Aside from poultry, I don’t usually think of food when I look at a bird. I see pretty, winged creatures with beautiful songs and colors.
When I first saw a pic of Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo, that continued — until I saw a second pic where the bird’s crest was displayed and suddenly all I wanted was candy corn.
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And I don’t even like candy corn that much. It’s just childhood nostalgia.
But when I see those perfect stripes of orange, yellow, and white, it’s the first thing that comes to mind.
I’m sure that after I eat a couple, I’ll be over the craving.
These medium-sized cockatoos go by a whole bunch of names.
So if you’re thinking of adopting one as a pet, you may want to search by all of these names: Major Mitchell’s cockatoo, Leadbeater’s cockatoo, pink cockatoo, desert cockatoo, wee juggler, cocklerina, and chockalott.
“Wee juggler” is my favorite. So cute!
They are named after Major Sir Thomas Mitchell, who was a surveyor and explorer in Australia, where they live.
They are fairly solitary, with mated pairs controlling a large amount of personal territory.
Sadly, this large territorial need also makes habitat loss difficult for the wild population.
However, these beauties are very popular as pets, for obvious reasons.
Besides their coloring, the species is noted to be quieter than most other cockatoos — though far from silent — and they are cuddly and social. They also tend to bond strongly with a single person, which can result in jealousy or stress when their human spends time with other people.
So it’s very important to do your research before bringing one into your home, since they can live as long as 80 years in captivity.
h/t: The Spruce Pets
