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15 July 2009
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Sulphur-crested cockatoos

Sulphur-crested cockatoo
Cacatua galerita

This parrot is popular as a pet, and the capture of adults and chicks is posing a threat to some populations.

Statistics
48-55cm with a wing span of 103cm.

Physical description
Sulphur-crested cockatoos are large, bulky birds, with broad rounded wings. They are white with a conspicuous yellow crest on the head, and yellow undersides to the wings.

Distribution
They are widespread in NE and SE Australia and also throughout much of New Guinea and neighbouring islands.

Habitat
Sulphur-crested cockatoos inhabit forests, grassland and urban areas, such as parks and gardens.

Diet
They feed on seeds of grasses and herbaceous plants including cereals and oilseeds, as well as fruits and flowers, bulbous roots and insect larvae.

Behaviour
Sulphur-crested cockatoos are gregarious, and are seen in pairs, small groups or groups of hundreds. They are noisy birds, and are active in the morning and late afternoon.

Reproduction
They breed all year depending on the location. Both adults incubate a cluch of 2-3 eggs in a tree hollow.

Conservation status
They are not listed by the IUCN.




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