A Huge List of Different Types of Fascinating Cockatoos

Don't these beautiful, crested and wickedly intelligent birds inspire a whole lot of emotions when you own one? Let's check out the various types of cockatoos to find out the avatars in which these lively, fluffy aves go aflutter, causing colorful ripples in the cradle of Nature!

Written by
ScienceStruck Editorial
Published
Reading time
4 minutes
Filed under
Biology
Vintage natural history illustration of a pink Major Mitchell's cockatoo

If there ever was any candidate in the bird kingdom that could match the desirability and involvement of a pet dog’s or pet cat’s companionship to humans, a cockatoo would come out as the undisputed winner! In fact, in some cases, cockatoos and certain other birds have been known to be more engaging companions than our beloved domestic canines and felines (no offense to dog/cat owners/lovers!) because, if trained, they are able to carry on conversations with their human masters in human languages!

Yes, cockatoos, parrots, mynahs, budgerigars, macaws, some crows, etc., are some of the highly intelligent birds which are able to mimic human speech if they spend sufficient time in captivity among humans. Most of these birds, like budgerigars, have been known to have an exhaustive human vocabulary, well exceeding a thousand words! Cockatoos can also pick up human vocabulary very fast by mimicking speech of their owners and other people!

There are over fifty different kinds of cockatoos, classified under twenty-one species, that can be found all over the Australian continent, their natural habitat, from where they have spread to other parts of the world by virtue of their value as pets. Let’s find out a little more about cockatoos before proceeding towards the various types of cockatoos.

Cockatoo Facts

  • All twenty-one species and the different types included under each species of cockatoos belong to the family of birds known as Cacatuidae.
  • Cockatoos of are close relatives of parrots and budgerigars.
  • Their natural habitat is restricted to the island continent of Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand. However, a few species are known to exist naturally in certain regions of Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

  • Cockatoos are extremely social, diurnal birds and cockatoos as pets are known to be quite the pranksters, playing intelligent but naughty tricks on their owners!
  • For breeding purposes, cockatoos form monogamous pairs that can last for many years (humans, here’s something you can learn from these birds!).
  • Falcons and eagles are the most common predators that pose a threat to cockatoos in their natural habitats.
  • Cockatoos are herbivorous birds and are especially fond of hard nuts and seeds which they love to crack open with their powerful beaks while holding on to them with their strong talons.

Cockatoo Species

  • Blue Eyed Cockatoo
  • Citron Crested Cockatoo
  • Cockatiel
  • Ducorp’s Cockatoo
  • Gang-Gang Cockatoo
  • Glossy Black Cockatoo
  • Goffin’s Cockatoo
  • Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
  • Little Corella
  • Long Billed Black Cockatoo
  • Long Billed Corella
  • Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo
  • Moluccan Cockatoo
  • Red Tailed Black Cockatoo
  • Red Vented Cockatoo
  • Rose Breasted Cockatoo
  • Short Billed Cockatoo
  • Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
  • Umbrella Cockatoo
  • Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo
  • Western Corella

Different Varieties of Cockatoos

  • Abbott’s Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
  • Gould’s Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
  • Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo
  • Medium sulphur-crested Cockatoo
  • Greater Palm Cockatoo
  • Red-vented, or Philippine Cockatoo
  • Abbott’s Medium Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
  • Greater Sulfur-crested Cockatoo
  • Roseate Cockatoo
  • Bare-eyed Cockatoo
  • Great White Cockatoo
  • Salmon-crested Cockatoo
  • Black Palm Cockatoo
  • Pink Cockatoo
  • Salomonenkakadu Cockatoo

  • Black Cockatoo
  • Lesser Sulfur Crested Cockatoo
  • Solombo Besar Cockatoo
  • Blue-eyed Cockatoo
  • Little Corella Cockatoo
  • Solomon Island Cockatoo
  • White-tailed Black Cockatoo
  • Short-billed Corella Cockatoo
  • Short-billed Black Cockatoo
  • Sumba Cockatoo
  • Slender-billed Corella
  • Slender-billed Cockatoo
  • Ducorp’s Cockatoo
  • Little Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo
  • Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
  • Eleanora Cockatoo
  • Little Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
  • Tasmanian Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo

  • Fitzroys Cockatoo
  • Mathew’s Cockatoo
  • Timor Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
  • Gang Gang Cockatoo
  • Mathew’s Pink Cockatoo
  • Triton Cockatoo
  • Glossy Black Cockatoo
  • Mathew’s Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
  • Umbrella Crested Cockatoo
  • Goliath Palm Cockatoo
  • Salmon-crested Cockatoo
  • Van Oort’s Palm Cockatoo
  • Goffin’s Cockatoo
  • Banksian Black Cockatoo
  • Western Corella
  • White-eared Cockatoo
  • Yellow-eared Black Cockatoo
  • Carnaby’s Cockatoo

These are some of the major different varieties of cockatoos besides some obscure, endangered and extinct species, fossils of which have been found in many places of the world like New Caledonia. If you have one, or intend on getting one as a pet, you must be very particular about cockatoo care pointers including diet, grooming, molting, ventilation, etc. A cockatoo is one of the most interactive pets you can get! A house that is host to a pet cockatoo is hardly ever familiar with the words silence, solitude and boredom!

In fact, if you happen to have a vocally hyperactive one (most cockatoos are!), you may want to occasionally slip away to a library just to experience some peace and quiet!

Biology /

Different Types of Penguins

A group of flightless birds, penguins are of many types and are found in the Southern Hemisphere. This article lists some quick facts about some popular penguin species.

11 min read

Biology /

Different Types of Birds

Are you curious to find out as to how many different types of birds there are in the world? If you just can't get enough of our feathered friends, read on to know more...

8 min read

Biology /

Types of Ostriches

Ostrich, the largest bird inhabiting our planet, is native to the continent of Africa. Did you know that there are several types of ostriches found in this vast land?

4 min read