Leadbeater's or Major Mitchell's Cockatoos aka Pink Cockatoo
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Overview
Kindly provided by Dr. Rob Marshall
The Major Mitchell is a stocky, medium sized pink cockatoo with distinct yellow and red bands in the crest.
This cockatoo species inhabits the sparsely timbered grasslands of central and Western Australia and generally moves in a nomadic fashion to sites with water and more favourable conditions.
Major Mitchells are usually seen in pairs, often in the company of galahs. Major Mitchells form strong pair bonds and require an owner who is willing to provide meaningful interaction and socialisation. Birds deprived of this activity become susceptible to behavioural problems.
Description
| Chart provided by Dr. Rob Marshall - http://www.birdhealth.com.au) |
| Major Mitchell's Cockatoo Cacatua leadbeateri |
| Size: Up to 40cm in length |
| Pet Status: Moderate |
| Talking Ability: Good |
| Noise Level: High |
| Lifespan: Up to 80 years |
| Breeding Ability: Good |
| Courtship Display: Male struts with bobbing motion and crest raised along branch to female. Mutual touching, preening and mating then follow. |
| Number of Eggs: 2-3 eggs |
| Incubation: 26-30 days |
| Compatibility with other species: Moderate |
| Feeding: Seed and Fruit eaters |
| Health Programmes: Follow the Parrot Health Programme. |
| Sexing: Iris dark brown in males, reddish pink in females. Surgical or DNA sexing required. |
An unmistakable cockatoo of the dry inland, the Pink Cockatoo is the only Australian cockatoo that is salmon-pink below and white above. It is smaller than the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo C. galerita, but slightly larger than a Galah C. roseicapilla. Its most prominent feature is its large white-tipped crest that is banded in red and gold. With its soft-textured white and salmon-pink plumage and large, bright red and yellow crest, it is generally recognised as the most beautiful of all cockatoos. It is named in honor of Major Sir Thomas Mitchell, who wrote "Few birds more enliven the monotonous hues of the Australian forest than this beautiful species whose pink-coloured wings and flowing crest might have embellished the air of a more voluptuous region". ts call is a distinctive stammering whinny.
Distribution & Habitat
Major Mitchell's Cockatoo (Cacatua leadbeateri), also known as Leadbeater's Cockatoo or Pink Cockatoo, is the only species of its own subgenus Lophocroa. It is a medium-sized cockatoo restricted to arid and semi-arid inland areas of Australia.
Unlike the Galah, Major Mitchell's Cockatoo has declined rather than increased as a result of man-made changes to the arid interior of Australia. Where Galahs readily occupy cleared and part-cleared land, Major Mitchell's Cockatoo requires extensive woodlands, particularly favouring Callitris, Allocasuarina and Eucalyptus. In contrast to other cockatoos,
Major Mitchell pairs will not nest close to one another; in consequence, they cannot tolerate fragmented, partly-cleared habitats, and their range is contracting.
Location and habitat
Distribution
Found across the arid and semi-arid inland, from south-western Queensland south to north-west Victoria, through most of South Australia, north into the south-west Northern Territory and across to the west coast between Shark Bay and about Jurien. In NSW it is found regularly as far east as about Bourke and Griffith, and sporadically further east than that.
Habitat and ecology
- Inhabits a wide range of treed and treeless inland habitats, always within easy reach of water.
- Feeds mostly on the ground, especially on the seeds of native and exotic melons and on the seeds of species of saltbush, wattles and cypress pines.
- Normally found in pairs or small groups, though flocks of hundreds may be found where food is abundant.
- Nesting, in tree hollows, occurs throughout the second half of the year; nests are at least 1 km apart, with no more than one pair every 30 square kilometres.
Threats
- Clearing of woodlands.
- Heavy grazing of feeding areas resulting in the removal of seeding grasses and preventing regeneration of food plants.
- Loss of existing and future hollow-bearing trees.
- Illegal nest-robbing and trapping.
What needs to be done to recover this species?
- Manage grazing in feeding areas to prevent loss of food resources.
- Fence areas of habitat, exclude stock and control rabbits to assist regeneration of trees, shrubs and native grasses.
- Protect existing and future hollow-bearing trees for nest sites.
- Monitor known nesting sites to deter poachers.
