Palm Cockatoo

Animal Facts

  • Genus:

    Probosciger

  • Species:

    Probosciger aterrimus

  • Conservation
    Status:

    Least Concern

  • Found In:

    Australia and New Guinea

  • Length:

    55-60cm

  • Weight:

    910g-1.2kg

Meet our cheeky cockatoos!

Adelaide Zoo is home to a young pair of Palm Cockatoos and a mother and daughter pair. Our oldest is known affectionately as Ms Ben, who arrived in 1993.

Ms BMs Ben is sweet and caring, although shy with zoo keepers and very protective of her nest.

Seisia is the pair’s oldest daughter who hatched on 5 October 2010. She was artificially incubated and hand-reared by zoo keepers as at the time her parents had not yet been able to successfully incubate an egg. She’s a very affectionate bird and thoroughly enjoys spending time with the zoo keepers. She also loves having her crest scratched, a trait possibly inherited from her dad, and her favourite treat is Macadamia nuts.

Palm Cockatoos are a rainforest dwelling parrot native to Cape York Peninsula in north Queensland, Aru Island, West Papuan and lowland New Guinea.

The Palm Cockatoo has one of the largest bills of all the parrots. The bill is unusual as the upper and lower mandible do not touch until a certain length, meaning it can use its tongue to hold a nut in place to crack it open.

Palm Cockatoos are very sought after in the avian trade. It’s illegal in Australia to trade any bird caught from the wild and any trade requires strict import and export permits. As with many rainforest dwelling species, the Palm Cockatoo is threatened by deforestation and habitat loss.

Love Palm Cockatoos? There are many ways you can help support these inquisitive birds! 

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About Zoos SA

Zoos SA is a not-for-profit conservation charity that exists to connect people with nature and save species from extinction.

Zoos SA acknowledges the Country on which we stand always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land and we pay our deepest respect and gratitude to Kaurna (Adelaide Zoo) and Ngarrindjeri (Monarto Safari Park) Elders, past, present and emerging.

We undertake critical conservation work throughout Australia and acknowledge the traditional custodians of these lands.

 

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Adelaide Zoo, Frome Road,
Adelaide SA 5000
AUSTRALIA
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