The Cockatoos

This reference book on the cockatoo family provides a comprehensive physical description of the various species of this exotic parrot, the habitat they favor, and their distribution and behaviors both in the wild and in captivity. Their reproductive history is examined, as is the possibility of breeding sufficient numbers in captivity to develop sustainable populations for re-introduction to their original habitat should they become extinct in the wild. The book explores the historical encounters of the various species with Europeans two centuries ago. That early history provides considerable insight to the cockatoo’s popularity and to efforts to breed them in captivity.
Many cockatoo species face a perilous future. As their native forests are logged, the cockatoos lose not only suitable nesting and roosting sites, but native foods. Additionally, despite conservation laws governing the capture of wild cockatoos, their desirability as an avian pet has spawned a worldwide illicit trade critically endangering some species to the point that they face extinction in the wild.

The late Edward John Mulawka lived in southern Ontario, Canada.

Edward John Mulawka
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 296
Bibliographic Info: 25 photos, 2 maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7925-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1471-7
Imprint: McFarland

Preface  1
Introduction  5
Common Cockatoo Names Index  13
Common Characteristics  19
Part One. The White Cockatoos
Genus: Cacatua
Subgenus: Cacatua
1. Umbrella Cockatoo: Cacatua alba (Müller, 1776)  24
2. Moluccan Cockatoo: Cacatua moluccensis (Gmelin, 1788)  33
3. Yellow-crested Cockatoo: Cacatua sulphurea (Gmelin, 1788)  44
4. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo: Cacatua galerita (Latham, 1790)  58
5. Blue-eyed Cockatoo: Cacatua ophthalmica (Sclater, 1864)  74
6. Slender-billed Cockatoo: Cacatua tenuirostris (Kuhl, 1820)  85
7. Western ­Long-billed Corella: Cacatua pastinator (Gould, 1841)  94
8. Ducorps Cockatoo: Cacatua ducorpsii (Pucheran, 1853)  105
9. Goffin’s Cockatoo: Cacatua goffiniana (Finsch, 1863)  112
10. Little Corella: Cacatua sanguinea (Gould, 1843)  120
11. Red-vented Cockatoo: Cacatua haematuropygia (Müller, 1776)  132
Part Two. The Grey/Pink Cockatoos
Genera: Eolophus and Lophochroa
12. Galah Cockatoo: Eolophus roseicapilla (Viellot, 1817)  144
13. Leadbeater’s Cockatoo: Lophochroa leadbeateri (Vigors, 1831)  159
Part Three. The Black Cockatoos
Genus: Callocephalon, Probosciger and Calyptorhynchus
Subgenus: Calyptorhynchus (Zanda)
14. Gang-Gang Cockatoo: Callocephalon fimbriatum (Grant, 1803)  168
15. Palm Cockatoo: Probosciger aterrimus (Gmelin, 1788)  179
16. Red-tailed Black Cockatoo: Calyptorhynchus banksii (Latham, 1790)  192
17. Glossy Black Cockatoo: Calyptorhynchus lathami (Temminck, 1807)  204
18. White-tailed Black Cockatoo: Calyptorhynchus baudinii (Lear, 1832)  214
19. Carnaby’s Cockatoo: Calyptorhynchus latirostris (Carnaby, 1948)  225
20. Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo: Calyptorhynchus funereus (Shaw, 1794)  237
Part Four. Small Cockatoos
Genus: Nymphicus
21. Cockatiel: Nymphicus hollandicus (Kerr, 1793)  248
Chapter Notes  261
Bibliography  267
Index  283

• “This book should have a special appeal for zoo personnel, those who maintain aviaries, pet owners or potential owners, bird watchers traveling to Australasia, and ornithologists interested in cockatoos…recommended”—Choice
• “A great deal of information…especially useful”—Cage and Aviary Birds
• “Valuable”—ProtoView