Copyright Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW)
Training and Behavioral Guidance:
Cockatoos certainly demand a lot of attention, but are appreciated for their exceptionally loving, devoted personality that is second to none. Cockatoos require an extremely dedicated owner who is willing to provide significant and meaningful attention to these intelligent parrots. They require consistent training from a young age to ensure potential cockatoo owners enjoy a bird free of destructive and annoying habits. Behavioral challenges that cockatoos present include:
- Excessive Chewing: Any parrot will chew. In nature, they use their beak to "customize" their favorite tree, to enlarge the size of their nest in a tree hollow. Doing this keeps their beaks in good condition. The problem is excessive and undesirable chewing. Undisciplined cockatoos will chew on electric wiring potentially causing house fires. The owner needs to provide plenty of "healthy" chewing opportunities (bird toys, natural wood branches, etc.) and training is necessary to teach a cockatoo what is "off-limits."
- Biting: Cockatoos, as most parrots, are likely to discover their beaks as a method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage." It really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established. If this behavior is unchecked, the cockatoo is likely to be dominating the entire family, chasing and attacking their least favorite humans (usually the ones they deem to be a competitor for their human mate's affection). Training is vital to stop this destructive behavior.
- Screaming: Not everybody can tolerate the natural loud call of a cockatoo, and even though it can't (or should not) be entirely eliminated, there are ways to discourage screaming / screeching in your pet cockatoo.
Training and behavioral guidance will help your pet be the kind of companion you want it to be ...
- AvianWeb Resources: I put together web resources for you to help you understand your pet bird and properly direct him. Please visit this website for valuable tips on parrot behavior and training. If you found a way to resolve a "parrot behavioral issue" please share it with others.
- If you are, as I am, a visual learner and prefer step-by-step instructions to train your pet, I recommend:
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
- Stop Biting
- Perform Tricks &
- Tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own
- and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course.
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
If you are considering one of these magnificent parrots as pets, please visit the following websites for information:
- Cockatoo General Information
- Procuring your Parrot
- BREEDERS:
- Bird Breeder Index
- Do you breed this species and would like to be listed? Click here to see your options.
- BREEDERS:
- The 3 Key Elements to Keep Your Pet Bird Happy & Healthy
- Housing Your Bird
- Bird Nutrition
- Parrot Products
Taxonomy:
Genus: English: White Black-billed Cockatoos ... Dutch: Wit & Zwartsnavelkakatoes ... German: Eigentliche Kakadus ... French: Cacatoès
Species: Scientific: Cacatua leadbeateri leadbeateri aka Plyctolophus leadbeateri ... English: Major Mitchell's Cockatoos ... Dutch: Inka Kakatoe ... German: Inkakakadu ...French: Cacatoès commandant Mitchell
Sub-Species: mollis, leadbeateri
CITES II - Endangered Species
Related Web Resources: Lexicon of Parrots
Sub-species:
Mathew's Cockatoos:
Genus: English: White Black-billed Cockatoos ... Dutch: Wit & Zwartsnavelkakatoes ... German: Eigentliche Kakadus ... French: Cacatoès
Species: Scientific: Cacatua galerita fitzroyi ... English: Fitzroys Cockatoos, Mathew's Cockatoos ... Dutch: Fitzroy Kakatoe ... German: Mathews Gelbhaubenkakadu, Fitzroy's Kakadu ... French: Cacatoès à huppe jaune de Fitzroy's
CITES II - Endangered Species
Related Web Resources: Lexicon of Parrots (No. 2)
Genus: English: White Black-billed Cockatoos ... Dutch: Wit & Zwartsnavelkakatoes ... German: Eigentliche Kakadus ... French: Cacatoès
Species: Scientific: Cacatua leadbeateri mollis ... English: Little Major Mitchell's Cockatoos, Mathews' Pink Cockatoos ... Dutch: Kleine Inka Kakatoe ... German: Mathews Inkakakadu, Kleiner Inkakakadu ...French: Cacatoès à huppe rouge de Leadbeater
CITES II - Endangered Species
If you would like to add to or correct any of the above information, or would like to share with the AvianWeb visitors your own experiences, please e-mail the AvianWeb Webmaster.
Photo contributions and articles are welcome!
