The White Cockatoo is a large, entirely white parrot native to the tropical forests of Indonesia's North Maluku islands. Its most memorable feature is the broad, backward-curving crest that fans open like an umbrella when the bird is alarmed or excited, giving rise to its common alternative name, the Umbrella Cockatoo. In flight, pale lemon-yellow washes on the undersides of the wings and tail flash against the otherwise snowy plumage.
Intelligent, loud and highly social, this cockatoo has long been popular in the pet trade, and that popularity has come at a steep cost. Decades of trapping for cage birds, combined with logging of its lowland forest home, have driven a sharp population decline. It is now listed as Endangered, and wild flocks are far smaller than they once were across the small cluster of islands it calls home.
An adult White Cockatoo is hard to mistake within its range: a big white parrot with a bold crest and a heavy dark bill. The pale yellow that hides under the wings and tail is often the only splash of color, visible mainly in flight or display.
| Plumage | Entirely white with pale lemon-yellow wash on the undersides of the flight feathers and tail |
| Crest | Broad, rounded, backward-curving white crest raised into an umbrella shape when alarmed |
| Size | Large, about 46 cm long, weighing roughly 400 to 600 grams |
| Bill | Heavy, dark grey to blackish, strongly hooked |
| Face | Bare bluish-white skin around the eye; iris dark brown to blackish in males, reddish-brown in females |
| Feet | Dark grey, zygodactyl with two toes forward and two back |
The White Cockatoo is extremely vocal, producing loud, harsh, screeching calls that carry far across the forest canopy. Its repertoire includes raucous squawks, nasal notes and a range of whistles, often given in noisy chorus at roosts. In captivity it is a capable mimic and can learn to repeat human words and household sounds.
This cockatoo is endemic to the North Maluku islands of Indonesia, including Halmahera, Bacan, Ternate, Tidore, Kasiruta and Mandioli. It inhabits lowland tropical rainforest, generally below about 900 metres, and also uses logged and secondary forest, mangroves, and agricultural land with plantations such as coconut. It is largely resident, moving locally in search of fruiting trees.
White Cockatoos feed mainly on fruits, berries, seeds, nuts and roots gathered in the forest canopy. They will also raid cultivated crops, and during the breeding season they take insects and their larvae to supplement the diet. The powerful bill lets them crack hard seeds and nuts that many other birds cannot open.
Breeding pairs nest in hollows high in large forest trees. The female typically lays two white eggs, and both parents share incubation over roughly 28 days. Chicks develop slowly and remain in the nest for around three months before fledging, a long dependency period that makes the species vulnerable to nest-tree loss and trapping.
- Salmon-crested Cockatoo: Larger, with pinkish plumage and a salmon-colored crest; also from the Moluccas
- Sulphur-crested Cockatoo: White with a distinctive forward-curving yellow crest, not a rounded white one
- Yellow-crested Cockatoo: Smaller white cockatoo with a narrow yellow crest, from Indonesia and Timor
Why is the White Cockatoo also called the Umbrella Cockatoo?
When the bird raises its broad, rounded crest in alarm or display, the feathers fan out over the head in a shape that resembles an open umbrella, which gave rise to the name.
Is the White Cockatoo endangered?
Yes. The IUCN lists it as Endangered, with populations declining sharply due to capture for the cage-bird trade and the loss of its lowland forest habitat.
Where do White Cockatoos live in the wild?
They are found only on a small group of islands in North Maluku, Indonesia, including Halmahera, Bacan, Ternate and Tidore, where they inhabit lowland tropical forest.
How can you tell a male from a female White Cockatoo?
The most reliable difference is eye color: adult males usually have very dark brown to blackish irises, while adult females tend to have reddish-brown irises.