The Yellow-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua sulphurea, aka Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, is a medium-sized (up to 35cm long) cockatoo with all-white feathers, bluish-white bare orbital skin, grey feet, black bill, and yellow crest. Both sexes are similar.

The Yellow-crested Cockatoo is distributed to wooded and cultivated areas of Timor-Leste and Indonesia's islands of Bali, Timor, Sulawesi and Lesser Sunda Islands. It is easily confused with the larger and more common Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, which is native to Australia and can be distinguished by the lack of pale yellow coloring on its cheeks (although some sulphur-cresteds develop yellowish patches). The Yellow-crested Cockatoo also has a brighter crest which is closer to orange in color. The Yellow-crested Cockatoo's diet consists mainly of seeds, buds, fruits, nuts and herbaceous plants. The female lays two to three eggs in a tree hole, and the incubation is shared by both parents.

Description and identification

The Yellow-crested Cockatoo is about 35 cm (14 in) long. They are predominantly white, and have a retractile yellow crest. It has yellowish patches on the sides of the face. In contrast the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is larger and usually lack the yellowish patches on the sides of the face, and the crest of the Citron-crested Cockatoo is orange.

Breeding

The Yellow-crested Cockatoo nests in tree cavities. The eggs are white and there are usually two in a clutch. The incubation is shared by both parents. The eggs are incubated for about 28 days and the chicks leave the nest about 75 days after hatching.

Status

The Yellow-crested Cockatoo is critically endangered. Numbers have declined dramatically due to illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade. The current population is estimated at less than 10,000. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.

Feral population

There is a feral population of these birds in Hong Kong. They are a common sight in the densely populated Sheung Wan area of the city. The large group has apparently developed from a number of caged birds that have been released into the Hong Kong skies over many years. An often repeated story is that Hong Kong Governor Sir Mark Aitchison Young, released Government House's entire bird collection - including a large number of Yellow-crested Cockatoos - hours before surrendering Hong Kong to Japanese troops in December 1941.

References

• Database entry includes justification for why this species is critically endangered

External links

• Cockatoos of Hong Kong
• ARKive - images and movies of the Yellow-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea)
• mytoos.com - information on cockatoos in captivity
• BirdLife Species Factsheet
• IUCN Red List
• Red Data Book