Citron-crested Cockatoo: Breeding, Aviary size, Feeding
Citron-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua citrinocristata) A subspecies of the Lesser sulphur crested cockatoo, Citron crested cockatoos are small white cockatoos, slightly larger than the Lesser sulphur crested.
Description:
The average weight is 350g with a body length of 33 cm. Wing length is 211-245 mm. The tail length is 98-115 mm. Bill length is 29-39 mm. Tarsus length is 21-25 mm. The plumage is white with yellow cheek patches. The forward-curving erectile crest is citron-yellow and very distinctive. The under surfaces of the tail and wings are pale yellow. The periopthalmic ring is pale blue. Eye colouration is also suggested to be sex-differentiated in a similar way to the Moluccan Cockatoo. It has been suggested in hen birds that the iris goes grey at 5-6 months and turns brown by 7 months.
The bright orange crest and a light orange ear patch can distinguish them. Males have slightly larger heads than the hens. The birds have a pale-yellow tinge under the wings and the eye colours of males range from brown to black, the females have a reddish tinge to the eye. Sexing of chicks is necessary, but the males can usually be identified by a slightly larger head than the female.
Life span is difficult to determine but is thought to be up to fourty years. However, many could succumb to disease and injury before then.
Distribution:
The Citron-Crested cockatoo occurs naturally at the island of Sumba in Indonesia. They live in tropical forests or on the edges of these forests. This species is endangered because its existence depends on its natural habitat on the one island where it occurs. If the natural habitat of the citron-crested cockatoo is destroyed, the species will be lost. In captivity, the citron-crested cockatoo is still being kept and bred. The problem in captivity is that the citron-crested cockatoo and the lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo can interbreed.
Citron-crested Cockatoo Breeding:
Their offspring is healthy and can reproduce again, as both types of cockatoos are the same species. But interbreeding removes the distinctive traits of citron-crested cockatoos: the bright orange crest and the cheek patches. If mixing both subspecies is continued, one homogeneous species of lesser sulphur/citron crested cockatoos will be all that is left. In my opinion it is a pity to lose a species that so clearly looks different than its closest related species. Currently it is hard to find pure citron-crested cockatoos in captivity as many have one or more sulphur-crested ancestors.
In captivity they breed well, some from as young as two years old, however although the hens generally breed at this age, but the males need to be about a year older. To minimize mate aggression with these cockatoos it is best if the pairs can grow up together, with no more than a year between the sexes. If it is found necessary to pair adults try to put a younger male with a mature hen. Allow them to live next to each other for about a month and then introduce the cock into the hen’s cage; this will lead him to think that he is in her territory and his cockiness should be minimized.
Feeding:
These cockatoos thrive on a pelleted diet and mine are fed 42 grams of pellets per day per pair with a small amount of sunflower seed once a week, together with a piece of mealie and half an apple per day, All cockatoos love to be able to sit on a perch, holding a piece of fruit in a claw while sharing with a mate. During the breeding season starting about June every year, I supplement this diet with 42 grams of Complete Parrot Diet with mixed in chopped green vegetables and increase the sunflower seed to 15% of the soft food daily, about 10 grams per pair.
Once more be careful of the food quantity as they will eat the sunflower first.
If given too much soft food with mixed in sunflowers, they will eat an imbalance of sunflower. Fresh food should be provided daily. Avoid ‘topping up’ on food from the previous day. Food dishes should be clean and dry prior to the addition of food. It is recommended to facilitate a food station per bird in the enclosure. Cockatoos forage continuously during the day and this activity can be promoted in captivity by providing the daily ration early in the day to encourage maximum use of daylight hours.
Foraging behaviour can be promoted through the use of enrichment foods that are supplementary to the daily nutritional requirement (see Enrichment). Some birds will actively forage for seeds scattered on the aviary floor and this can be an excellent form of enrichment although this can also attract pests.
Fresh water should be available for drinking. This can be provided in the form of pools on the enclosure floor which require regular cleaning or in water dishes which are routinely cleaned and refilled.
Citron crested cockatoo as pet:
Citron crested cockatoos make wonderful pets; but because of their highly endangered status unless you have surplus males try not to sell your chicks as pets, only sell them for breeding purposes. Like most cockatoos they do not talk well or clearly. We must continue to breed these beautiful birds in our aviaries to preserve their status for posterity.
The Greenies scoff when we tell them this and say they should be returned to the wild for conservation purposes. This is almost impossible and my answer to this is that the Greenies should put their actions where their mouths are. Not only that but natural habitat is disappearing at an alarming rate. Within twenty years there may be no parrots of any forest dwelling species left in the wild!
Citron-crested Cockatoo Aviary size:
Aviaries should be about three meters high and have a flight of about seven meters. Nest boxes of African grey size are suitable, and two entrances would be ideal. Half the length of the aviary should be under a roof for weather protection. It is imperative to have access to the nest outside the aviary in a safety passage from which you can take eggs are babies or make nest inspections. They hate people coming into their cage in the breeding season.
The males can sometimes be aggressive so for safety’s sake clip his one wing just to slow him down a bit at the beginning of the breeding season. They will sulk and may not breed if you turn him into a pedestrian. They will breed very poorly or not at all if you must enter their aviary for nest inspections.
In any case, nest inspections should be kept to a minimum even from the outside. In my experience if you open the nest and it contains an egg remove the egg for incubation otherwise the male will break up the egg immediately you leave. The same applies if there is a chicken or chickens in the nest, they will be killed!
During the breeding season, it is best to keep your visits to these birds to a minimum. They see you as a predator who must be denied access to food so they destroy the food. Never ring babies and return them to the nest. If you can afford it use a CCTV camera to watch the action. Infrared cameras can even be placed into the roof of the nest box. Despite the general perception, most cockatoos are not noisy all the time. The noisy exceptions are the Tritons and Greater sulphur crested cockatoos.
Egg hatching:
Cockatoos do not cry out all day but usually for a few minutes in the evening and morning. Clutches are normally two to three eggs and brooding time is approximately 24-26 days but do not be alarmed if they have not hatched in that time. Cockatoo eggs often can be three or even more days late. My Moluccans often hatch at 35 days. What I do with all my eggs which I inspect on the expected pip date is poke a hole into the air space with a sterilized, heavy hypodermic needle, very carefully so as not to injure the chick, I do this whether the egg has piped or not.
In this circumstance, if your chick is a bit late and penetrates the inner membrane and needs air to breathe it is available while he waits to hatch. At this time, the egg is put into the hatcher at 70 rh. And at 36.5 degrees centigrade. As the chicks begin to hatch egg temperature increases by about a degree and they could overheat and dehydrate in the hatcher.
Citron-crested Cockatoo Conclusion:
Citron Cockatoos (Cacatua citrinocristata) are often friendly and curious and are considered to be among the quietest of the group (note: that’s “quiet” by parrot standards!). Like all cockatoos, they need even more human contact than other parrots if they are to remain sociable and stress-free. A large indoor cage or outdoor aviary, along with ample out-of-cage time, is essential to their well-being.
Other Cockatoo species also discussed on this website:
Umbrella Cockatoo: Breeding, Feeding, Nest box
Gang Gang Cockatoo: Breeding Feeding Advice
