The Cockatoo is a larger bird that many people confuse with the Cockatiel. They are actually any of the 21 species that belong to the bird family Cacatuidae, and are a species of parrot as well. In the wild, they are found throughout Australia, the Philippines, some of the eastern Indonesian islands, New Guinea, and the Soloman Islands.
Cockatoos are easily recognizable by their crests and curved bills and are generally larger than most other parrots. Their size difference is the easiest way to tell them apart from the Cockatiel, who is the smallest of all the parrot species. Of course, the plumage of the Cockatoo is a bit less colorful than most parrots, being mainly white, black, or grey - but they have beautifully colored crests, and usually colored cheeks and tails as well. Cockatoos are very popular birds among bird lovers, although they do take a lot of care, which is why many newer bird owners choose the smaller Cockatiel.
Their main diet is made up of seeds, fruits, flowers, and insects and they are very social birds. They like to eat in flocks, especially on the ground. But, they only like to eat later in the day when the sun has gone up and warmed their nests. Then, they love to travel around in very noisy flocks looking for food. Since they love such a wide variety of different foods, you can start off with a normal diet of prepackaged Cockatoo food and then add fruits and vegetables as well as other treats. If you aren't sure what else they can have, talk with your local vet, check for special home recipes online, or talk with local breeders or pet stores.
When it comes to breeding them, Cockatoos are monogamous birds, meaning that one pair will bond for many years. Most Cockatoos will actually pair up for life before they have even reached sexual maturity, and will even delay breeding for about a year. The females will breed normally for the first time when they are anywhere from three to seven years old, and males will be a bit older when they are ready to breed. Cockatoo's sexual maturity is delayed so that they can develop the skills needed for raising and parenting their baby birds, and is much longer than other bird's sexual maturity.
One of the main reasons that Cockatoos are kept as pets, and popular ones at that, is due to the fact that they are very smart and have engaging personalities when it comes to humans. They can be problematic however, and love to eat drywall and other areas around homes that can cause them harm and harm your home. Making sure that they have plenty of toys that they can tear up and destroy and affection will keep this from happening. They are very affectionate birds and will become really attached to their owners as well as some other people, but the will also demand attention from you. While it is hard for them to mimic human sounds, it can be done with a lot of work from their owners. They love different sounds, such as cartoons, music, talk from their owners, the radio, and more, so it's always a good idea to leave some noise on to help them work on their ability to mimic noises.
If you are considering getting a Cockatoo, you do need to know that they live a very long time. Normally, a Cockatoo will live anywhere between 30 to 70 years, although it has been reported that some have lived over 100 years.
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