Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

• ExerciseHigh

  Needs hours of out-of-cage activity and mental challenges every day.

• GroomingRegular feather care

  Regular bathing or misting plus nail and beak checks.

• Living spaceRoomy cage

  Needs a roomy cage and safe space to fly indoors.

• Owner experienceFor experienced owners

  Rewards owners who know the ropes.

• Commitment50–70 years

  Plan for a long, loving relationship.

Health to watch: Feather plucking · Respiratory issues · Obesity

The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) is the familiar white cockatoo of eastern and northern Australia and New Guinea, common enough in Australian cities to be a garden bird and simultaneously one of the most demanding companion parrots in the world. It weighs 700 to 950 grams, lives fifty to seventy years in captivity and has been documented past eighty, so ownership genuinely means arranging for the bird's life after yours. Its intelligence is the defining trait and the main source of trouble. Wild Sulphur-cresteds famously learned to open household wheelie bins and spread the technique socially between suburbs, which is exactly the problem-solving they apply to cage latches, cupboards, door handles and skirting boards at home. An under-occupied Sulphur-crested will dismantle a room. The voice is a screech that carries for well over a kilometre and is used at dawn and dusk regardless of training; this is not an apartment species and often not a semi-detached one either. Housing means a heavy-gauge aviary or purpose-built enclosure with locks a parrot cannot solve, plus hours of interaction and a constant supply of destructible wood and foraging puzzles. Feed a pellet base with vegetables and greens, limited seed and few nuts, since cockatoos are highly prone to obesity and fatty liver disease. The heavy powder down needs good ventilation and regular bathing. Watch for feather plucking, which in this species signals a welfare problem rather than an illness, and see an avian vet annually.

• How much activity does a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo need?

  High. Needs hours of out-of-cage activity and mental challenges every day.

• How much feather care does a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo need?

  Regular feather care. Regular bathing or misting plus nail and beak checks.

• What cage does a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo need?

  Roomy cage. Needs a roomy cage and safe space to fly indoors.

• Is a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo a good fit for first-time owners?

  For experienced owners. Rewards owners who know the ropes.

• How long do Sulphur-crested Cockatoo live?

  50–70 years. Plan for a long, loving relationship.

• What health issues affect the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo?

  Keep an eye out for Feather plucking, Respiratory issues, Obesity. These are worth raising with your vet, along with any screening they recommend.

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