Cockatoos (Cacatuidae)
ORDER
The parrots, Kakapo, and cockatoos are three of the four families found in the PSITTACIFORMES (pronounced si-tas-i-FOR-meez).
FAMILY TAXONOMY
The cockatoos are placed in the cacatuidae (pronounced ka-ka-TU-i-dee), a group of twenty-one species in seven genera found in eastern Indonesia, the Philippines, Australasia, and as introduced species in some parts of the world, including Palau.
SOUTH PACIFIC-PALAU
Three species of cockatoo in one genus live in the South Pacific. One species in one genus lives in Palau, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.
KNOWN FOR
Cockatoos are known for white fluffy plumage, prominent crests, loud screeching calls, and intelligence.
PHYSICAL
Members of the cacatuidae are small to large birds with sharply down-curved beaks. They have long wings, long tails, and medium legs.
COLORATION
Most cockatoos are plumaged in white or gray with pink, red, or yellow highlights. The Palm Cockatoo and the five species in the Calyptorhynchus genus are mostly black.
GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT
Members of this family live in savannahs, grasslands, urban areas, and tropical forests.
MIGRATION
Although a few cockatoo species in Australia make short movements in search of food, none of the cockatoos are migratory.
HABITS
Cockatoos are very social and most species form large flocks. They forage for fruits, seeds, and nuts by using their beaks to pick them off of trees and from the ground.
CONSERVATION
Although the introduced Sulphur-crested Cockatoo on Palau is common throughout its range, eight other cockatoos are species of conservation concern. Two of these species, the Red-vented Cockatoo of the Philippines and the Yellow-crested Cockatoo of eastern Indonesia, are Critically Endangered. Both are threatened by habitat loss and capture for the pet trade.
INTERESTING FACTS
The word “cockatoo” may comes from “kaka(k)tua”, the Malay word for “parrot” and “older sibling”, or a similar Indonesian word for these birds. Members of this family keep their bills sharp by scraping the two mandibles together. Like parrots, cockatoos have feet with the two middle toes forward and the two outer toes backward. The Palm Cockatoo of the Cape York Peninsula in Australia and New Guinea communicates by using a stick to drum on a dead branch.