Sample Article - Fauna

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Cacatua galerita

Also known as:  Great Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, White Cockatoo. 
Where to see it:  Abundant throughout the region.   

The Sulphur Crested Cockatoo is probably one of the best known Australian birds, and although not normally seen in the inner city, it is not uncommon to find flocks of them in the surrounding suburbs of the Gold Coast. 

They are a large bird, measuring between 450 and 500 mm from the crown of the head to the tip of the tail feathers.  They can weigh anywhere between 700 to 950 grams.  Both sexes are alike, being predominantly coloured white, and having a yellow, or "sulphur" coloured, forward-curved crest, from which they derive their name.  The feathers around the ears and the undersides of the tail and wings are also yellow, as are the base of the feathers on the cheeks and throat.  They have a strong, curved, dark grey beak. 

The Cockatoos congregate in large flocks and establish a roosting site, usually in a large tree, to which they return every night.  This roosting site will remain their preferred "home" and will only be abandoned when their food source expires.

Sulphur Crested Cockatoos feed mainly on the ground eating such things as grass-seed and grain, bulbous roots, berries, nuts, young shoots and buds.  As well, they also eat insects and their larvae. 

They can cause considerable damage to crops such as peanuts and grain and desperate farmers have tried all kinds of remedies to discourage large flocks from eating and destroying their produce.  They normally feed until mid-morning and then, as the day warms up, retreat to the shade of nearby trees where they rest and entertain themselves by stripping the leaves and bark off the branches.  As the afternoon cools, they go back to the ground and feed, returning "home" to their roosting site just before dark.  Upon their arrival at the roosting site the noise can be quite deafening (and annoying if living close by) as the birds dispute with each other over roosting positions.  It is usually long after sunset before the noise subsides and peace returns to the district.

Interestingly, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos have an established lookout or warning system.  While the flock is feeding on the ground, a number of the birds will perch in trees nearby, giving them an unobstructed view of their surroundings.  These few birds will watch for any intruder and will give a warning if they see anything suspicious.  At the sound of the warning screech, as one, with much squawking and screeching, the entire flock rises into the air, making for the shelter and safety of the nearby trees, where they continue their deafening noise.

In the local area, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos breed between the months of May and September.  They prefer to nest in the hollow limbs of Eucalyptus trees as high up from the ground as possible.  The female lays two or three white eggs which both sexes incubate for about 30 days.  The young Cockatoos emerge from the nest when they are around six weeks old.

It would be most unusual for any visitor to the Gold Coast not to recognise the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo if they saw one.  For many years these birds have been highly popular and sought after as exhibits in zoos throughout the world.  They have also been prized as domestic pets, although this is not recommended in suburban areas, unless you want to hear some complaints from your neighbours.  Even in captivity the birds continue to make as much noise as they do in the wild.  However, they are quite easily tamed, particularly if taken from the nest while very young, and, like other members of the Parrot family, they can be taught to mimic human sounds such as speech, laughter, and even coughing.