Cockatoo pink. Pink cockatoo (Eolophus roseicapillus, Cacatua roseicapilla) Galah, Rose-breasted cockatoo (English), Rosakakadus (German) What do cockatoos eat

The pink cockatoo or galah (Cacatua roseicapillus) is a resident of distant Australia. Eucalyptus forests, savannas overgrown with bushes, fields, parks, gardens, coastal islands in the ocean are the favorite habitats of this bird. Always tries to stay near water. This beautiful member of the cockatoo family was brought to Europe back in 1843.

Gala belongs to the small species of representatives of the cockatoo family. The size of the bird is 25-30 cm, the wing is 28 cm, the tail is 13 cm. The weight of the male is 270-430 g, the female weighs slightly less.

The plumage of the pink cockatoo is smoky gray on top, the top of the head is light pink, and the cheeks, chest, belly and neck are lilac-red. The outside of the tuft is white Pink colour, inside - red-pink. The eyes are small and light, the ocular ring is ruby red. The beak is ivory, the legs are dark gray.

The male and female pink cockatoo are practically indistinguishable in appearance. Only in the 2-3rd year of life can these parrots be distinguished by their iris: the male’s is black, and the female’s is light orange or light brown.

When communicating with its own kind or with a person, a cockatoo can raise and lower the crest on its head. If the crest is pressed to the head, the bird is calm, friendly and ready to communicate. Raised crest - the bird is excited, excited or scared. The parrot also raises its crest, warning of warlike intentions.

Lifestyle of pink cockatoo in nature

The pink cockatoo lives in flocks, often small, numbering up to 20 birds. Sometimes there are large flocks of up to a thousand individuals. In the morning, cockatoos go in search of food, often making devastating raids on fields. For this, local farmers fight them with all possible means, including shooting them with guns. Fortunately, this does not have any significant impact on the pink cockatoo population.

Pink cockatoos feed on seeds, fruits, plant roots, and insects. The birds spend most of the day resting in the treetops. After an evening watering hole, the birds break up into pairs and depart for their permanent roosting site. If it's raining, gala hangs on a branch upside down, wings spread wide. Cockatoos living in the northern arid regions migrate to the wetter territories of the Green Continent during drought periods.

Pink cockatoos fly quickly, up to 70 km/h, but on the ground they walk slowly, waddling.

A mated pair of pink cockatoos lasts a lifetime. True, if one of the birds dies, the remaining one forms a new pair. During the mating ritual, a male with a raised crest and open wings courtes his girlfriend, amusingly shaking his head from side to side. They nest in tree hollows, as high as possible from the ground or in rock crevices. There are usually 2-4 eggs in a clutch. The eggs are incubated by both the female and the male alternately. Hatching lasts 30 days. The chicks fly out of the nest after 1.5 months, but their parents continue to care for them for another 3 weeks. There is a high mortality rate among chicks - half of them die before reaching 6 months, and only every tenth reaches the age of three.

Appearance

The plumage of the pink cockatoo is smoky gray on top, the upper part of the head is light pink, and the cheeks, chest, belly and neck are lilac-red. The outside of the crest is white-pink, the inside is red-pink. The eyes are small and light, the ocular ring is ruby red. The beak is ivory, the legs are dark gray.

The male and female pink cockatoo are practically indistinguishable in appearance. Only at 2-3 years of life can these parrots be distinguished by their iris: the male’s is black, and the female’s is light orange or light brown.

Keeping a pink cockatoo at home

The pink cockatoo requires a lot of owner's time - you need to devote at least two hours a day to the bird. From lack of attention, the pet will engage in self-plucking or constantly scream. Fortunately, their voice is not as loud and shrill as that of other species of this family. When leaving home, leave at least the radio on - this will cheer up the bird somewhat.

In general, the pink cockatoo has a calm and peaceful character. This is a sociable, playful and cute pet. However, sometimes it can peck, especially young individuals.

The pink cockatoo is not very capable of reproducing human speech - it can learn no more than 20 words and a couple of short sentences.

