Birds · Psittaciformes · Cacatuidae

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Cacatua galerita

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The sulphur-crested cockatoo is a large white parrot with an erectile yellow crest, abundant in eastern and northern Australia and very familiar in the parks of Sydney and Melbourne. It is long-lived, noisy and extraordinarily intelligent. In recent years it has been at the centre of a celebrated case of cultural transmission: the technique for opening domestic wheelie bins has spread from suburb to suburb by imitation.

Weight

750 g – 950 g

Size

44 cm – 55 cm

Lifespan

60 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

SavannaTemperate forestGrasslandHerbivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Savanna Temperate forest Grassland

6countries 48parks3same family

Fun facts

It learned to open wheelie bins and that technique has spread across dozens of Sydney suburbs by imitation between individuals, with local variations in style: it is one of the best-documented cases of animal culture in a city.
It can live beyond sixty and there are captive birds that have passed eighty: the cockatoo Cocky Bennett, in Australia, died at more than a hundred according to the records.
In some populations it has been seen dancing spontaneously to music, synchronising its movements with the beat, an ability once thought almost unique to human beings.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Woodland, savannah, farmland and city parks of Australia and New Guinea
Sexual maturity: 4 years
Gestation / incubation: 27 days
Litter / clutch size: 2

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