Lifestyle and appearance
The favorite habitat of Moluccan parrots is tropical rainforests, as well as mangroves and swampy plains. They also like to live on the edges of forests, clearings, in coastal zones (altitudes up to 1000 m above sea level), as well as plantings of coconut palms.
A bird of this species has a body length of 52-55 cm, its average weight is 850 grams. The plumage is white, but on the abdomen, head, neck and chest area it is light pink.
- Part of the cockatoo's tail (undertail) and underwings are orange-yellow.
- The crest of this bird is quite large - 17 cm. And if the outside of the crest has white feathers, then its inner feathers are orange with a red tint. Due to this, the parrot is also called the pink-crested or red-crested cockatoo.
- The periorbital ring is white, without feathers, and has a bluish tint.
- The beak is black and gray, and the legs are gray. They are given a gray appearance by a powder-like coating. The presence of this coating is normal for the bird.
The color of the male is no different from the color of the females. Only in the fourth year of life does the difference in the color of the iris become noticeable - the female has a brown-burgundy iris, and the male has a brown, almost black one.
Another difference between the sexes is in size: the male is larger than the female.
Pink-crested cockatoos feed on berries, insect larvae and the insects themselves, and nuts. Thanks to their powerful beak, they easily crack the shells of strong coconuts. For these parrots, it is not at all difficult to hold food with one paw and break off pieces of it with their beak.
The lifespan of the Moluccan cockatoo is comparable to that of a human cockatoo - approximately 60-80 years. According to unverified data, there is a representative of this species who lived as long as 92.5 years!
If earlier these parrots lived in Indonesia on the Moluccas Islands (Seram, Saparua, Ambon, Haruku), now its representatives are found in a single habitat - Seram Island.
Yellow-crested cockatoo
Already from the name of the species it becomes clear that the distinctive feature of the bird is its bright yellow crest. The parrot's body has white plumage, the inner side of the flight feathers, as well as the tail feathers, has a slight yellowish tint. The yellow-crested cockatoo's iris is standard: black in males and brownish in females. A distinctive feature of this type of parrot is its ability to imitate human speech. They are often used in circus performances, because parrots, in particular yellow-crested parrots, are very obedient birds. Their life expectancy is on average 50-70 years.
Reproduction
In their natural habitat, having reached the age of five or six, Moluccan parrots begin to look for a partner. The pairs that are created are quite strong; the parents hatch and raise the chicks together.
They prefer to build nests at a considerable height in hollow dead trees, covering the bottom of the hollow with pieces of bark and dust.
The female lays two eggs, each 48 hours apart. The eggs hatch for 30 days. The hatched naked and blind chicks weigh only 14-20 grams. After about 3.5 months, they are fully feathered and become almost indistinguishable from adults. Usually parents feed their offspring for another month.
Content
Despite their pronounced exoticism, gala birds coexist with humans without any problems. Gala cockatoos are fairly easy to keep and the only possible problem is that they are extremely emotional. Birds require a considerable amount of ordinary communication - without regular walks, conversations and free flights, the parrot will quickly fall into a state of apathy.
Cell
According to various ornithological studies, the best cage option for a beautiful, sociable cockatoo parrot should have the following parameters:
sufficient sizes - from 100x100x120; classic metal rods - with the complete exclusion of wood or copper; the presence of items of primary importance - drinking bowls, perches and baths; equipment with all kinds of accessories - swings, mirrors, etc.
Also in the enclosure there should be a small house installed in the corner part of the chick’s home. Thanks to a sufficiently fenced “real estate”, a beautiful, good-natured parrot will be able to sleep peacefully without experiencing problems with privacy from the outside world.
Feed
Preparing an absolutely correct, classic diet is a key factor in ensuring the quality of life of an exotic bird.
The list of all kinds of foods taken by bright and beautiful cockatoo parrots as daily food should include:
- all kinds of vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkin, sweet peppers, potatoes;
- bread bun pulp pre-soaked in milk;
- chicken eggs, which can be given no more than twice every 5-7 days;
- various fruits: apples and pears, bananas, plums, peaches.
It is important that the gala bird’s diet includes all kinds of foods rich in beneficial microelements. Thus, the owner will be able to provide his pet with sufficiently proper nutrition, including all the necessary vitamins and minerals.
