The white cockatoo parrot (Cacatua Cacatua) tolerates captivity well and these birds are often kept as pets.
The genus Cacatua Cacatua includes several species, including:
- Cacatua sulphurea, Lesser yellow-crested cockatoo;
- Cacatua galerita, Greater yellow-crested cockatoo;
- Cacatua ophtalmica, Spectacled Cockatoo;
- Cacatua Alba, Great White-crested Cockatoo, Alba Cockatoo;
- Cacatua moluccensis, Moluccan cockatoo.
White cockatoos live for about 50 years. These birds are easy to train, they are very trusting and become attached to their owner. Their vocabulary is small, the parrot's voice is loud and creaky. They imitate different sounds well and imitate the voices of animals and birds well.
The white cockatoo parrot is capable of performing various tricks and does a good job of copying the movements demonstrated to it. These birds can often be found in circus arenas.
Description of white cockatoos Alba
The body length is 40-46 centimeters, the tail is 20 centimeters, and the wing is 25-31 centimeters. Females weigh 400-520 grams, and males - 630-700 grams.
The head is decorated with a luxurious crest, which arches back and most often lies down. The legs are dark gray, the beak is black. The periorbital ring and eyelids are light blue. Feathers have blunt ends. The color of females and males is the same. Females are smaller than males, their heads and beaks are also smaller. The irises of females are brown, while those of males are black. The plumage is white, the lower part of the tail and wings have a yellowish tint.
Classification
The species includes 4 subspecies:
- Cacatua sulphurea abbotti (Oberholser, 1917) - body length up to 40 cm
- Orange-crested cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea citrinocristata (Fraser, 1844)
- Cacatua sulphurea parvula (Bonaparte, 1850) - body length up to 33 cm
- Cacatua sulphurea sulphurea (Gmelin, 1788) - body length up to 38 cm
Depending on the classification, the number of subspecies may vary, and a species may include up to 6 subspecies, including:
- Cacatua sulphurea djampeana
- Cacatua sulphurea occidentalis
They learn to speak well.
Lifestyle of Alba White Cockatoos
They live in pairs and small flocks. White Alba cockatoos are cautious; they spend almost the entire day in the treetops. These parrots lead a sedentary lifestyle, but if there is not enough food, they migrate. During the daytime, white cockatoos gather in flocks of about 50 individuals. They also spend the night in flocks, but on separate trees.
These funny birds can scratch their backs with twigs. The smart bird informs others that this territory is occupied by knocking on a tree with a stick. The white cockatoo's voice is strong and raspy.
Great white-crested cockatoo (Cacatua alba).
The diet of these birds consists of fruits, for example, durian and papaya, as well as seeds, grains, nuts, corn, berries, small reptiles, insects and their larvae. During the mating season, most of the diet consists of insects. White cockatoos live about 50-70 years.
Character
The cockatoo is very affectionate and trusting. He loves to hug and loves gentle stroking. Follows the owner's heels, looks tenderly into the eyes and simply begs for affection. For the Great White-crested Cockatoo, communication is vital. Without attention, the bird dies like a plant without water.
The white parrot is not always friendly - at some moments it shows aggression. Dissatisfaction is noticeable by the open crest and outstretched wings. Outbursts of rage are short-lived, but dangerous: the cockatoo bites painfully and can cause serious injury.
Screams loudly. This is not an alarm signal, it’s just how the bird communicates. Education needs to be done from the first days after the appearance of a cockatoo in the house. If you let him scream whenever he wants, there will be no peace for anyone. You can pacify and lower the tone of your parrot's voice through training. There is an ability for onomatopoeia, and the Alba cockatoo even learns words, but it is not the most talented talker among parrots.
Alba Reproduction
White cockatoos form pairs for life. Far from its partner, the bird can fall into deep depression. The breeding season is from December to March. The white cockatoo has only one litter per year. White cockatoos make nests in hollows and on the tops of dead trees, at a height of 5-30 meters above the ground.
