Which white cockatoo? Hell if I know. Apparently there are a number of white cockatoo species kept in captivity. I suspect the ones I’ve personally seen were sulphur-crested, but white cockatoo / Cacatua alba is possible as well. They’re fairly large parrots, comparable in size to corvids, and among the more intelligent animals in the world.
Unlike corvids, parrots come equipped with some powerful tools – a beak and strong hands with two opposable thumbs. These powers combined have them tearing up anti-bird spikes like some antifas going after hostile architecture, as well as opening trashcans – which, again, can help other urban birds do their thing. Also famous for dancing to Backstreet Boys and screeching at horrific volumes when mildly neglected.
I sometimes watch one on yewchoob, owned by video game musician Hideaki Utsumi. It’s not his most famous bird, but it shows up. Very mild mannered and quiet, which suggests to me it is well treated. The one time I’ve seen a white cockatoo in person that I can distinctly remember, it was doing that shriek – nearly identical to one I’ve heard in a smaller cockatoo species, the cockatiel, but a lot louder. That was in a tiny pawn shop in downtown Everett, where I was buying a cartridge of the original Tetris for a newly acquired Game Boy.
That was twenty years ago. I don’t see much of these birds. But they’re pretty cool. If any of you have cockatoo stories to tell, have at it in the comments.
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that vid is hilarious, and the top comment on it is great as well.
I’ve got nothing else, sorry…
I’ve only encountered sulphur-crested cockies in the wild – a group of them used to hang out in the ghost trees not far from my bedroom window when I lived in the backwoods in NSW. They are the noisiest fuckers ever, especially first thing in the morning. People complain about cockerels, but they’ve got nothing on a gang of cockatoos. I can’t imagine keeping one indoors. (Well, I can’t really imagine keeping any bird indoors, but that’s another matter…)
loch – no need to apologize. i probably whine about not getting comments too often, if you feel the need to.
dunc – thanks! i knew i had an aussie or two. they really are shockingly loud.
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Quite common here in Oz.
I remember huge flocks in South Australia; noisy buggers, they are.
https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0022/90661/Guidelines-For-Reducing-Cockatoo-Damage-PDF.pdf
that’s some interesting info, useful to people in your neck of the world. thx for the link.
it looks like hideaki utsumi’s is a white cockatoo aka umbrella cockatoo, and i think i can tell the difference now. backstreet bird you can’t see the yellow but its head feathers have the same curve as sulphur-crested, so i’m thinkin that’s what that one is.
Oh, I’m not an Aussie, I just lived there for a bit.
Fun stuff about Cockatoos: Everyone loves dunking morsels of food in dips – and it turns out so do cockatoos.