Medium Sulphur

Medium Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
cacatua galarita eleonora

Length: 44cm/17 inches
Weight: 550-600 grams
Life Span: 50+ years
Incubation: 28 days
Age at Weaning: 14 weeks
Age at Maturity: 2 -3 years
Natural Habitat: Aru Islands, Indonesia

Medium Sulphur Crested Cockatoos seem to be happy anywhere where there are trees, from forests and open woodland to partially cleared areas and arid areas with stands of trees. They can normally be seen in pairs or small flocks and, occasionally, in larger flocks near fruiting trees. They tend to roost in tall trees on the forest edge and at dawn they can be heard screeching loudly as they fly off to the nearest water.


Their diet consists of seeds, fruit, berries, nuts, buds, flowers as well as insects and their larvae. They also regularly visit cultivated areas where they cause considerable damage to farmers crops.

They nest in hollows in tall trees, normally near water. A normal clutch is 2, occasionally 3, eggs. The young will start to leave the nest at around 10 weeks, their parents will continue to feed the young until they are fully weaned at around 12-13 weeks.

The Medium Sulphur Crested Cockatoo is predominantly white. Their ear coverts are pale yellow, and their crest is also yellow. Their under wing coverts and under tail coverts are white washed with yellow, and the base of their throat and their cheek feathers are yellowish The skin to their periophthalmic ring is whitish, occasionally with a very faint blue tinge. Their legs and feet are a dark grey and their bill is blackish. The only difference with the sexes is the iris's of the male are blackish brown and the iris's of the female are reddish brown, though all immature birds have brown iris's.

Pet potential: Medium Sulphur Crested Cockatoos are highly intelligent birds and they require much attention from their owners. They are also very destructive and need to be given lots of fresh branches to chew, and toys to play with, to keep them occupied. As with all Cockatoo's they need a routine from day one, without this routine they will quickly resort to screaming for attention. They are not really known for their talking ability but they will learn a few words however, they can easily be taught tricks and they love interactive toys, these will keep them occupied for ages. They are not a beginners bird and if they are not given the right conditions they will start plucking. It's worth noting that the most rescued birds are Cockatoo's by a very large margin. They are extremely noisy and are unsuitable for anyone with close neighbours. As with all of the large Cockatoos a lot of research should be done before committing yourself to one of these beautiful birds.


Talking ability: Poor


Noise level: Extremely High


Cage requirements: Minimum 3 x 4 x 5 foot

Interesting fact: The Medium Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, or the Eleonora Cockatoo, is in fact a subspecies of the the Greater Crested Cockatoo (cacatua galerita) although sometimes the larger Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoos are mistaken for them.