Housing

Considering the size of the pink cockatoo, the cage may not be too large, the main thing is that its size allows the bird to spread its wings freely. The bird will be quite comfortable in a cage measuring 90x90x120 cm. The cage should be metal with a distance between the bars of about 2 cm. In the cage you need to install a wooden house for sleeping measuring 40x40x90 cm. Take care of the perches - there should be at least three of them, install them on different heights. For the parrot’s convenience, one perch should be near the feeder and drinking bowl.

The bottom of the cage is covered with material that absorbs moisture well (special sand, paper, sawdust).

Don't forget about toys. Rings, ropes, ladders, rattles, and bells would be appropriate as such. In general, the pink cockatoo loves to play, climb, and dig. Such a bird requires constant physical and mental stress.

The lighting of the cage should be natural, but direct light should not fall on the cage. Sun rays. When keeping pink cockatoos, the temperature should not fall below +5 C, so an outdoor aviary is not advisable.

The presence of a pond is also mandatory, since the pink cockatoo loves water and loves to swim. In particularly hot weather, the bird can be sprayed with a spray bottle.

There should always be branches of fruit trees in the cage, preferably with buds.

Diet

These cockatoos require a diet low in fat, so nuts should be kept to a minimum in the bird's diet. About 50% of the diet should be grain mixtures. Vegetables offered to the bird include pumpkin, corn, carrots, cauliflower, green peas, green and red bell peppers. Cockatoos especially respect cucumbers, tomatoes, and potatoes. Among berries and fruits, he prefers grapes, pineapples, bananas, pomegranates, apples, citrus fruits (let's do it without the peel), peaches, apricots, pears, and plums. The cockatoo will not refuse dandelion leaves, lettuce, and celery. A boiled egg can be given no more than twice a week.

The pink cockatoo needs to be fed 2 times a day, and it is advisable to have the morning meal at 6 o’clock in the morning.

As an additional source of calcium, the bird is given chalk, crushed eggshells, and limestone.

The following foods should not be given to your pink cockatoo:

salty, spicy, baked and fried;
chocolate and other sweets;
parsley;
avocado;
dairy products (except low-fat yogurt).

Because sunflower seeds and nuts contain a large number of fats, they are given in extremely limited quantities or are completely excluded from the poultry diet.

The duration of the earthly journey of the pink cockatoo is up to 50 years.

In contact with

Titles: pink cockatoo, gala.

Area: native of Australia.

Description: The rosy cockatoo's crest is small and wide. The feathers are soft. The beak is light gray, the paws are dark gray. Periorbital ring without feathers, pink. The male and female are colored the same. The male's iris is black, the female's is light brown. This sign becomes noticeable at 2-3 years of age.
There are 3 subspecies: Cacatua roseicapillus roseicapilla(up to 35 cm), Cacatua roseicapillus assimilis(up to 35 cm), Cacatua roseicapillus kuhli.

Color: The cheeks, neck, chest and belly are pink-red, the back is smoky-gray. The flight feathers and tail feathers are brown. The tail is gray. The crest is white on top, red-pink inside.

Size: Body 25-30 cm, wing 27 cm, tail 13 cm.

Weight: Male - 275-430 g, female - 255-400 g.

Lifespan: in captivity for more than 50 years.

Habitat: Fields, forest (eucalyptus), savannas overgrown with bushes and grass, parks, gardens, coastal islands. The pink cockatoo stays near the water.

Enemies: Predator birds: eagles, falcons.

Food/food: The pink cockatoo feeds early in the morning and in the evening, mainly on the ground, gathering in large flocks. Feeding duration is from 30 minutes to 5 hours, depending on the abundance of food. Seeds, grains, roots, grass (burdock), buds, insects and their larvae, grain crops (oats, wheat), berries, fruits (mango), nuts (pandanus). The pink cockatoo digs up plant roots from the ground using its beak. When feeding, one or two birds act as guards.

Behavior: It spends most of the day resting in the crown of trees, gnawing bark and leaves. After an evening watering hole, it breaks into pairs and flies away to its permanent roosting site. Loves to swim. When it rains, it hangs upside down with its wings outstretched. Birds living in arid areas (northern Australia) migrate during periods of drought. The pink cockatoo walks slowly on the ground. Flies quickly, up to 70 km/h.

Social structure: It lives in small (up to 20 individuals) or large (200-1000 individuals) flocks.

