Moluccan Cockatoo
Cacatua moluccensis

CLASS: Aves
ORDER: Psittaciformes
FAMILY: Cacuata

SIZE:
20 inches; tail is short and the body is larger than most cockatoos

RANGE:
Moluccan Islands of Indonesia

HABITAT:
Forests and woods

DIET:
Wild - Fruits, nuts, and seeds
Zoo - Bird diet, parrot mix, and biscuits

DESCRIPTION:

• Major coloring is white with salmon pink color showing through; Large crest is raised flashing rich salmon pink color when the bird is excited. It can signify anger, anexity, or even high spirits.
• Beak is black
• Eyes of female are brownish burgundy; eyes of male are black.
• Has a bushy appearance because of the longer, broader feathers; borders on shagginess because it frequently ruffles its feathers for a good shaking.

FACTS:

• Powerful voice, destructive beak
• Are considered a nuisance on coconut plantations where the cockatoos chew through the outer layer of young coconuts to feed on the soft pulp and sweet milk inside.
• Social birds; form life long pair bonds and flocks can be seen in trees laden with ripe fruit.
• Diurnal-at night they sleep in high leafless branches
• In Europe this bird is mainly called a Salmon Crested Cockatoo and its frequently called the Rose Crested Cockatoo. Cockatoos are supposedly the longest lived birds with the record being 69 years, only to be equaled by a raven.

YOUNG:
2 - 3 eggs incubated for 30 - 31 days
Birds reach sexual maturity at 4-5 years