Cacatua
Encyclopedia
Cacatua is a genus
of cockatoo
s found from the Philippines
and Wallacea
east to the Solomon Islands
and south to Australia
. They have a primarily white plumage
(in some species tinged pinkish or yellow), an expressive crest, and a black (subgenus Cacatua
) or pale (subgenus Licmetis
) bill. Today several species from this genus are considered threatened due to a combination of habitat loss and capture for the wild bird trade, with the Blue-eyed Cockatoo, Moluccan Cockatoo and Umbrella Cockatoo considered Vulnerable
, the Red-vented Cockatoo considered Endangered
, and the Yellow-crested Cockatoo considered Critically Endangered
.
The genus was first described by Brisson
in 1790, with the White Cockatoo (Cacatua alba) subsequently designated as the type species. Georges Cuvier
defined the genus Kakatoe in 1800, with the Red-vented Cockatoo (C. haematuropygia) as the type, and some older bird books use the latter name. Mayr, Keast and Serventy validated Cacatua in 1964, and dismissed Kakatoe.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of cockatoo
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...
s found from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and Wallacea
Wallacea
Wallacea is a biogeographical designation for a group of Indonesian islands separated by deep water straits from the Asian and Australian continental shelves. Wallacea includes Sulawesi, the largest island in the group, as well as Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Timor, Halmahera, Buru, Seram, and...
east to the 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 south to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. They have a primarily white plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
(in some species tinged pinkish or yellow), an expressive crest, and a black (subgenus Cacatua
Cacatua (subgenus)
Cacatua is a subgenus of the white cockatoos . They are found in wooded habitats from Wallacea east to the Bismarck Archipelago and south to Australia. With the exception of the Yellow-crested Cockatoo, all are relatively large cockatoos with a total length of 45–55 cm...
) or pale (subgenus Licmetis
Licmetis
Licmetis is a subgenus of the white cockatoos . They are collectively known as corellas in Australia. Three of the six species are primarily - or only - found in Australia, while the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Solomons each have an endemic species...
) bill. Today several species from this genus are considered threatened due to a combination of habitat loss and capture for the wild bird trade, with the Blue-eyed Cockatoo, Moluccan Cockatoo and Umbrella Cockatoo considered 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:...
, the Red-vented Cockatoo considered Endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
, and the Yellow-crested Cockatoo considered Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations....
.
The genus was first described by Brisson
Mathurin Jacques Brisson
Mathurin Jacques Brisson was a French zoologist and natural philosopher.Brisson was born at Fontenay-le-Comte. The earlier part of his life was spent in the pursuit of natural history, his published works in this department including Le Règne animal and Ornithologie...
in 1790, with the White Cockatoo (Cacatua alba) subsequently designated as the type species. Georges Cuvier
Georges Cuvier
Georges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
defined the genus Kakatoe in 1800, with the Red-vented Cockatoo (C. haematuropygia) as the type, and some older bird books use the latter name. Mayr, Keast and Serventy validated Cacatua in 1964, and dismissed Kakatoe.
Species
- Subgenus CacatuaCacatua (subgenus)Cacatua is a subgenus of the white cockatoos . They are found in wooded habitats from Wallacea east to the Bismarck Archipelago and south to Australia. With the exception of the Yellow-crested Cockatoo, all are relatively large cockatoos with a total length of 45–55 cm...
- true white cockatoos- Yellow-crested (or Lesser Sulphur-crested) CockatooYellow-crested CockatooThe 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...
, Cacatua (Cacatua) sulphurea - Sulphur-crested CockatooSulphur-crested CockatooThe 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...
, Cacatua (Cacatua) galerita - Blue-eyed CockatooBlue-eyed CockatooThe Blue-eyed Cockatoo, Cacatua ophthalmica, is a large, approximately 50 cm 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....
, Cacatua (Cacatua) ophthalmica - White (or Umbrella) Cockatoo, Cacatua (Cacatua) alba
- Salmon-crested (or Moluccan) Cockatoo, Cacatua (Cacatua) moluccensis
- Yellow-crested (or Lesser Sulphur-crested) Cockatoo
- Subgenus LicmetisLicmetisLicmetis is a subgenus of the white cockatoos . They are collectively known as corellas in Australia. Three of the six species are primarily - or only - found in Australia, while the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Solomons each have an endemic species...
- corellas- Long-billed CorellaLong-billed CorellaThe Long-billed Corella, Cacatua tenuirostris, is a cockatoo native to Australia, which is similar in appearance to the Little Corella and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. This species is mostly white, with a reddish-pink face and forehead, and has a long pale beak, which is used to dig for roots and seeds...
, Cacatua (Licmetis) tenuirostris - Western CorellaWestern CorellaThe Western Corella formerly known as the Western Long-billed Corella, is a species of white cockatoo endemic to south-western Western Australia.-Taxonomy:...
, Cacatua (Licmetis) pastinator - Little CorellaLittle CorellaThe Little Corella, Cacatua sanguinea, also known as the Bare-eyed Cockatoo, is a white cockatoo native to Australia and southern New Guinea....
, Cacatua (Licmetis) sanguinea - Tanimbar Corella (or Goffin's Cockatoo), Cacatua (Licmetis) goffiniana
- Solomons Cockatoo (or Ducorps's Cockatoo), Cacatua (Licmetis) ducorpsii
- Red-vented (or Philippine) CockatooRed-vented CockatooThe Red-vented Cockatoo, Cacatua haematuropygia, sometimes called the Philippine Cockatoo or Kalangay, is a critically endangered species of cockatoo that is endemic to the Philippines...
, Cacatua (Licmetis) haematuropygia
- Long-billed Corella