Tanimbar Corella
Cacatua goffiniana
Small white parrot with short crest, ring of grayish-blue skin around the eye, and pink patch between the eye and the bill. Yellow-tinged undersides of wings and tail often visible in flight. Endemic to the forests of the Indonesian Tanimbar Islands, where now uncommon and declining. Introduced populations are scattered widely around the world and have become established in suburban areas in Taiwan, Singapore, Puerto Rico, Indonesia's Kai Islands, and Japan.
Identification
Tanimbar corellas weigh, on average, about 250 g (9 oz) for females and 300 g (11 oz) for males. They are about 31 cm (12 in) from head to tail.<p>Like all members of the family Cacatuidae, the Tanimbar corella is crested, meaning it has a collection of feathers on its head that it can raise or lower. Its body is mainly covered with white feathers, with salmon or pink colored feathers between the beak and eyes. The deeper (proximal) parts of the crest feathers and neck feathers are also a salmon color, but the coloration here is hidden by the white color of the more superficial (distal) areas of these feathers. The underside of its wing and tail feathers exhibit a yellowish tinge. The beak is pale grey and the eye colour is brown in females and black in males. The males are slightly larger, but otherwise look similar to the females.<p>In captivity, Tanimbar corellas live up to 30 years, making them one of the shorter-lived cockatoo species.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cacatua goffiniana
- Authority
- Roselaar & Michels, 2004
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Cacatuidae
- Genus
- Cacatua
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
Due to ongoing habitat loss on Tanimbar, limited range and illegal hunting, the Tanimbar corella is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES. In the 1970s, Japanese loggers ravaged the islands. Many of the dazed, disoriented birds were captured for the pet trade. Although many died from stress during shipment, there may be a small silver lining behind this ecological disaster, because many Tanimbar corellas have reproduced in captive breeding programs. As such, there are now more Tanimbar corellas in captivity than in the wild.[citation needed]
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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