Both parents incubate the eggs. The incubation period is approximately 30 days. There may be 2-3 eggs in a clutch. If the first baby is in good health, then all parental attention goes to him, and if he has deviations, then they switch to the second chick. At 9 weeks, the chicks already leave the nest, but for almost 3 weeks they are fed by their parents. The plumage is fully formed at 11 weeks. Puberty occurs at 5-6 years, and the ability to bear offspring remains up to 30 years.
Alba cockatoos spend most of the day in the treetops.
Interesting
Only residents of New Guinea, south-eastern Asia, Australia and the Indonesian Moluccas Islands are lucky enough to see white cockatoos in the wild. However, thanks to his sociable character and excellent health in captivity, the snow-white beauty can be found in human habitation all over the world. Alba is a very devoted friend. The luxurious bird is generally distinguished by amazing fidelity: if it creates a couple, then it chooses a life partner once and for all; if it gets into a house, it is attached to its inhabitants for the rest of its life.
A gorgeous bird will become not only a real decoration, but also a source of constant, fascinating communication. The white cockatoo is able to imitate a huge number of sounds and learn hundreds of words. He is also a very attentive listener. If you want to complain to someone about your problems, then Alba is the ideal interlocutor; he will intently listen to your every word, tilting his head to the side and looking attentively with shiny black eyes. But be careful in your statements. The smartest bird can remember and one day unwittingly reveal your secrets!
In addition to copying speech, the white cockatoo perfectly imitates various movements. Jumping, turning over, shaking its head – this is not a complete list of the bird’s motor talents. Alba has amazing intuition, he feels the attitude towards himself subconsciously. The owner is always greeted when he meets him, and reacts to the approach of danger with chirping and loud sounds.
Distrustful at first, the bird very quickly becomes completely tame, demandingly claiming universal adoration and admiration. However, it is well deserved. The white cockatoo is a favorite of children and their parents, it strives with all its might to please, fluffs up its magnificent crest and attracts attention in every possible way. In the absence of spectators among people, the bird, without any embarrassment, can give a “concert” to the animals.
This amazing bird brought with it to the harsh Russian expanses a piece of its sunny homeland, a piece of paradise and exotic splendor.
Video "White Cockatoo: Tips on Keeping"
Keeping Alba white cockatoos
Although these birds are a rare species, they are very often kept in captivity. They are kept in metal cages with a sliding bottom or in enclosures. The minimum cage size is 120x90x120 centimeters. The diameter of the rods should not be less than 4 millimeters. The cage must be closed with two secure locks. The bottom of the cage is covered with any material that absorbs moisture well. Inside there should be a wooden house measuring 40x40x100 centimeters in which the parrot will sleep.
The water and food bowl is washed every day. When dirty, clean perches, ladders, and toys. The enclosure is disinfected once a month, and the cage once a week. The floor in the enclosure is cleaned twice a week.
Night temperature should be at least 8 degrees. White cockatoos need plenty of natural light. Be sure to always have eucalyptus and fruit tree branches in the cage. A body of water is necessary as cockatoos like to swim every day.
There must be at least 3 perches in the cage; they are hung at different heights. One should be near the feeder. Also in the cockatoo's cage there should be ropes, ladders, and several large stones on which the bird will sit.
These birds can be sprayed with a spray bottle.
Features of education
The white cockatoo is very friendly and requires a lot of attention. But you shouldn’t pamper the bird and spend all your free time with it. Various toys, such as pyramids, rings and balls, will help raise cockatoos. To practice imitating sounds, you can use rattles and bells.
So that the bird understands when it correctly fulfills our requirements, it can be rewarded with nuts or pieces of fruit. Cockatoos are able to understand the command “no”, but this will require several trainings. Alba can learn no more than 15 words.
Feeding the white cockatoo
White cockatoos can be fed seeds such as sunflower, oats, safflower, millet, wheat, canary seed, and parrot mixtures. Mixtures should make up about 60-70% of the total diet.
