where she could stand for 20 minutes and let me scratch under wings.
In the wild, Cockatoos prefer to eat seeds, tubers, corns, fruit, flowers and insects. This somewhat amazes me since I have never seen Peaches eat any of the above except for corn and fruit. In fact, our Eclectus loves Sunflower seeds and when I offer them to Peaches, she usually just ignores them. * See the page “Parrot Food” for an in depth account of what our Parrots prefer to eat.
They are monogamous in nature and nest in tree hollows which would explain Peaches’s desire to chew and destroy wood. Cockatoos must have a constant supply of sticks, wood blocks, untreated pine cones, etc. to satisfy their need to chew or you will have a 2 lb. terror walking around your kitchen floor and eating the window sils. :( Many cages have a playground on top and if it is near wooden blinds, say goodbye to them.
Cockatiels also fall within the Cacatuidae family but are considerably smaller and slimmer ranging from 80-100 grams in weight. They too are very affectionate and make great first time bird pets. Many will learn to talk if you talk to them regularly, but it’s said that the males are better. Since their beak is so much smaller, you will have virtually no destruction when outside of the cage.
In the mid range come the Goffins, Galah’s and Rose Breasted Cockatoos among others. They have a much softer voice than the larger Sulphers, Major Mitchells, Moluccans, etc. and are still capable of learning human speech though they don’t enunciate like some Parrots. (Amazons and African Greys)
All Parrots have a fine powder down stemming from the tips of the barbules which disintegrate forming particles of keratin. This down is a known allergen to some humans so be sure no one in your family is allergic to the down, or you will need to get rid of your new best friend. It seems that Cockatoos have a bit more than most to me. When Peaches cuddles and lays her head on my shoulder for just a minute, I am covered in powder as though I have dandruff. They have a regular habit of “shaking” and you can see the powder and newly groomed feather shafts fly everywhere.
Of the five different breeds of Parrots that we have owned, my definite favorite so far is the Cockatoo family for well rounded companionship, intelligence, affection to all family members and speaking ability.
