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The genus name combines the Ancient Greek kallos meaning "beauty" and kephalē meaning "head". [7] The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. [5] The classification of the gang-gang cockatoo has always been controversial due to the unusual appearance and coloration of the bird, especially its sexual dichromatism.
Cockatoos were among the many Australian plants and animals which featured in decorative motifs in Federation architecture of the early 20th century. [140] A visit to a Camden Town pet shop in 1958 inspired English painter William Roberts to paint The Cockatoos, in the collection of the Tate Gallery.
The genus name Cacatua is of Malay origin, meaning 'old father,' likely due to their long lifespan and tendency to stay with the same flock for life. [3] There are 21 species of cockatoos, [ 4 ] with the greater sulphur-crested cockatoo belonging to the genus Cacatua , the white cockatoos , of which there are 11 species.
Sulphur-crested cockatoos are 44–55 cm (17.5–21.5 in) long, [7] with the Australian subspecies larger than subspecies from New Guinea and nearby islands. The plumage is overall white, while the underwing and -tail are tinged yellow.
Adult perched on a tree in Melbourne Zoo. The pink cockatoo has a soft-textured white and salmon-pink plumage and large, bright red and yellow crest. [19] Its former name referenced Major Thomas Mitchell, who wrote, "Few birds more enliven the monotonous hues of the Australian forest than this beautiful species whose pink-coloured wings and flowing crest might have embellished the air of a ...
The species complex was first described by the ornithologist John Latham in 1790 as Psittacus banksii, [4] commemorating English botanist Sir Joseph Banks.The red-tailed black cockatoo also has the distinction of being the first bird from Eastern Australia illustrated by a European, as a female, presumably collected at Endeavour River in north Queensland, was sketched by Banks' draughtsman ...
Scientist and cockatoo authority Matt Cameron has proposed dropping the "black" and shortening the name to "yellow-tailed cockatoo", explaining that shorter names are more widely accepted. [ 11 ] Among the black cockatoos, the two Western Australian white-tailed species (Carnaby's and Baudin's black cockatoos), together with the yellow-tailed ...
Anecdotal evidence indicates a palm cockatoo reaching 80 or 90 years of age in an Australian zoo, [26] although the oldest confirmed individual was aged 56 in London Zoo in 2000. [27] Although longevity of captive birds is known, the lifespan of palm cockatoos that live in the wild is still unknown.