Close-up of a sulphur-crested cockatoo sitting on the balcony of an apartment in the Lorne Bay View Hotel, Lorne, Victoria, Australia
The sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) is a relatively large white cockatoo found in wooded habitats in Australia and New Guinea and some of the islands of Indonesia. They can be locally very numerous, leading to them sometimes being considered pests. A highly intelligent bird, they are well known in aviculture, although they can be demanding pets. In Australia, sulphur-crested cockatoos can be found widely in the north and east, ranging from the Kimberley to as far south as Tasmania, but avoiding arid inland areas with few trees. They are numerous in suburban habitats in cities such as Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. Except for highland areas, they occur throughout most of New Guinea and on nearby smaller islands such as Waigeo, Misool and Aru, and various islands in the Cenderawasih Bay and Milne Bay. There are four recognised subspecies; Triton cockatoo, C. g. triton (Temminck, 1849) is found in New Guinea and the surrounding islands, Eleonora cockatoo, C. g. eleonora (Finsch, 1867) is restricted to the Aru Islands in the Maluku province of eastern Indonesia, Mathews cockatoo, C. g. fitzroyi (Mathews, 1912) in northern Australia from West Australia to the Gulf of Carpentaria and the nominate subspecies, the greater sulphur-crested cockatoo, C. g. galerita which is found from Cape York to Tasmania. It has a total length of 44–55 cm (– in), with the Australian subspecies larger than subspecies from New Guinea and nearby islands. The plumage is overall white, while the underwing and -tail are tinged yellow. The expressive crest is yellow. The bill is black, the legs are grey, and the eye-ring is whitish. Males typically have almost black eyes, whereas the females have a more red or brown eye, but this requires optimum viewing conditions to be seen. The differences between the subspecies are subtle. C. g. fitzroyi is similar to the nominate race but lacks the yellow on the ear tufts and has slightly blueish skin around the eye.
Size: 3991px × 3624px
Location: Lorne Bay View Apartments, Bay Street, Lorne, Victoria, Australia
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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