Salmon-crested cockatoo

The salmon-crested cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis), also known as the Moluccan cockatoo, is a cockatoo endemic to the Seram archipelago in eastern Indonesia. At a height of up to 46–52 centimetres (1.51–1.71 ft) and weight of up to 850 grams (1.87 lb), it is among the largest of the white cockatoos. The female is slightly smaller than the male on average. It has white-pink feathers with a definite peachy glow, a slight yellow on the underwing and underside of the tail feathers and a large retractable recumbent crest which it raises when threatened, revealing hitherto concealed bright red-orange plumes to frighten potential attackers. It may also be raised in excitement or in other 'emotional' displays. Some describe the crest as "flamingo-colored". It also has one of the louder calls in the parrot world and in captivity is a capable mimic.

Salmon-crested cockatoo
At Cincinnati Zoo
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
CITES Appendix I (CITES)^[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Cacatuidae
Genus:	Cacatua
Subgenus:	Cacatua
Species:	C. moluccensis
Binomial name
Cacatua moluccensis (Gmelin, JF, 1788)

In the wild the salmon-crested cockatoo inhabits lowland forests below 1000 m. The diet consists mainly of seeds, nuts and fruit, as well as coconuts. There is additional evidence that they eat insects off the ground, and pet Moluccan cockatoos have tested positive for anemia if their diet does not include enough protein.

Taxonomy

The salmon-crested cockatoo was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with parrots in the genus Psittacus and coined the binomial name Psittacus moluccensis.^[3] Gmelin based his description on those by earlier ornithologists. George Edwards had described and illustrated the cockatoo in 1751,^[4] Mathurin Jacques Brisson had described it in 1760,^[5] and the Comte de Buffon in had described and illustrated the cockatoo in 1779.^[6][7] The type locality is the Maluku Islands.^[8] The salmon-crested cockatoo is now one of 11 species placed in the genus Cacatua that was introduced in 1817 by Louis Pierre Vieillot. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.^[9]

Distribution and habitat

The salmon-crested cockatoo is endemic to the Seram archipelago in eastern Indonesia and has been introduced to the Hawaiian island of Oahu, where a small population has become established.^[10] Although they have been observed in the wild in Puerto Rico, they are probably the result of escaped pets, and no reproduction has been recorded.^[11]

Status in the wild

The salmon-crested cockatoo is a vulnerable species,^[12] and has been listed on appendix I of CITES since 1989, which makes commercial international trade in wild-caught birds prohibited. Trade in captive bred birds is legal only with appropriate CITES certification. Numbers have declined due to illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade and habitat loss. During the height of the trapping of this species over 6,000 birds were being removed from the wild per year. It has a stronghold in Manusela National Park on Seram, although even today some illegal trapping continues.

Aviculture

 

At Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

The salmon-crested cockatoo can no longer be imported into the United States because it is listed on the Wild Bird Conservation Act. However, they are being bred in captivity. They are popular for their beauty and trainability (which makes them popular in trained bird shows).

The salmon-crested cockatoo is widely considered to be one of the most demanding parrots to keep as a pet due to their high intelligence, large size, potential noise level (it is one of the loudest birds in the world, with calls up to 129 decibels),^[13] and need to chew. Moluccan cockatoos require a very large and very sturdy cage or aviary. Salmon-crested cockatoos are highly social and pets can be extremely cuddly, affectionate, and gentle birds. This can lead to problems if a young cockatoo is spoiled with a great deal of attention and cuddling when young and does not get the opportunity to learn to play with toys, forage, or otherwise entertain itself.

Salmon-crested cockatoos require a great deal of attention and activity to remain healthy and well-adjusted. Attention and training from human caregivers is important in keeping them occupied, as are chewable toys and foraging toys that require them to work for their food. As with most large cockatoos, the salmon-crested cockatoo may develop health and behavioural problems such as feather-plucking and aggression if not provided with the appropriate environment, attention and enrichment opportunities.^{[citation needed]}

In captivity, the salmon-crested cockatoo has been known to live for an extremely long time, with a captive individual mentioned in a 2011 paper having lived to the age of 92 years.^[14]

Breeding

Moluccan cockatoos breed once a year, usually between December and March, when vegetation growth is at its peak and food is readily available.

Gallery

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  Salmon-crested cockatoo displaying (wings clipped)
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  Closeup of head and crest
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  In Tropical Birdland, Leicestershire, England
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•  
  In Sawai, Seram Island

References

1. BirdLife International (2016). "Cacatua moluccensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22684784A93046425. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22684784A93046425.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
3. Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1788). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 1 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 331.
4. Edwards, George (1751). A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Vol. 4. London: Printed for the author at the College of Physicians. p. 160; Plate 160.
5. Brisson, Mathurin Jacques (1760). Ornithologie, ou, Méthode Contenant la Division des Oiseaux en Ordres, Sections, Genres, Especes & leurs Variétés (in French and Latin). Vol. 4. Paris: Jean-Baptiste Bauche. pp. 209–211, No. 10. The two stars (**) at the start of the section indicates that Brisson based his description on the examination of a specimen.
6. Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de (1779). "Le Kakatoës à huppe rouge". Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux (in French). Vol. 6. Paris: De l'Imprimerie Royale. p. 91.
7. Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de; Martinet, François-Nicolas; Daubenton, Edme-Louis; Daubenton, Louis-Jean-Marie (1765–1783). "Le Kakatoes à huppe rouge". Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle. Vol. 5. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. Plate 498.
8. Peters, James Lee, ed. (1937). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 175.
9. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2023). "Parrots, cockatoos". IOC World Bird List Version 13.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
10. "Salmon-crested Cockatoo - eBird".
11. Falcón, Wilfredo; Tremblay, Raymond L. (30 October 2018). "From the cage to the wild: introductions of Psittaciformes to Puerto Rico". PeerJ. 6: e5669. doi:10.7717/peerj.5669. PMC 6214232. PMID 30397538.
12. "Status of Cacatua moluccensis". [CITES CITES] database. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013.
13. "The World's Loudest Animals". 21 June 2018.
14. Young, A. M.; Hobson, E. A.; Lackey, L. B.; Wright, T. F. (2012). "Survival on the ark: life history trends in captive parrots". Animal Conservation. 15 (1): 28–53. doi:10.1111/j.1469-1795.2011.00477.x. PMC 3289156. PMID 22389582.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cacatua moluccensis.

• World Parrot Trust Parrot Encyclopedia – Species Profiles
• BirdLife Species Factsheet
• Project Bird Watch & eco-tourism development in Indonesiion Islands
• 9 Steps To Avoid “Unwanted Cockatoo Syndrome”