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Sulphur-crested CockatooAlternate name(s): "White Cockatoo" ![]() Size: 45-50 cm Weight: 0.6-1.0 kg |
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Photos |
Race "galerita"
Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a
look here .
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ADULT |
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MALE |
Frontal view of a male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; note the dark iris
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2012]
Near-lateral portrait of a male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2020]
Near-lateral view of a male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
[Mt. Kaputar NP,
NSW, September 2019]
Close-up near-lateral view of a male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
[Mt. Kaputar NP,
NSW, September 2019]
Near-lateral view of a male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo displaying its crest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2017]
Close-up lateral portrait of a male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2021]
Near-dorsal view of a male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
[Mt. Kaputar NP,
NSW, September 2019]
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FEMALE |
Frontal view of a male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; note the
red-brown iris
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2012]
Sex unknown |
Near-lateral view of a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2010]
Dorsal view of a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]
Sulphur-yellow feather from the crest of a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2016]
Sulphur-yellow feather from the crest of a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2016]
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo in flight, just after takeoff from a treetop
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, September 2006]
This Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is doing its usual thing, screaming its
head off; in this photo one can clearly see the sulphur-yellow underwings
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2010]
Full flaps, landing gear out - Sulphur-crested Cockatoo ready for
landing (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
And here a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo coming straight at you...
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2011]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Lateral view of a juvenile male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2022]
PBFD - Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease
A significant number of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos have a disease that leads to two observable effects - loss of feathers and beak deformations. Below a few examples observed by us in the wild.
Dorsal view of "Baldy", not a Sulphur-crested, but a Bald-headed Cockatoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2008]
And the winner in the "Dirtiest Cocky of all times" competition is...
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]
... but there is strong competition
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2011]
This Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is similarly dirty compared to the others
shown above, but note also the deformity of its bill, where part of the
upper mandible is missing, while the lower mandible is much longer than
normal
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2011]
Frontal view of a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo in what looks like an
advanced stage of PBFD
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2012]
Lateral view of a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo in what looks like an
advanced stage of PBFD
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2012]
The same Sulphur-crested Cockatoo as shown above, in an attempt to
raise its crest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2012]
Race "fitzroyi"
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ADULT |
Sex unknown |
Near-frontal view of a male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
feeding on fruit
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Palmerston Golf Course, Palmerston, NT, July 2020]
Lateral view of a male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo feeding on fruit
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Palmerston Golf Course, Palmerston, NT, July 2020]
Lateral Sulphur-crested Cockatoo feeding on fruit
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, May 2018]
Lateral view of a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo at dusk
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, August 2014]
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Breeding information |
Breeding season: Jun - Dec | Eggs: 2 | Incubation period: 28 - 30 days | Fledging age: 56 days |
The breeding season depends significantly on geographical latitude. Cockatoos are sociable creatures which often nest in loose colonies, also in conjunction with other species.
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Nest |
"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal] |
Type: Tree hollow | Material: Woodchips | Height above ground: 5 - 30 m |
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo climbing out of its nesting hollow
[Yarrie Lake, near Wee Waa, NSW, October 2011]
Female Sulphur-crested Cockatoo sitting in the opening of its
nesting hollow in a
River Red Gum
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2015]
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo at the entrance of its nesting hollow;
this pair has to put up with new neighbours, a pair of
Whistling Kites
who have decided to make their home "upstairs"
[Pilliga Lagoon, near Pilliga, NSW, November 2019]
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Eggs |
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay] |
Size: 48 x 34 mm | Colour: White | Shape: Tapered oval |
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Behaviour |
Social behaviour: Communal | Mobility: Dispersive/sedentary | Elementary unit: Flock |
In environments such as inland NSW, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos usually stay close to waterways, even if they have dried up. When flying across drier parts of the land, it is normally on their way from one food source to the next.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are often seen by us together with Little Corellas and/or Galahs in flocks of up to hundreds, especially where there is plenty of food (e.g. near olive groves or grain storage facilities).
They are quite destructive, often nibbling on or chopping off the young shoots, or even finger-thick branches, of trees just for fun. They are also playful, often performing acrobatics.
"Ave destructivus" - this Sulphur-crested Cockatoo has
been pruning one of the photographer's
eucalypts
again...
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2019]
What can I destroy now? Maybe this 18-mm high-flow hose?
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2011]
Nope, this is not an albino flying fox... note how the strength
of just one toe is sufficient to hold the Sulphur-crested
Cockatoo's weight
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2011]
A cross toe hold will also do: Sulphur-crested Cockatoo playing
silly buggers
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2021]
... and here is another Sulphur-crested Cockatoo playing silly buggers
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2011]
Some TLC the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo way...
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2010]
Standoff at the bird feeder: Male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo vs.
