Birds Guide

Citron-crested Cockatoo Conservation status: Critical
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Cacatuidae   Subfamily: Cacatuinae   Genus: Cacatua   Subgenus: Cacatua   Species: C. sulphurea   Subspecies: C. s. citrinocristata
Trinomial name
Cacatua sulphurea citrinocristata Fraser, 1844

The Citron-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua sulphurea citrinocristata is a medium-sized cockatoo with an orange crest, dark grey beak, pale orange ear patches, and strong feet and claws. The underside of the larger wing and tail feathers have a pale yellow colour. The eye colour ranges from brown through very dark brown to black. Both sexes are similar.

The smallest of the Yellow-crested Cockatoo subspecies, it is distributed and endemic to Sumba and Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. The diet consists mainly of seeds, buds, fruits, nuts and herbaceous plants.

The Citron-crested Cockatoo as an endangered bird

The Citron-crested Cockatoo is classified as critically endangered. Its numbers in the wild have declined due to habitat loss and illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade. It is listed in appendix II of the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) list of protected species. CITES protects endangered species like the cockatoo, by making the trade of wild-caught birds illegal. However, trade of the cockatoos bred in captivity is permitted. Each bird bred in captivity is given a CITES certificate to prove that it is not a wild caught bird. The CITES certificate must accompany its sale or resale.

The Citron-crested Cockatoo as pets

As hand-reared birds Citron-crested Cockatoos can make good pets, as they are friendly and sociable. They are not as noisy as most cockatoos, but are curious and like to chew. Generally they are quiet, but they can make a moderately loud honking or screeching sound. They can also make a repetitive quieter whistling or squeaking noise. They are not good at imitating human speech as some members of the parrot family, having a vocabulary of up to only 15 words or phrases. They readily learn tricks and they can be trained. They often raise the coloured crest feathers in display or when surprised. Their droppings are semi-solid and can be messy. As with many cockatoo species, Citron-crested Cockatoos taken as pets need much greater care and attention than other companion parrots.

They are not common in pet stores, but are becoming more popular with breeders. Each bird must be sold with an official CITES certificate to prove that it was bred in captivity.

External links

• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds website - threats to wild bird populations