Cockatoo is perhaps one of the most famous birds in the world. The native habitats of the cockatoo are Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea and the Philippine Islands. However, since many of these parrots are successfully kept in captivity, we can say that the distribution region today includes the whole world.
The cockatoo has a very colorful appearance: massive curved beaks and elegant crests will not leave indifferent even those who are not fans of birds.
Among all the types of parrots that people keep at home, the cockatoo parrot is the most popular after the budgerigar. Maybe because they are the most colorful, or maybe because these parrots have the ability to copy different sounds, including human speech. Well, be that as it may, namely the cockatoo is most often chosen by children.
In general, there are a lot of species of parrots on earth, both large and small, and painted in all colors of the rainbow and snow-white. And among all this many-sided family, cockatoo parrots stand especially.
The beak for a cockatoo is not so much a decoration as a powerful tool: it can not only crack the hard shell of nuts, but in some cases even bite wooden and even thin metal rods of the cage. By the way, the name “cockatoo” itself comes from the word “cacatua”, which means “wire cutters.”
Cockatoo is considered a large bird, some specimens reach up to 70 cm in length. The color of the feathers can be different – white and black, pink or yellow, including various shades and combinations of colors. The crest is usually different in color from the rest of the plumage. Cocktails can travel in three ways – they fly perfectly, they can climb trees, and if necessary they can stomp quite quickly on foot.
The life expectancy of cockatoos is very long, about 60-80 years. It depends on the living conditions and type of bird. In nature, cockatoos live in packs all the time, except for the nesting period, for which they form pairs. These birds usually nest in hollows or crevices of rocks, always at a high altitude from the ground. Large cockatoo species have 2-3 eggs in the clutch, and small ones have 5 to 6 eggs. Cockatoo has about 20 species that vary in size, color of feathers and crest.
This species has 8 subspecies. Most of the feathers of this bird are white, except for the crest and the lower part of the tail. Beak and paws are dark gray. These cockatoos are well accustomed to humans, often kept in captivity. They know how to copy sounds poorly, but they are able to perform various tricks, especially for females.
The largest of the parrots of this species, reaches 50 cm or more in length. The crest is also the largest, resembling a crown. He practically does not know how to speak, but is distinguished by great affection for a person.
The smallest of all cockatoo species is only about 30 cm. The goffin cockatoo has a yellowish plumage and small crest. Kakadu Inka The most elegant and bright representative of the family. His crest resembles the headdress of the Indians, and the plumage is white with a pink tint.
Since cockatoos are long-lived birds, they make wonderful home friends for life. But these parrots have one unpleasant habit – when a bird is alarmed or excited, it raises a crest, screams loudly and unpleasantly and can bite a person with its strong beak. Education from an early age helps to get rid of this habit and subsequently allows a person to communicate with his pet without the danger of being bitten.
Kakadu has a rare artistic talent. He, even in ordinary life, so comically dissolves and folds the crest, moves so quickly and crouches swaying from side to side, that this did not remain on the birds noticed by trainers. Therefore, cockatoo is one of the regular artists in many circuses of the world.
Cockatoo owes its popularity to keeping home cocktails, first of all, to sailors of the sailing fleet, who, due to monotony and boredom, often brought animals or birds on their ships. Well, a monkey or a teddy bear requires a lot of care and of course is quite voracious, but the parrot eats little, and there is much more fun from it. Think of the John Silver parrot from Treasure Island. This parrot named after the formidable pirate Flint with his “Piastres, Piastres …” became a full-fledged character in this fascinating story. So today, cockatoo is one of the most popular birds in the world, kept as pets.