Rainbow Lorikeet
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, June 2013]
Another standoff between two male Sulphur-crested Cockatoos
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, May 2014]
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are a noisy lot to start with, but occasionally the volume they produce can increase a notch or two yet. When they are at their noisiest best, there is usually a good reason. In the case shown below, the racket was about a Lace Monitor.
Female Sulphur-crested Cockatoo warning everybody of the
presence of a goanna
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2014]
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos do not shy away from hustling large and powerful predators, such as e.g. a Peregrine Falcon.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo trying to intimidate a
Peregrine Falcon
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2021]
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Food, Diet |
Adults: Seeds | Dependents: Regurgitated seeds | Water intake: Daily |
Like basically all cockatoos, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are seed-eaters, where seeds include those in cones and nut-like fruit, for example those of Acacia salicina and White Cedar trees. They also take grass seeds, seeds from introduced trees and shrubs (and commercial crops).
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Additional information |
There is a separate page about a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo feeding on Acacia salicina seeds.
Here an example of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos stripping a wattle tree/shrub to feed on its seed pods.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos often feed in large numbers, regularly
also together with other species, such as e.g.
Little Corellas;
they feed on our grassland
only in wintertime, always about an hour before sunset, when starting
their way out of a neighbouring olive grove back to their roosts
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]
Closer look at Sulphur-crested Cockatoos feeding on another day
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]
Male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo feasting on fruit
(photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)
[Gilgandra, NSW, March 2013]
Near-frontal view of a male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo feeding on fruit
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Palmerston Golf Course, Palmerston, NT, July 2020]
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo taking grit, possibly enriched with minerals
from the sea?
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[The Gap, Watsons Bay, NSW, September 2022]
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo cracking a jacaranda seed pod
Close-up near-frontal view of a
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo munching on a cone of a male
White Cypress Pine,
Callitris glaucophylla
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2019]
Close-up near-lateral view of a
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo munching on a cone of a male
White Cypress Pine,
Callitris glaucophylla
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2022]
This Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is chewing on an oleander seed pod;
since nobody has keeled over yet in our garden, it appears that
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are not affected by the toxins
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2011]
Here a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo on a
lawn
in wintertime; for once it is not causing any damage,
but doing something good by feeding on clover
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2011]
Male Sulphur-crested Cockatoo feeding on more stringy plant material
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, March 2017]
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo picking up food from a lawn
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, October 2006]
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo feeding on seeds of an introduced tree species
in an urban garden
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2011]
Female Sulphur-crested Cockatoo checking out the local waterhole, an
ornamental pond
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2011]
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo drinking from our little garden pond
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2011]
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo taking a good mouthful
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]
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Call(s)/Song |
For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own;
comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.
scrcock_20180921_2.m4a |
galerita (NW NSW) |
Contact calls | © MD | |
scrcock_20180921.m4a |
galerita (NW NSW) |
Contact calls (in-flight) | © MD | |
scrcock_20140128.mp3 |
galerita (NW NSW) |
Contact calls (in-flight) | © MD | |
scrcock_art_20131109_2.mp3 |
galerita (SE QLD) |
Alarm calls | © ART | |
scrcock_20140127.mp3 |
galerita (NW NSW) |
Alarm calls (Brown Goshawk) | © MD | |
scrcock_art_20131212_3.mp3 |
galerita (SE QLD) |
Unsettled | © ART | |
scrcock_20140115.mp3 |
galerita (NW NSW) |
Curious/ suspicious | © MD | |
scrcock_20140311_2.mp3 |
galerita (NW NSW) |
Arrival | © MD | |
scrcock_20191014.m4a |
galerita (NW NSW) |
Arrival/warning | © MD | |
scrcock_20140509.mp3 |
galerita (NW NSW) |
Departure | © MD | |
scrcock_20220402.m4a |
galerita (NW NSW) |
Begging juvenile, adult answering and feeding | © MD | |
scrcock_20210122.m4a |
galerita (NW NSW) |
Begging juvenile & being fed | © MD | |
scrcock_20180427.m4a |
galerita (NW NSW) |
? (in-flight) | © MD | |
scrcock_pb_20180110.m4a |
fitzroyi (Darwin, NT) |
Contact call | © PB | |
scrcock_20140818.m4a |
fitzroyi (Top End, NT) |
Departure | © MD | |
scrcock_20140816_2.mp3 |
fitzroyi (Darwin, NT) |
Departure | © MD | |
scrcock_20140816.m4a |
fitzroyi (Darwin, NT) |
? | © MD |

We have also recorded Sulphur-crested Cockatoo wing beats.
scrcock_20191127.m4a |
galerita (NW NSW) |
Perch to perch | © MD |
More Sulphur-crested Cockatoo sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.