Blue-eyed Cockatoo
Encyclopedia
The Blue-eyed Cockatoo, Cacatua ophthalmica, is a large, approximately 50 cm (20 in) long, mainly white cockatoo
with a mobile crest, a black beak
, and a light blue rim of featherless skin around each eye, that gives this species its name.
Like all cockatoos and many parrot
s, the Blue-eyed Cockatoo can use one of its zygodactyl feet to hold objects and to bring food to its beak whilst standing on the other foot; nevertheless, amongst bird species as a whole this is relatively unusual.
Both sexes appear very similar. Some males have a dark brown iris
and some females have a reddish brown iris, but this small difference may not always be reliable as a gender indicator. It is easily mistaken for the Yellow-crested
and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
s, but has a more rounded crest with more white to the frontal part, and a brighter blue eye-ring.
to lowland and hill forests of New Britain
in Papua New Guinea
, Solomon Islands
and it is the only cockatoo in the Bismarck Archipelago
.
Formerly classified as a species of Least Concern
by the IUCN, it is suspected to have become much rarer in recent times than was assumed previously. Consequently it was uplisted to Vulnerable
in 2008.
Cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...
with a mobile crest, a black beak
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
, and a light blue rim of featherless skin around each eye, that gives this species its name.
Like all cockatoos and many parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
s, the Blue-eyed Cockatoo can use one of its zygodactyl feet to hold objects and to bring food to its beak whilst standing on the other foot; nevertheless, amongst bird species as a whole this is relatively unusual.
Description
The Blue-eyed Cockatoo is a large, approximately 50 cm (20 in) long, mainly white cockatoo with an erectile yellow and white crest, a black beak, dark grey legs, and a light blue rim of featherless skin around each eye, that gives this species its name.Both sexes appear very similar. Some males have a dark brown iris
Iris (anatomy)
The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupils and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel , grey, violet, or even pink...
and some females have a reddish brown iris, but this small difference may not always be reliable as a gender indicator. It is easily mistaken for the Yellow-crested
Yellow-crested Cockatoo
The Yellow-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua sulphurea, also known as the Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, is a medium-sized cockatoo with white plumage, bluish-white bare orbital skin, grey feet, a black bill, and a retractile yellow crest. The sexes are similar...
and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua galerita, is a relatively large white cockatoo found in wooded habitats in Australia and New Guinea. They can be locally very numerous, leading to them sometimes being considered pests...
s, but has a more rounded crest with more white to the frontal part, and a brighter blue eye-ring.
Habitat and status
The Blue-eyed Cockatoo is endemicEndemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to lowland and hill forests of New Britain
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
and it is the only cockatoo in the Bismarck Archipelago
Bismarck Archipelago
The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea.-History:...
.
Formerly classified as a species of Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
by the IUCN, it is suspected to have become much rarer in recent times than was assumed previously. Consequently it was uplisted to Vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
in 2008.