Birds · Psittaciformes · Cacatuidae

Palm Cockatoo

Probosciger aterrimus

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

The palm cockatoo is an imposing black bird with an enormous erectile crest and a bare red cheek that changes in intensity with the animal's mood. Its bill is huge, and the lower mandible does not meet the upper. Its courtship behaviour has made it a celebrated case: it is the only animal other than humans that makes tools in order to produce music with a rhythm of its own.

Weight

500 g – 1 kg

Size

55 cm – 60 cm

Lifespan

50 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

SavannaRainforestGrasslandHerbivore Diurnal In pairs Near Threatened Bird Savanna Rainforest Grassland

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Fun facts

GeneralIt drums on trunks with a stick it makes itself: one of the few animals that plays a musical instrument.
It makes drumsticks: the male cuts a branch, trims it to the length he prefers and beats a hollow trunk with it, producing a regular, personal rhythm that differs from one individual to another. It is the only known case of musical instrument making outside our own species.
Its bare cheek reddens when the bird is excited and pales when it is calm, a literal blush that works as a social signal.
It raises a single chick every two years, one of the slowest breeding rates of any parrot.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Rainforest, eucalypt savannah and forest edges of New Guinea and northern Queensland
Sexual maturity: 7.5 years
Gestation / incubation: 31 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 1 egg

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probosciger_aterrimus