Reproduction: The pair is formed for life, but if one of the partners dies, the survivor forms a new pair. The pink cockatoo nests in tree hollows (usually in eucalyptus trees), the internal diameter is about 15 cm. It prefers hollows located at a height of 4-20 m. It uses its favorite hollow year after year. If there is a lack of suitable trees, it can build nests in crevices of cliffs. Cleans off the bark around the entrance to the nest. The bottom is lined with fresh eucalyptus leaves. Several pairs can nest on one tree. The pink cockatoo jealously guards its territory (about 3 meters from the nest). Hatching begins with the second or third egg. Both parents incubate the eggs, although the female spends time on the eggs most time.

Breeding season/period: In the north of Australia - February-July, in the south - July-December.

Puberty: 3-5 years.

Courtship ritual: A male with a raised crest and open wings approaches the female, his head swinging in different directions.

Incubation: 30 days

Offspring: There are 2-4 eggs in a clutch (size 35.3x26.5 mm). The eyes open on the 15th day. The chicks fly out for the first time at 45-50 days, but their parents feed them for about three more weeks. There is a very high mortality rate among chicks (up to 50% die before six months). Only 9% reach the age of three.

Benefit/harm for humans: The pink cockatoo causes significant damage to crops.

One of the most beautiful parrots- pink cockatoo. The bird's exquisite coloring is combined with a peaceful disposition, making this cockatoo one of the most popular species of parrots to keep at home.

Parrots of this species are very attractive to bird lovers. They are not too large, docile, peaceful and affectionate pets, who also have very beautiful colors. The pearl-gray back harmoniously combines with the soft pink color of the abdomen and the brighter, almost red neck and head. The head is decorated with a short, wide crest, which the bird raises in a state of excitement. The size of the pink cockatoo is 36-38 cm, and females differ slightly from males. The pink cockatoo lives up to 50 years in captivity and reproduces quite successfully.

The birthplace of the pink cockatoo is Australia. Here these birds are called gala cockatoos. Pink cockatoos live in flocks of tens to several thousand birds. Local farmers hate these birds for their destructive raids on their fields. Pink cockatoos are destroyed by all means, including very inhumane ones, but the population of these beautiful birds is still quite stable and not endangered.

Character and abilities of the pink cockatoo

This species of cockatoo is one of the most peaceful. They are easy to train, quickly become attached to people and are even quite loyal to children. Other species of cockatoos do not like children and are capable of showing aggression out of jealousy.

The pink cockatoo can be taught funny tricks without much difficulty. But these parrots are not too inclined to memorize the words of human speech. Some individuals are able to remember 10-20 words, but there are few such talents among pink cockatoos. But they remember and reproduce musical melodies quite well.

Caring for the Pink Cockatoo

Like other species of crested parrots, the pink cockatoo needs a spacious cage or aviary. The dimensions of the cage must be no less than 0.7 × 0.7 × 1 m. The cage must be equipped with a fairly deep tray into which coarse clean sand or small pebbles must be poured. Choose a place for the cage in a place protected from drafts, away from radiators. The cage should be well lit, but not directly in the sun. The pink cockatoo must always have access to fresh, clean water, so the water bowl must be washed at least 2 times a week.

The parrot needs to be bathed in warm water 2-3 times a week. You can offer him a shallow bowl of water, but most like to be watered from the shower or sprayed from a spray bottle. In its homeland, during rain, a pink cockatoo can hang on a branch upside down, spreading its wings, and with enthusiastic chirping, take water treatments until its plumage is completely wet.

Feeding

Usually the pink cockatoo is fed with special grain mixtures from the pet store. Supplement the diet with fresh fruits and vegetables (you just need to exclude avocados, cabbage and parsley that are harmful to cockatoos). Apples, bananas, carrots, and sweet peppers are cut into small slices, which the bird holds in its paw when it eats.

A hard-boiled and finely chopped egg can serve as a source of protein. You can give some hard cheese and low-fat cottage cheese. In nature, the pink cockatoo also feeds on insects, but you should not give the bird earthworms dug up in the backyard to avoid infection and worms.

