Cockatoos are monogamous and nest in tree hollows. They often feed in large flocks, particularly when ground-feeding. The second and largest branch is formed by the genus Cacatua, comprising 11 species of white-plumaged cockatoos, and four monotypic genera that branched off earlier, namely the pink and white Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, the pink and grey Galah, the mainly grey Gang-gang Cockatoo, and the large black-plumaged Palm Cockatoo.Ĭockatoos prefer to eat seeds, tubers, corms, fruit, flowers and insects. The five large black coloured cockatoos of the genus Calyptorhynchus form one branch. The remaining species are in two main clades. The phylogenetic position of the Cockatiel remains unresolved, other than that it is one of the earliest offshoots of the cockatoo lineage. On average they are larger than other parrots however, the Cockatiel, the smallest cockatoo species, is a small bird. Their plumage is generally less colourful than that of other parrots, being mainly white, grey, or black, and often with coloured features in the crest, cheeks, or tail. The name cockatoo originated from the Malay name for these birds, kaka(k)tua (either from kaka "parrot" + tuwah, or "older sister" from kakak "sister" + tua "old").Ĭockatoos are instantly recognisable by their showy crests and curved bills. The family has a mainly Australasian distribution, ranging from the Philippines and the eastern Indonesian islands of Wallacea to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Australia. Along with the Psittacoidae ( true parrots) and the Strigopoidae (large New Zealand parrots), they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes ( parrots). A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae, the only family in the superfamily Cacatuoidae.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |