The Sulphur Crested Cockatoo is a beautiful parrot with a funny and often playful personality.

Sulphur Crested Cockatoos are naturally acrobatic and highly trainable. Many are very adept at learning a variety of physical tricks. Like other Cockatoos, they are not known to be good talkers. If you are looking for a parrot that is known for its talking ability the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo is not the best choice. An African Grey might be a better choice. Sulphur Crested Cockatoos make wonderful companions to those who have plenty of time to spend with them. They are loyal and loving, but they need lots and lots of attention. If ignored or left alone for long periods of time they can develop bad behavioral traits such as screeching and/or feather plucking. They should also be provided with plenty of toys to prevent boredom. Because they are by nature very social animals, plan on spending plenty of time with this parrot. If you do not have large amounts of time, this is not the bird for you. The Sulphur Crested Cockatoo is extremely intelligent and even considered by some to be one of the most intelligent parrots. Although not known for great talking abilities, these birds will often mimic sounds and some may even do a little talking. The Greater Sulphur Crested Cockatoo has a long lifespan, as is true with many parrots. This must be considered before purchase.

Sulphur Crested Cockatoos are magnificent white birds with yellow crests, yellow tail feathers, and yellow under their wings. Black legs and beak set off this look. The crest is the distinguishing characteristic of all cockatoos and their smaller cousins, cockatiels. They are the only parrots to have this feature. In addition to being beautiful crests are also used for communication. Although, not always a sign of impending aggressive behavior, a raised crest should warn you to beware. They range in size up to 20 inches from beak to tail and males can weigh as much as two pounds.

While many are aware of the fact that the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo is indigenous to Australia, many do not realize that they are also seen in Indonesia, and New Guinea. There are several subspecies of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos aside from the nominate form described in this article (galerita galerita). The first of these is the Fitzroy Cockatoo(galerita fitzroyi), which is very rare in captivity. The Eleonora Cockatoo (galerita eleanora) is another subspecies that is fairly common in the pet trade. The Eleonora is the smallest of the Greater Sulphur Crested Cockatoos and is often called the Medium Sulphur Crested Cockatoo. Lastly, the Triton Cockatoo, (galerita triton) is the sub-species most often seen performing in bird shows. The bird on the Baretta series was a Triton Cockatoo. They have very good talking ability compared to other cockatoos and many are also known for being great show-offs.

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