Moluccan cockatoo
Contents
Moluccan cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis)
Order | Parrots |
family | Cockatoo |
Race | Cockatoo |
In the photo: Moluccan cockatoo. Photo: wikimedia
Appearance and description of the Moluccan cockatoo
The Moluccan cockatoo is a short-tailed large parrot with an average body length of about 50 cm and a weight of about 935 g. Female Moluccan cockatoos are usually larger than males. In color, both sexes are the same. The color of the body is white with a pinkish tinge, more intense on the chest, neck, head and belly. The undertail has an orange-yellow tinge. The area under the wings is pink-orange. The crest is quite large. The inner feathers of the crest are orange-red. The beak is powerful, gray-black, the paws are black. The periorbital ring is devoid of feathers and has a bluish tint. The iris of mature male Moluccan cockatoos is brown-black, while that of females is brown-orange.
Moluccan cockatoo lifespan with proper care is about 40 – 60 years.
In the photo: Moluccan cockatoo. Photo: wikimedia
Habitat and life in the nature of the Moluccan cockatoo
The Moluccan cockatoo lives on some of the Moluccas and is endemic to Australia. The world population of wild birds numbers up to 10.000 individuals. The species is subject to extermination by poachers and extinction due to the loss of natural habitats.
The Moluccan cockatoo lives at an altitude of up to 1200 meters above sea level in intact tropical rainforests without undergrowth with large trees. And also in open forests with low vegetation.
The diet of the Moluccan cockatoo includes various nuts, young coconuts, plant seeds, fruits, insects and their larvae.
Outside the breeding season, they are found singly or in pairs, during the season they stray into large flocks. Active in the morning and evening hours.
In the photo: Moluccan cockatoo. Photo: wikimedia
Reproduction of the Moluccan cockatoo
The breeding season of the Moluccan cockatoo begins in July-August. Usually, a pair chooses a cavity in large trees, usually dead ones, for a nest.
The clutch of the Moluccan cockatoo is usually 2 eggs. Both parents incubate for 28 days.
Moluccan cockatoo chicks leave the nest at about 15 weeks of age. However, they stay close to their parents for about a month, and they feed them.
