Yellow-crested Cockatoo
Cacatua sulphurea
A medium-sized white cockatoo with a yellow crest; rare and endangered throughout its native range but has several strong naturalized populations across Asia. Raucous and social, usually seen in large flocks flying noisily over forested areas. Noticeably smaller than the similarly-colored Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; no natural range overlap, but the two coexist in parts of their introduced range, such as Singapore.
Taxonomy
In the 18th century, yellow-crested cockatoos were imported into Europe as pets and these birds were described by various naturalists. In 1738 English naturalist Eleazar Albin included a description and illustration of the "Cockatoo or White crested parrot" in his A Natural History of Birds based on a bird displayed at "The Tiger" tavern on Tower Hill in London. In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included "Le Kakatoes à hupe jaune" in his Onithologie based on a live bird that he had seen in Paris. Then in 1764, George Edwards included the "Lesser white cockatoo with a yellow crest" in his Gleanings of natural history from a pet bird kept at a home in Essex, and in 1779 French polymath Comte de Buffon included the bird in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux.<p>When the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin revised and expanded Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae in 1788 he included the yellow-crested cockatoo based on the accounts of earlier naturalists. He placed it with the parrots in the genus Psittacus and coined the binomial name Psittacus sulphureus. The type locality is the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The yellow-crested cockatoo is now one of 11 species placed in the genus Cacatua that was introduced in 1817 by Louis Pierre Vieillot.<p>According to the International Ornithological Congress, 5 subspecies are recognized:<p>Previously, only 4 of these were recognized, but djampeana and occidentalis were recognized in 2022 based on a 2014 phylogenetic study. The subspecies paulandrewi, thought to be endemic to the Tukangbesi Islands and also recognized in the 2014 study, is not recognized by the IOC.<p>Until 2023, the citron-crested cockatoo (Cacatua citrinocristata) was considered by the IOC to be a subspecies of yellow-crested cockatoo.
- Scientific name
- Cacatua sulphurea
- Authority
- (Gmelin, JF, 1788)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Cacatuidae
- Genus
- Cacatua
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
The yellow-crested cockatoo is critically endangered. Numbers have declined dramatically due to illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade. Between 1980 and 1992, over 100,000 of these birds were legally exported from Indonesia, yet a German proposal submitted to CITES to move it to Appendix I was not approved. It has since been moved to Appendix I. The current population is estimated at fewer than 2,500 individuals and is thought to be declining in number.<p>The subspecies C. s. abbotti is found only on the island of Masakambing. Its population on this tiny island (about 5 km2 or 1.9 mi2) had fallen to 10 as of June and July 2008. The decline results from trapping and logging, especially of mangroves (Avicennia apiculata) and kapok trees.<p>Several national parks their habitat, including Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park on Sulawesi, Komodo National Park on Komodo Island, the national parks of Manupeu Tanah Daru and Laiwangi Wanggameti on Sumba, and the Nino Konis Santana National Park in East Timor (Timor-Leste).
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Northern Barred-Woodcreeper
Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae
Uncommon, rather large woodcreeper of humid tropical forest; infrequently seen away from ant swarms. Found singly or in twos and threes, often with Tawny-winged and Ruddy Woodcreepers at army ant swarms. Perches upright on trunks at all levels; often rather sluggish. Often looks dark and plain overall, with dark mask and pale base to stout bill. Dark barring on head and body visible with good views. Loud whistled song given mainly around dawn, a whistled “too’ih tooh’ih.”
Buru Golden-Bulbul
Hypsipetes mysticalis
A thrush-sized olive-colored songbird with a long, fairly heavy bill. Plumage uniform olive-green except for narrow yellow chin, yellow patch between the bill and the eye, and partial yellow eye-ring above the eye. Pairs or small groups occupy forest, degraded forest, edges, and plantations from sea level to foothills. Unmistakable; limited to the island of Buru. Song starts with several soft “pip” or “chek” notes, then explodes in a series of variable whistles, e.g. “WEE-WEE-WEE-WEK-pewee-pewee-WEE-WEE.” Calls include dry “chek” notes and rasping “chirrrik” calls.
Temminck's Courser
Cursorius temminckii
Elegant, long-legged, upland shorebird. Note the rufous crown and black patch on the belly. Shows a completely black wing in flight. Found in very open areas such as short grassland, semi-desert, and overgrazed and recently burned areas. Usually seen in pairs or family groups. Like all coursers, ducks the head and runs across the ground at great speed. Call is a mournful, off-key, up-and-down series. All-rufous crown, black belly patch, and all-black wing are not shown by the area’s other coursers.
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