Moluccan+Cockatoo

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Order: Psittaciformes
 * Also called Salmon-crested Cockatoo** // Cacatua moluccensis //

=**__Husbandry Information__**=

Housing Requirements

 * Corners limited cage, inside holding is ~3.5x 3.5 x 10ft. outside space is 6' wide x 15' long x 10' high. Use a large PVC tube for a nest box. Approved wood for perching along with synthetic marine rope. Outside perching gets changed at least yearly. Inside holding perching gets changed 2xs a year. (Greensboro Science center)

Diet Requirements

 * Our parrots receive Mazuri brand Parrot Chow Maintenance along with fresh produce, and greens 3x a week. Corn on the cob is a favorite diet item, but must not be given in excess. Our Moluccan cockatoo does not like strawberries. Avocado is never fed to our animals, especially the parrots.
 * GSC feeds Mazuri Parrot diet fresh fruuits and veggies and one nut daily

Notes on Enrichment & Training

 * Giving things to shred (paper products or wood) is good. The Moluccan cockatoo at Children's Zoo at Celebration Square also enjoys movies (G-rated) and radio, or audio/video recordings of other birds, including herself. Mirrors can be fun, but should be monitored or not accessible if not monitored (outside enclosure).
 * This bird picks up new behaviors quickly, but may be hard to get consistent results from.
 * Can be difficult to train because they like to test the trainer. The bird at Greensboro science center prefers the attention as a reward over food.

=__Programmatic Information__=

Tips on Presentation

 * As one of our talking points, we discourage parrots as household pets, so we try to get our Moluccan to do an alarm call during our presentation. This is very effective in discouraging most people from wanting one.
 * We will also demonstrate the dust coating on their feathers by rubbing a sleeve (from the handler) on their back and talk about the purpose of the dust. Alternately, we can drip water down the back so they can see it bead off the feathers. Audiences usually enjoy this, and it's a great teaching opportunity.

Tips on Handling

 * If the bird has a good relationship with the handler, having them perched on you hand is a good way to show them. If uncomfortable with the bird using a T stand or having them perch on a stick is also useful

Potential Messaging

 * Pet trade
 * Habitat destruction/fragmentation
 * Human/animal conflict (in native areas)

=__Acquisition Information__=

=__Comments from the Rating System__=
 * Children's Zoo at Celebration Square: Moluccan cockatoos are very smart, even for parrots. Our female is extremely smart but hard to train consistently due to her intelligence. She is motivated by attention, not food, and historically has gotten more attention by misbehaving (nothing serious like biting, just not doing what you want and being cute). There are a lot of conservational messages that can be talked about with them, though. We always address the pet trade and why the do not make good pets. People want to touch our parrots a lot and don't understand why we say they don't make good pets until we explain, but there are still those who think they are the exception to the rule. This bird in particular is the last animal in the zoo anyone gets to handle. She is extremely intelligent and takes a long time to be comfortable with new handlers, and is also hard to read. She is not a biter, although she has bitten people in the past. She enjoys going for walks around the zoo and going out for shows, but it has to be warm and there has to be an experienced handler with time available to walk her, so she doesn't go out everyday. She is a surrendered pet and we have occasional issues with her plucking. She also will destroy any toys we give her - she can't have anything plastic because she'll shred it but really enjoys bells. We are working on some new behaviors with her manipulating objects (such as "recycle" where she'll put an item in the recycling bin). She understands what we want her to do but does not always cooperate. She loves to be loud as well and knows a couple words, but nothing on cue. She will, however, repeat certain phrases she knows only one handler says only to that handler. We have never tried to get her to say anything specific to a command, though.

=__Natural History Information__=

Range and Habitat

 * South Maluku, Indonesia including Ambon, Seram, Saparua, and Haruku.

Physical Description

 * Very large, feathers are white/pale pink with bright salmon crest feathers and yellow/orange under the wings. Females tend to be larger than males.

Threats and Conservation Status

 * Capture for the cage bird trade is still an issue, along with habitat loss and persecution from locals for crop destruction.
 * IUCN - Vulnerable
 * CITES - Appendix I

=__Did you know…__=

=__Photographs__=

=__Contributors and Citations__=
 * Greensboro Science Center

//When adding a new page, remember to add tags!//
 * //Activity Schedule: diurnal, nocturnal, crepuscular//
 * //Continent of Origin//
 * //Diet Requirements: carnivore, herbivore, omnivore, etc.//
 * //General Habitat/Biome: deserts, forests, mountains, etc.//