Cockatoo

There are 21 species of birds belonging to the Cockatoo (Cacatuidae) family.

Cockatoo originated from the Malay name for these birds, kakaktua which translates as "older sister".   The Cockatoo shares many features with the Psittacidae true parrot family, such as, the curved beak shape and zygodactyls foot, where two toes point backwards and two toes point forwards.   They lack the Dyck texture feather composition which causes the  bright colours of blue and green I true parrots.

The Cockatoo is generally larger than the true parrots.   Eleven Cockatoo species live naturally in Australia and the close islands, another seven species live in Indonesia and New Guinea and the South Pacific islands.

The male Cockatoo is distinquished by its black coloured eye whereas the female has a reddish-brown eye.   The iris colour will change in your Cockatoo's second year.

The needs of your Cockatoo : 

Your Cockatoo must be housed in a metal cage or aviary free from frost and in a sheltered area.   They love to bathe and should be put under the shower or allowed to sit in the rain regularly.   A stand should be provided so that your Cockatoo can spend some time in freedom, so long as it is supervised.

The Cockatoo lives on a diet of parrot mixture, green food, fruit, berries, sunflower seeds, millet, corn and pine nuts.