About Cacatua leadbeateri (Vigors, 1831)
Scientific Naming and Appearance Overview
The pink cockatoo, scientifically known as Cacatua leadbeateri (Vigors, 1831), has soft-textured white and salmon-pink plumage, plus a large bright red and yellow crest.
Former Common Name Etymology
One of its former common names honored Major Thomas Mitchell, who wrote that few birds enliven the monotonous hues of the Australian forest more than this beautiful species, whose pink-coloured wings and flowing crest would have been fitting for a more voluptuous region.
Sexual Dimorphism
Adult female and male pink cockatoos are almost identical in appearance; males are typically larger, while females have a broader yellow stripe on the crest and develop a red eye when mature.
Population Trend Contrast
Pink cockatoo populations have declined rather than increased due to human-caused changes to the arid interior of Australia, unlike populations of the galah.
Habitat Requirements
Where galahs easily settle in cleared and partially cleared land, pink cockatoos require extensive woodlands, and particularly favor conifers of the genus Callitris, sheoak of the genus Allocasuarina, and eucalypts.
Nesting Behavior and Range Contraction
Unlike other cockatoos, breeding pairs of pink cockatoos will not nest close to one another, so they cannot tolerate fragmented, partially cleared habitats, and their range is contracting.
Hybridization Records
In the Mallee region of Victoria where both galahs and pink cockatoos nest, the two species have interbred and produced hybrid offspring occasionally.
Social Behavior and Feeding
Pink cockatoos are usually found in pairs or small groups, and feed both on the ground and in trees.
Sexual Maturity Age
Pink cockatoos reach sexual maturity around 3 to 4 years old.
Longevity Record
The oldest recorded pink cockatoo died at 83 years old.