White cockatoos benefit from vegetables: carrots, young corn, in addition, they are given fruits: apples, grapes, pineapples. For digestion, they need greens: herbs, salads, sprouted grains, celery, dandelion leaves, turnip tops. Alba should not be fed: avocado, coffee, sugar, dairy products, fried foods, parsley, chocolate.
Adults are fed 1-2 times a day, with the first meal should be at 5-6 in the morning.
Fresh water is poured into a stable bowl. As water becomes polluted, it changes. The diet must contain vitamins and mineral supplements. Cockatoos are given chalk, eggshells, lime or cuttlefish shell as a source of calcium.
Alba cockatoos can associate with other species of parrots, such as yellow-crested cockatoos.
Taming white cockatoos
At first, parrots are distrustful and timid, but they quickly acclimatize, become calm and get used to their owner.
White cockatoos are highly trainable and tamed. They require a lot of attention - at least 2 hours a day. If a cockatoo doesn't get enough attention, it will constantly scream or pinch itself.
Cockatoos love to play, swing, climb, and stomp. They require regular physical and intellectual exercise. The cage should have a large number of toys: bells, ladders, branches, boxes, and the like. Once a week the parrots are given new toys. When leaving, the owner must leave the TV or radio on.
Cockatoos should not be left alone with small children if they are outside their cage, as parrots can be jealous. But in general they have a calm and obedient character. They are inquisitive, intelligent and playful birds. During the breeding season they become aggressive.
Cockatoos should not be left alone with small children if they are outside their cage, as the birds are jealous.
White cockatoos are excellent at imitating a variety of sounds, but their speaking abilities are limited.
Purchase
It is customary to buy parrots for home keeping while they are still very young. Being chicks that have survived their first molt, feathered babies quickly adapt to new conditions. They are easier to tame. Having gone through all the stages of growing up together, the owner and the pet become the best comrades.
Such a beautiful and intelligent parrot as a white cockatoo costs a lot of money: its price reaches $2,000 - this is for a five-month-old chick. Since selection and purchase are made in relation to young animals, the risk of deception increases. In order not to make a mistake, contact specialized nurseries.
The white cockatoo parrot creates a lot of trouble for its owner. He is difficult to care for, and not everyone can provide constant communication. This noisy, characteristic bird requires a special approach, but the payoff from it is colossal: you still have to look for such a devoted friend.
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Breeding Alba White Cockatoos
The pair is prepared and isolated from other individuals. It is not recommended to use for breeding birds caught in captivity less than 3 years old and individuals raised in captivity under 6-8 years old.
Their mating season occurs in spring and autumn. Most males become extremely aggressive at this time. To reduce aggression, the parrots' wings are clipped, and two exits are made in the nesting house. The house is made from a piece of hollow wood 1-1.5 meters long, which is placed at a height of about 1 meter. There should be high humidity inside the nest.
The white cockatoo Alba is capable of reproducing “colloquial speech” and has an artistic gift.
The incubation period is 30 days. Often the female lays an unfertilized egg. The chicks are fed by their parents. The young are separated from their parents at 14-18 weeks.
Exercises
Large white-crested cockatoos are active birds. Like all parrots, they need at least two hours outside of their cage each day for play and exercise. Provide your bird with some bird chew toys to exercise his powerful beak.
Change toys from time to time so that the bird does not get bored. Toys are good for exercise as well as mental stimulation.
You can teach your cockatoo to play games such as catching a ball on the floor. Structured play time is important for bonding and allows the bird to stretch its muscles.
To stimulate and increase activity in the enclosure, add plenty of stairs and swings. These are enriching additions to the environment that will allow your cockatoo to move and burn energy in a positive way.
pros
- Social and affectionate
- Smart, easily learns tricks and games.
Minuses
- Can be noisy and not very suitable for apartments
- May be more dependent on owners than other birds.
- Need a lot of space and time outside the cage