Care
As mentioned earlier, the main requirement for caring for a classic cockatoo is the owner’s interest in regular communication. You will have to spend at least 2 hours absolutely every day on arranging a high-quality life for your pet, since the gala bird will begin to suffer quite severely from attention deficit. However, even despite this factor, the beautiful and sociable parrot is distinguished by a fairly calm, flexible, friendly and peaceful disposition. The character of the classic chick contains traits of sociability and fun - the gala loves to play, walk and communicate with its owner.
Despite the fact that the cockatoo has a fairly powerful intellect, the maximum conversational vocabulary of this species can include no more than 20-30 words.
Diseases
Like any other pet, absolutely every pink parrot can get sick, and often such an event does not depend at all on the activities of the bird’s owner. The main pathologies found in beautiful, bright and sociable parrots of this species include:
- excess body weight, regular overeating;
- stomach and intestinal disorders;
- diarrhea, constipation or diarrhea;
- cirrhosis of the liver;
- classic fright.
In order to prevent the risks of developing certain diseases, the pet owner must organize a sufficiently high-quality life for his bird.
Character and behavior
Moluccan parrots prefer to stay in pairs, forming flocks of more than 20 individuals. But no more than 16 individuals spend the night in flocks. They like to sit on the branches of tall trees in pairs, huddled closely together. They are active in the morning and evening.
These birds love to swim when it rains. They do it this way: they hang upside down, holding the branch tightly with their paws and spreading their wings.
Cockatoos are noisy birds, their calls can be heard from a distance. At the same time, they are quite alarming - sensing danger, they quickly move from their place and fly away. If they feel safe, they fly slowly and low above the ground.
Interesting! When a Moluccan parrot raises its crest, it indicates that it is worried or afraid of something, is trying to defend its territory, or is curious, excited or surprised by something. A lowered crest pressed to the head speaks of the calmness and friendliness of the cockatoo.
The bird especially needs the attention of the owner - it is a very affectionate bird. With a lack of attention (which he usually needs quite a lot - at least two hours a day), he will scream and create a lot of noise, and is also capable of plucking his feathers, even getting sick and dying.
White cockatoo
The white cockatoo is extremely popular in our country. The parrot has excellent abilities, it is easy to train, some individuals even know how to dance and perform various acrobatic tricks. The bird is also capable of reproducing human speech, as well as imitating other sounds; moreover, the white cockatoo can be taught to whistle a popular melody.
Breeding in captivity
Of course, breeding in the wild of these birds occurs much more actively, but even at home, a pair of red-crested cockatoos can acquire offspring. The main thing is to provide a spacious enclosure and shelter in which the female could hide from a male who is overly aggressive during the mating season, otherwise she may die. Clipping the wings can help prevent attacks by a male on a female - this will limit his movements.
For new offspring, prepare a piece of hollow wood one and a half meters high, with a hole 30 cm in diameter - this will be a nesting house. It is advisable to make two exits in it, which will also slightly moderate the aggressiveness of the male.
Usually the female lays two eggs, which, however, may turn out to be unfertilized. After 30 days, naked chicks appear, which after 15 weeks are fully fledged and can be separated from their parents.
In this video you can see how Moluccan cockatoo chicks develop from egg to one month of life:
Feeding
As for feeding rules, the main thing here is not to overdo it. Once in captivity, the parrot begins to literally absorb everything it sees, but this does not mean that it is really hungry. Be careful about your bird's diet, because overeating often leads to the development of all sorts of diseases and even the death of the parrot. Cockatoos love a variety of fresh vegetables. Cockatoo parrots living in natural conditions pose a real problem for farmers due to the birds' special addiction to corn: they can destroy an entire crop. Birds love carrots, eggplants, cucumbers and celery. Dandelion roots, beans, pea pods and red beets can also be used as food. Fruits are an important element of a bird’s diet, because they contain a huge amount of essential vitamins and beneficial microelements. Cockatoo parrots especially like to eat pomegranates, pears, and they also like all kinds of berries, such as raspberries, strawberries or rose hips.
It is unlikely that the bird will taste the food the first time; it must be accustomed to the correct diet gradually. Some of the products, on the contrary, are completely contraindicated for cockatoos. Under no circumstances should you feed your bird avocados, chocolates or coffee beans. Cabbage and parsley are also harmful to parrots, as are dairy products. Cockatoos should not eat anything fried; salt and sugar are harmful to them.
