COCKATOO

Sulfur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) any of several species of crested parrots, subfamily Cacatuinae (family Psittacidae), of Australia and from Malaya to the Solomon Islands. Most of the 17 species are white, with touches of red or yellow; some are black. All have a massive scimitar-like beak for cracking nuts, digging up roots, or prying grubs from wood; feeding is aided by a wormlike tongue. Cockatoos are treetop, hole-nesting birds; at times they form large, noisy flocks that damage crops. They rarely become good talkers. Some live more than 50 years. Cacatua (or Kakatoe) species are mainly white. The 38-centimetre (15-inch) Leadbeater's, or pink, cockatoo (C. leadbeateri) is washed with pink, and a yellow and red band crosses its forward-sweeping crest. Inhabiting much of interior Australia, it is the most beautiful cockatoo and the hardest to train. Largest of cockatoos and with the biggest beak among psittaciform birds is the palm, or great black, cockatoo, Probosciger aterrimus, 65 to 75 cm (about 25 to 30 in.) long. This solitary bird of northeastern Australia, New Guinea, and the Aru Islands has a threadlike crest, and its bare red cheeks turn blue when it is excited.