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Sulphur-crested Cockatoo - Cacatua galerita

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Cacatua galerita

Family: Cacatuidae (Cockatoos, 14 species in Australia)
Size: 45-52 cm
Distribution: Within 1000-2000 km of the coasts of QLD, NSW, some of NT and northern WA. All of VIC and TAS. The easternmost coasts of SA.
Status: Locally abundant to common
Habitat: Wide ranging in temperate to tropical areas
References: Simpson and Day, Reader's Digest

The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is a well known Australian bird with a loud, raucous call. They sometimes damage wooden parts of houses with their powerful beaks.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo - Cacatua galerita
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo - Cacatua galerita
Artwork: John Gould, 'The Birds of Australia', 1848. Original Scanned Image.

Some Birdwatching Resources

The Kamana Naturalist Training Program.The Kamana program by Jon Young, founder of Wilderness Awareness School, is an awesome correspondence course teaching naturalist knowledge of your area including birds and bird language. If you want to learn the birds and other animals so that you really feel that you know them, I highly recommend this course, which I am studying myself.

Sydney Birds and Where to Find Them, Peter Roberts. The 30 top bird-watching localities in and around Sydney. These birding hot spots stretch from Tuggerah Lakes on the Central Coast to Lake Illawarra near Wollongong and from the Blue Mountains in the west to some surprisingly accessible sites tucked away in the heart of the city. Each locality entry lists the key species to look out for including rare and seasonal visitors. It describes how to access the location, and what amenities to expect; maps are featured. There is also a handy list of Sydney birds, each entry providing information on the best spots to find it.