Yellow-crested Cockatoo
Encyclopedia
The Yellow-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua sulphurea, also known as the Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, is a medium-sized (approximately 35 cm long) cockatoo
with white plumage
, bluish-white bare orbital skin, grey feet, a black bill
, and a retractile yellow crest. The sexes are similar. Lessor, the cockatoo used in the TV series Baretta
, was a Yellow-crested Cockatoo.
The Yellow-crested Cockatoo is found in wooded and cultivated areas of East Timor
and Indonesia
's islands of Sulawesi
and the Lesser Sundas
. It is easily confused with the larger and more common Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
, which has a more easterly distribution and can be distinguished by the lack of pale yellow coloring on its cheeks (although some Sulphur-cresteds develop yellowish patches). Also, the Yellow-crested Cockatoo's crest is a brighter color, closer to orange. The Citron-crested Cockatoo
, which is a subspecies of the Yellow-crested Cockatoo, is similar, but its crest is orange.
The Yellow-crested Cockatoo's diet consists mainly of seeds, bud
s, fruit
s, nuts
and herbaceous plants.
about 75 days after hatching.
. Numbers have declined dramatically due to illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade. Between 1980 and 1992, over 100,000 of these birds were legally exported from Indonesia yet a German proposal submitted to CITES to move it to Appendix I was not approved. It has since been moved to Appendix I. The current population is estimated at as few as 2,500 individuals and is thought to be declining in number.
The subspecies abbotti is found only on the island of Masakambing, one of the Masalembu islands. Its population on this tiny island (about 5 km2 or 1.9 mi2) had fallen to 10 as of June and July 2008. The decline results from trapping and logging, especially of mangrove (Avicennia
apiculata) and kapok trees.
Several national parks provide protection of their habitat, including Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park
on Sulawesi, Komodo National Park
in Komodo Island
, the national parks of Manupeu Tanah Daru
and Laiwangi Wanggameti
on Sumba
as well as the Nino Konis Santana National Park
in East Timor (Timor-Leste).
population of these birds in Hong Kong
. They are a common sight across the densely populated area on both sides of the harbour, easily spotted in the woods and public parks in the northern and western of Hong Kong Island. The large group has apparently developed from a number of caged birds that have been released into the Hong Kong skies over many years. An often repeated story is that Hong Kong Governor Sir Mark Aitchison Young
released Government House's entire bird collection – including a large number of Yellow-crested Cockatoos – hours before surrendering Hong Kong
to Japanese troops in December 1941.
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 white plumage
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
, bluish-white bare orbital skin, grey feet, a black bill
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 retractile yellow crest. The sexes are similar. Lessor, the cockatoo used in the TV series Baretta
Baretta
Baretta is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1978. The show was a milder version of a successful 1973–74 ABC series, Toma, starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like, real-life New Jersey police officer David Toma...
, was a Yellow-crested Cockatoo.
The Yellow-crested Cockatoo is found in wooded and cultivated areas of East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
's islands of Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
and the Lesser Sundas
Lesser Sunda Islands
The Lesser Sunda Islands or Nusa Tenggara are a group of islands in the southern Maritime Southeast Asia, north of Australia. Together with the Greater Sunda Islands to the west they make up the Sunda Islands...
. It is easily confused with the larger and more common 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...
, which has a more easterly distribution and can be distinguished by the lack of pale yellow coloring on its cheeks (although some Sulphur-cresteds develop yellowish patches). Also, the Yellow-crested Cockatoo's crest is a brighter color, closer to orange. The Citron-crested Cockatoo
Citron-crested Cockatoo
The Citron-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua sulphurea citrinocristata is a medium-sized cockatoo with an orange crest, dark grey beak, pale orange ear patches, and strong feet and claws. The underside of the larger wing and tail feathers have a pale yellow colour. The eye colour ranges from brown through...
, which is a subspecies of the Yellow-crested Cockatoo, is similar, but its crest is orange.
