Native to Oceania and Indonesia, the parrot is a very expressive bird, that requires a lot of attention and lives for a long time. Let’s go back to her history, diet, and health.
The Sulfur Cockatoo can be seen in many funny videos floating around the web. There are many other species of cockatoo, interesting to spot and breed. What are their characteristics and needs?
Is a parrot a bird?
The term “cockatoo” refers to several species of giant parrots that are indigenous to Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia.
Most birds can be identified by their lively feather crest or crest.
The cockatoo with the cockatiel is made up of the vacation family. The latter is divided into 3 tribes:
- Calyptorhynchini: They are cockatoos with dark plumage (brown, grey, black, etc.). Red Headed Cockatoo, Black Cockatoo, Banksy’s Cockatoo, Latham’s Cockatoo, Funeral Cockatoo, White-tailed Cockatoo, and Baudin’s Cockatoo.
- Cockatoos: This tribe of cockatoos with light plumage (white, gray, etc.) includes the sulfur-crested cockatoo, as well as the long-billed cockatoo, tillering cockatoo, Corella cockatoo, Goffin’s cockatoo, Ducorps’ cockatoo, Philippine cockatoo, sulfur-crested cockatoo, blue-eyed cockatoo, red cockatoo Peak, and white cockatoo.
- The only graceful cockatiel is found in the genus Nymphicus.
These birds need to stay active, play, and interact well with the humans who are caring for them. They are very intelligent and curious, and they are also particularly expressive and sometimes very noisy, both in their cries and in the human expressions they can repeat. Aggressive behaviors, especially on the part of the male towards the female, are also observed in the sulfur cockatoo. Therefore, taming and educating them requires a lot of tact and patience.
Parrot Bird Rescue near me
As shown above, the origins of cockatoos are mainly in the Indonesian archipelago and Oceania. The genus Cacatua was identified by French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieux in 1817.
Some species were described as early as the end of the 18th century, while others were described much later, such as the proboscis parrot by the German zoologist Heinrich Kuhl in 1820 and the cockatiel by Johann Georg Wagler in 1832.
Feed the parrot
Cockatoos are carnivores. These birds feed on seeds, fruits, flowers, herbs, bulbs, and even insects in their natural habitat.
In captivity, they can be given commercially available pellets, which consist of dried exotic fruits, lumpy seeds, and pellets. A diet supplemented with seeds as treats, fresh fruits, and vegetables, cooked (never raw) beans, and thoroughly washed spinach and cabbage leaves.
The age of the parrot
The life expectancy of a cockatoo is about 50 to 60 years. They are therefore quite long and the acquisition of such a bird should not be made on a whim. It’s a big responsibility.
Parrot diseases
Among the diseases most likely to affect cockatoos is polygamy, caused by a virus (Tomavirus) to which newborn babies are particularly susceptible. Normally, healthy adults’ antibodies are strong enough to defeat them.
Parrot bird
Cockatoos also spread with paramyxoviruses, which are responsible for neurological disorders, and pachucos (or herpes) are transmitted by eating droppings and lead to fatal hepatitis, as well as psittacosis. The latter is a zoonotic disease, as humans can become contaminated by inhaling the droppings of infected birds.