Pink Cockatoo

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

The Pink Cockatoo is a medium-sized bird, roughly 35 to 40 cm long, with an elegant, soft-textured appearance. Its plumage is primarily white on the upperparts and wings, while the face, neck, and underparts are a delicate salmon-pink. Its most spectacular feature is a large, forward-curving crest with bold bands of bright red and yellow between white tips. While the sexes look very similar, mature females can be identified by their reddish eyes and a broader yellow band in the crest, whereas males have dark brown to black eyes. The voice is distinctive and often described as a plaintive, quavering yodel or a two-syllable "chock-a-lock" call. It is generally higher pitched and more melodic than the harsh screeching of many other cockatoo species. Usually seen in pairs or small family groups, this cockatoo is more wary than the common Galah. It feeds both in the canopy and on the ground, seeking out seeds from cypress pines, acacias, and eucalyptus trees, as well as fruits and insect larvae. In flight, it shows broad, rounded wings and a steady, rhythmic wingbeat. Unlike many of its relatives, breeding pairs are solitary and require significant distance between nesting hollows, making them sensitive to habitat changes. This species inhabits the arid and semi-arid inland regions of Australia. It prefers extensive, undisturbed woodlands featuring cypress pine, sheoak, and eucalyptus, and it rarely ventures into heavily cleared or urban landscapes. The Galah is the most similar species but is easily distinguished by its much deeper rose-pink chest, grey wings and back, and smaller, paler crest. While both birds share pink tones, the Pink Cockatoo appears much whiter in flight. Corellas are also white but lack the Pink Cockatoo’s salmon-pink wash and multi-coloured crest.

Description · BirdUp · CC BY-SA 4.0