The Yellow-crested Cockatoo's diet consists mainly of seeds, bud
Bud
In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of the stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be specialized to develop flowers or short shoots, or may have...
s, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s, nuts
Nut (fruit)
A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
and herbaceous plants.
Breeding
The Yellow-crested Cockatoo nests in tree cavities. The eggs are white and there are usually two in a clutch. The incubation is shared by both parents. The eggs are incubated for about 28 days and the chicks leave the nestBird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
about 75 days after hatching.
Status and conservation
The Yellow-crested Cockatoo is critically endangeredCritically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
. Numbers have declined dramatically due to illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade. Between 1980 and 1992, over 100,000 of these birds were legally exported from Indonesia yet a German proposal submitted to CITES to move it to Appendix I was not approved. It has since been moved to Appendix I. The current population is estimated at as few as 2,500 individuals and is thought to be declining in number.
The subspecies abbotti is found only on the island of Masakambing, one of the Masalembu islands. Its population on this tiny island (about 5 km2 or 1.9 mi2) had fallen to 10 as of June and July 2008. The decline results from trapping and logging, especially of mangrove (Avicennia
Avicennia
Avicennia is a genus of flowering plants currently placed in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae. It contains mangrove trees, which occur in the intertidal zones of estuarine areas and are characterized by aerial roots. Species of Avicennia occur worldwide south of the Tropic of Cancer.The...
apiculata) and kapok trees.
Several national parks provide protection of their habitat, including Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park
Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park
Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park is a national park on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, on the province of South East Sulawesi. It was declared in 1989, and has an area of 1,050 km². The park ranges from sea level to the altitude of 981 m....
on Sulawesi, Komodo National Park
Komodo National Park
The Komodo National Park is a national park in Indonesia located within the Lesser Sunda Islands in the border region between the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara. The park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Padar and Rincah, and 26 smaller ones, with a total area of...
in Komodo Island
Komodo (island)
Komodo is one of the 17,508 islands that make up the Republic of Indonesia. The island has a surface area of 390 km² and over 2000 inhabitants. The inhabitants of the island are descendants of former convicts who were exiled to the island and who have mixed themselves with the Bugis from...
, the national parks of Manupeu Tanah Daru
Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park
Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park is located on the island of Sumba in Indonesia. This national park consists plenty of steepy slopes. There are about 118 plant species protected in this national park including Toona sureni, Sterculia foetida, Schleichera oleosa, Alstonia scholaris , Tamarind,...
and Laiwangi Wanggameti
Laiwangi Wanggameti National Park
Laiwangi Wanggameti National Park is located on the island of Sumba in Indonesia. All forests types that exist on this island can be found in this national park...
on Sumba
Sumba
Sumba is an island in eastern Indonesia, is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, and is in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. Sumba has an area of 11,153 km², and the population was officially at 611,422 in 2005...
as well as the Nino Konis Santana National Park
Nino Konis Santana National Park
Nino Konis Santana National Park is East Timor's first national park. It was declared on August 3, 2007 and includes over 1,236 square kilometres of land. It links three important bird areas; Lore, Monte Paitchau and Lake Iralalara, and Jaco Island...
in East Timor (Timor-Leste).
Introduced population
There is an introducedIntroduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
population of these birds in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. They are a common sight across the densely populated area on both sides of the harbour, easily spotted in the woods and public parks in the northern and western of Hong Kong Island. The large group has apparently developed from a number of caged birds that have been released into the Hong Kong skies over many years. An often repeated story is that Hong Kong Governor Sir Mark Aitchison Young
Mark Aitchison Young
Sir Mark Aitchison Young, GCMG was a British administrator who became the Governor of Hong Kong during the years immediately before and after the Japanese occupation of the territory.-Early life, service in war:...
released Government House's entire bird collection – including a large number of Yellow-crested Cockatoos – hours before surrendering Hong Kong
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting by British and Canadian defenders against overwhelming Japanese Imperial forces. The occupation lasted...
to Japanese troops in December 1941.