Features of behavior

The pink cockatoo, like most large parrots, is very sociable and affectionate. The owner should devote quite a lot of time to communicating with the bird, otherwise the pink cockatoo may become depressed. This can cause the bird to either start acting up or get sick. The disease can manifest itself in the behavior of the bird: monotonous movements repeated for hours, plucking of plumage up to complete baldness. And hooliganism manifests itself in the increased loudness of the pink cockatoo, an uncontrollable desire to gnaw on everything, the desire to peel off wallpaper, etc. The bird may become more aggressive and begin to bite. If the pink cockatoo gets plenty of companionship and affection, such problems will not arise.

Rose cockatoos (Eolophus roseicapillus) sit on eucalyptus trees in large flocks, calling loudly and shrilly, or fly in large flocks. Thanks to their ability to adapt well to different living conditions, they are the most commonly found cockatoos today.

FROM SAVANNAH TO THE CITY

The pink cockatoo, or gala, is a member of the cockatoo family (Cacatuidae). The plumage of the bird, which is 35 cm long, is pink on the chest and neck, gray on the back and tail. Males and females can only be distinguished by the color of the iris. In adult females it is red-brown, in males it is black. Originally found only in dry regions in the interior of the continent, the cockatoo benefited from the European settlement of Australia due to the availability of new food sources. Grain fields created ideal conditions life, so pink cockatoos were able to quickly expand their range. These are birds living in conditions created as a result of human activity. Today they can be found even in gardens and parks.

SOCIAL LIFE OF BIRDS

Rose cockatoos feed mainly on grass seeds or grains. They willingly eat roots that are pulled out of the ground, fruits, nuts and insects. The more food, the greater the number of birds living together. They often roam with other cockatoos, such as the Greater Yellow-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita). The chatter of pink cockatoos is heard first and foremost early morning and in the evening hours. Compared to other species, their voice is less loud and shrill. They communicate using a set of different sounds, of which there are eleven. At sunrise, the birds fly to a water source, then go in search of food and rest during the hot afternoon hours in tall trees. Before sunset they drink a second time before retiring to shared sleeping trees. The pink cockatoo is always busy and curious, often using its beak, which it uses as a third leg. He crawls deftly and quickly. It moves on the ground, waddling from side to side, because it always puts one foot in front of the other.

Pink cockatoos are veritable aerial acrobats, performing desperate dive flights, spinning in spirals and squawking in excitement. Even at high speeds of up to 70 km/h, they confidently maneuver between trees. Since in case of danger only their flight speed can save them, they try not to wet their feathers and wildlife rarely take a bath. If it does start to rain, they beat their wings very excitedly, hang upside down on branches or ruffle their feathers to clean their plumage.

FROM THE NEST TO “SCHOOL”

At about four years of age, pink cockatoos, bound in a lifelong partnership, hatch their eggs for the first time. In South Australia, the breeding season lasts from July to December, in the north - from February to June. Pairs hatching chicks gather together and settle mainly in the hollows of old eucalyptus trees near a water source. The same hollow is used every year. Over time, the bark and dead wood that has accumulated around the hole is removed, and the entrance to the nest is polished with the beak. This way the nest is better protected from snakes, which steal both the young birds and the parent hatching the eggs. The female lays two to five eggs in a hollow lined with eucalyptus leaves, which both parents incubate alternately for 23-25 days. About eight weeks after hatching, the young birds are able to fly and are directed towards a group of trees. All the surrounding young birds live in this “school” under the supervision of several adult birds; the youngsters are still provided with food. Every young bird recognizes its parents by its cry. Their pink and gray spotted plumage makes the birds difficult to spot among the foliage. Their loud calls attract enemies - Australian wedge-tailed eagles and peregrine falcons. However, when there are many birds, they are better protected.

After six weeks, the young birds become independent and form their own flocks. About 9% of pink cockatoos reach sexual maturity, as many are shot by farmers, some are hit by cars or become prey to natural enemies.

Loved and hated

Since the export of pink cockatoos has been banned in Australia since the 1960s, the birds are now bred or kept in zoos and aviaries in many countries.

Back home, however, grain farmers have become their sworn enemies because large flocks of birds can cause significant damage to grain and sunflower fields. Therefore, pink cockatoos are considered a real disaster in Australia and are exterminated.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF

Cockatoo pink, gala ( Eolophus roseicapillus)

Bird class.
Parrot squad.
Cockatoo family.
Distribution: Australia, New