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Moluccan Cockatoo

 (Cacatua moluccensis)

Also known as: Salmon-crested Cockatoo, Pink-crested Cockatoo, Rose-crested Cockatoo

Click photo to visit gallery

Moluccan Cockatoo
© Don Preisler | www.preislerphotography.com

Did You Know?

The Moluccan Cockatoo is found only on Seram and Ambon in Indonesia.

Programs & Projects

WPT has worked with numerous partners to help save this species. Learn more

Academic Research

Related publications: Cacatua moluccensis

Species Profile

Genus: Cacatua | Species: moluccensis

Size:

40-50 cm (15.6-19.5 in)

Weight:

775-935g (27.1-32.7 oz)

Subspecies including nominate:

one

Colour Adult:

Both adults large, soft peach coloured cockatoo with bright, dark peach crest; soft yellow suffusion underwings and undertail. Eye black, area around eye white.  Eye black in male and dark brown in female.

Colour Juvenile:

As in adult.

Call:

Shrill screech with quavering notes; are vocal most of all in evening.

Listen Now

Video Links:

Video 1 | Video 2

More Information:

Avibase

Content Sources:

CITES
BirdLife International
Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998
Parrots: Status Survey and Conservation Plan 2000-2004, Snyder, McGowan, Gilardi and Grajal, 2000.
Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1989.
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.
Parrots in Aviculture, Low, 1992.
Avian Pediatric Seminar Proceedings, various authors, 1988.

Click photo to visit gallery

Moluccan Cockatoo
© Don Preisler | www.preislerphotography.com

Did You Know?

The Moluccan Cockatoo is found only on Seram and Ambon in Indonesia.

Programs & Projects

WPT has worked with numerous partners to help save this species. Learn more

Academic Research

Related publications: Cacatua moluccensis

Species Care

Captive Status:

Fairly common

Longevity:

40-60 yrs

Housing:

Walk-in aviary, minimum length 4.5m (14.7 ft).

Diet:

Small seed mix such as: canary, oats, safflower and small amount of hemp, spray millet, limited sunflower seed, dry, soaked or sprouted; sprouted beans such as mung or peas, cooked butterbeans or lentils, boiled or fresh corn, green leaves of spinach, Swiss chard, lettuce, sowthistle, dandelion and chickweed; fresh vegetables such as carrot, celery, zucchini, squash, green beans and peas in a pod; fresh fruit such as apple, pear, orange, banana, cactus fruits, pomegranates, berries, asian pears, kiwi fruit, and others; nutritionally complete kibble, high protein biscuits for underweight birds.

Enrichment:

Chewable objects - sterilized pine cones, fir, pine, willow or elder branches, vegetable tanned leather items; hard plastic puzzle items, food finders, push and pull toys, different size perches, socialization. Enjoys bathing so provide overhead misters or use spray bottle.

Nest Box Size:

75cm (29") high, 60cm (23.4") in diameter, barrel shaped.

Clutch Size:

2

Incubation Time:

28 days

Fledging Age:

15 weeks

Hatch Weight:

16-20g (0.5-0.7 oz)

Peak Weight:

896-943g (31.4-33 oz)

Weaning Weight:

822g (28.8 oz)

Click photo to visit gallery

Moluccan Cockatoo
© Don Preisler | www.preislerphotography.com

Did You Know?

The Moluccan Cockatoo is found only on Seram and Ambon in Indonesia.

Programs & Projects

WPT has worked with numerous partners to help save this species. Learn more

Academic Research

Related publications: Cacatua moluccensis

Species Wild Status

World Population:

As few as 10,000

IUCN Red List Status:

Vulnerable

CITES Listing:

Appendix I

Threat Summary:

Wild bird trade (baseline estimates suggest 4,000 birds are removed from the wild annually in domestic trade), deforestation and habitat loss.

Range:

S Moluccas (Seram; formerly Saparua and Haruku) and Ambon, Indonesia.

Habitat:

Lowland forest between 100-1200m (328-3936 ft). Found in undisturbed and disturbed primary lowland forest with large trees, also open canopy forest with low vegetation.

Wild Diet:

Feeds on nuts, young coconut, seeds, berries, and insects and their larvae.

Ecology and Behaviour:

Found in noisy roosts, during breeding season found singly or in pairs; at other times found in groups of up to 16 birds. Generally shy species. Active early morning and late afternoon.

Clutch and Egg Size:

2 elliptical eggs, size 30.0 x 50.0mm (1.2 x 2 in).

Breeding Season:

Begins in July, August. Nest is high up in tree hollow.

Related Links:

Wikipedia
Research: Density and distribution of the endemic Seram Cockatoo in relation to land use patterns

Click photo to visit gallery

Moluccan Cockatoo
© Don Preisler | www.preislerphotography.com

Did You Know?

The Moluccan Cockatoo is found only on Seram and Ambon in Indonesia.

Programs & Projects

WPT has worked with numerous partners to help save this species. Learn more

Academic Research

Related publications: Cacatua moluccensis

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