Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)

The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) is a large, highly intelligent parrot native to northern and eastern Australia, New Guinea, and surrounding islands. Instantly recognisable by its striking white plumage and vivid yellow crest, this species is known for its loud, raucous calls and complex social behaviours. Sulphur-crested Cockatoos live in large, often noisy flocks and form strong lifelong pair bonds. They are long-lived birds—often exceeding 70 years in captivity—and are renowned for their problem-solving skills, tool use, and mimicry of human speech. In the wild, they play an important ecological role as seed dispersers, but their opportunistic feeding habits can bring them into conflict with agriculture.