(Original Title: Umbrella Cockatoo)
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| Umbrella Cockatoo (Cacatua alba) also known as the White Cockatoo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
General Info:
The Umbrella Cockatoo, native to Indonesia, is a large, gorgeous, white parrot. On this bird, the underside of the wings and the tail have feathers of a delicate yellow color. The tail feathers are short and squared at the end. The beak and feet of this bird are a wonderful contrast to the light coloring of the feathers as they are a grayish-black color. There is a ring around the eyes that contains no feathering.
This ring is often tinged a light blue. The Female of the species often has eyes of a reddish brown color, whereas the male almost always has eyes of a very dark brown. The head holds a crest of feathers that lay flat against the head when calm and stand straight up when excited or frightened. This, in the wild, gives the bird the illusion of being larger than it really is. In this way, the bird may be able to frighten a predator or impress a prospective mate. In captivity, these feathers may play a perfect role in the comical antics shared between the bird and his or her family. It is (I say this from experience) quite amusing to see an Umbrella Cockatoo dance and "sing" with those "umbrella" feathers standing tall!
This bird is incredibly sweet and loving. It usually becomes very close to its family and will usually be especially close to one person in particular (often this person is the main caregiver of the bird).
It is important to give cockatoos a lot of attention and training. They get bored very easily and can feather pick if bored or upset.
Provide lots of toys to chew and destroy Change them often to combat boredom.
Before getting an Umbrella, decide how much attention you will be able to give on a consistent basis. Stick to a routine with the attention you give your cockatoo. Giving young bird tons of attention and then cutting off the amount of attention will cause behavior problems and can cause feather picking.
Size: The average length is somewhere around 18 inches, give or take an inch or two. The average weight is about a pound and a half.
Lifespan:
The Lifespan of the Umbrella Cockatoo is similar to that of many large parrots; about 80 years. This lifespan, as with all birds, can be lengthened or shortened, depending on the quality of care that the bird receives.
Dietary Needs:
A high-quality pellet is a good base to the diet. You may lightly mix this with some assorted parrot seed. Every day, try as hard as you can to give your bird fresh fruits and veggies (stay away from Avocados and chocolate). Great fruits and veggies include apples, cantaloupe, grapes, broccoli, peas, carrots, etc. As is true with humans, the less processing the food goes through, the better. Pellet, though processed, is great as it is nutritious and has vitamins and minerals that may be missing from one or another fruit or vegetable. But there is nothing better than a scrumptious freshly sliced apple or a delectably sweet bite from a crunchy carrot.
Cage size: 36 x 28
Train-ability:
These birds are very easily trained. All that is needed is time and patience. These birds are actually great acrobats, so it's common to teach them tricks, as well as the usual "step-up" (perch on your hand) command. Tricks include flipping the bird upside down or "dancing" to music. Teaching your bird tricks is a fantastic way to get your bird to trust you. It takes a lot of trusts for a bird to allow you to flip them upside down. I remember my family's Umbrella Cockatoo. He absolutely loved to do his tricks. It really helps them to feel like a part of the family.
Health Concerns:
Umbrella Cockatoos may be susceptible to the following:
-Psittacine beak and feather disease
-Fatty liver disease
-Obesity
-Bubblefoot
-Feather-picking
-Sarcocystis
-Cloacal Prolapse
-Poor eating habits (finicky eater)
-Miscellaneous bacterial and fungal infections
-Fatty liver disease
-Obesity
-Bubblefoot
-Feather-picking
-Sarcocystis
-Cloacal Prolapse
-Poor eating habits (finicky eater)
-Miscellaneous bacterial and fungal infections
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