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Pink cockatoo

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Not to be confused withGalah.

Pink cockatoo
Pink cockatoo with its crest raised in New South Wales, Australia
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Cacatuidae
Genus: Cacatua
Subgenus: Lophochroa
Bonaparte,1857
Species:
C. leadbeateri
Binomial name
Cacatua leadbeateri
(Vigors,1831)
Subspecies

C.(L.).l. leadbeateri(Vigors,1831)
C.(L.).l. mollis(Mathews,1912)

Pink cockatoo range (in red)
Synonyms[2]

Plyctolophus leadbeateriVigors,1831
Plyctolophus erythropterusSwainson, 1837
Lophochroa leadbeateri

Thepink cockatoo(Cacatua leadbeateri), also known asMajor Mitchell's cockatooorLeadbeater's cockatoo,is a medium-sizedcockatoothat inhabits arid and semi-arid inland areas acrossAustralia,with the exception of the north east.[3][4][5]

Taxonomy and naming

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Irish naturalistNicholas Aylward Vigorsdescribed the species in 1831 asPlyctolophus leadbeateri.[6]The scientific name commemorates the London naturalist and taxidermistBenjamin Leadbeater,who had given Vigors what would become thetype specimen.[7]Edward Learpainted it in his 1832 workIllustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots.[8]Citing Lear,William Swainsongave it the namePlyctolophus erythropterus.[9]

The pink cockatoo is more closely related toCacatuathan is thegalah.Its lineage diverged around the time of or shortly after the acquisition of the long crest; probably the former as this crest type is not found in allCacatuacockatoos, so must have been present in an early or incipient stage at the time of the divergence of the pink cockatoo's ancestors. Like the galah, this species has not lost the ability to deposit dilutedpigmentdyes in its body plumage, although it does not producemelanincolouration anymore, resulting in a lighter bird overall compared to the galah. Indeed, disregarding the crest, the pink cockatoo looks almost like a near-leucisticversion of that species. Another indication of the early divergence of this species from the "white" cockatoo lineage is the presence of features found otherwise only incorellas,such as its plaintive yodeling cry, as well as others which are unique to pink and the true white cockatoos, for example the large crest and rounded wing shape.[10]

In 2023, this species was reclassified into the genusCacatuaby theInternational Ornithological Congress;although it represents a very basal member of the clade, it shares close morphological, behavioural, and vocal features to other members of the genus. Due to this, the former genusLophochroamay be better considered a monotypicsubgenusofCacatua.[10][11][12]

Prior to 2023, "Major Mitchell's cockatoo" was designated the official name for this species by theInternational Ornithologists' Union(IOC).[13]"Pink cockatoo" was its official name (with Major Mitchell as an alternative) in the 1926 official RAOU checklist, and was reinstated as the official name in 2023 following the IOC's taxonomic change.[14]The bird became linked toMajor Thomas Mitchellafter he described the species in glowing terms in his books on his expeditions, calling it the "cockatoo of the interior". Mitchell himself called it the red-top cockatoo. Before thisJohn Gouldhad called it Leadbeater's cockatoo (derived from the species name) in 1848,[7]as had Lear in 1832.[8]Gould added that people of theSwan River Colonycalled it pink cockatoo, and recorded an indigenous nameJak-kul-yak-kul.[15]Other names include desert cockatoo, and chockalott, chock-a-lock, joggle-joggle, and wee juggler, the last anglicised from theWiradjuriwijugla.[7]InCentral Australiasouth ofAlice Springs,thePitjantjatjaraterm iskakalyalya.[16]Names recorded from South Australia includekukkalulla(Kokatha dialectofWestern Desert language),nkunaandungkuna(Arrernte),yangkunnu(Barngarla), andyangwina(Wirangu),[17]andyel-le-lek(from the Wimmera), andcal-drin-ga(from the lower Murray).[18]

BirdLife Australiaofficially renamed Major Mitchell's cockatoo back topink cockatooin 2023, due to Mitchell's involvement in themassacre of Aboriginal people at Mount Dispersionand a general trend to make species names more culturally inclusive.[4]

Description

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Adult perched on a tree inMelbourne Zoo

The pink cockatoo has a soft-textured white and salmon-pink plumage and large, bright red and yellowcrest.[19]Its former name referencedMajor 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 more voluptuous region."[20]Pink cockatoo females and males are almost identical. The males are usually bigger. The female has a broader yellow stripe on the crest and develop a red eye when mature.[21]

Reproduction and lifespan

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The bird reaches sexual maturity around 3–4 years old. The oldest recorded pink cockatoo died at 83 years old.[22]

Distribution and habitat

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In contrast to those of the galah, populations of pink cockatoos have declined rather than increased as a result of man-made changes to the arid interior of Australia. Where galahs readily occupy cleared and part-cleared land, pink cockatoos require extensive woodlands, particularly favouring conifers (Callitrisspp.), sheoak (Allocasuarinaspp.) and eucalypts. Unlike other cockatoos, pink cockatoo pairs will not nest close to one another, so they cannot tolerate fragmented, partly cleared habitats, and their range is contracting.

Inthe Malleeregion of Victoria where the galah and pink cockatoo can be found to be nesting in the same area, the two species have interbred and produced hybridised offspring occasionally.[23]

The pink cockatoo is usually found in pairs or small groups, and feeds both on the ground and in trees.[5]

Conservation status

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Australia

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The pink cockatoo is listed as endangered under theEnvironment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.[24]

Victoria

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  • The pink cockatoo is listed as athreatenedspecies on the VictorianFlora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988).[25]Under this Act, anAction Statementfor the recovery and future management of this species has been prepared.[26]
  • On the 2013 advisory list of threatened vertebrate fauna in Victoria, this species is listed asvulnerable.[27]

Aviculture

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"Cookie",was a pink cockatoo and was a beloved resident of Illinois'Brookfield ZoonearChicagofrom the time the zoo opened in 1934 until his death on 27 August 2016. Cookie was 83 years old and he had been retired from public display since 2009, due to ill health prior to his death.

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  • "Plyctolophus leadbeateri, Leadbeater's Cockatoo" in Lear's influential 1832 monograph.
    "Plyctolophus leadbeateri,Leadbeater's Cockatoo "inLear's influential 1832monograph.
  • Cookie, a cockatoo that lived to be 83 years old, housed in the Brookfield Zoo[28]
    Cookie, a cockatoo that lived to be 83 years old, housed in the Brookfield Zoo[28]
  • In flight
    In flight

References

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  1. ^BirdLife International(2018)."Cacatua leadbeateri".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2018:e.T22684767A131914793.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22684767A131914793.en.Retrieved13 April2024.
  2. ^Australian Biological Resources Study (29 February 2012)."SubspeciesLophochroa leadbeateri leadbeateri(Vigors, 1831) ".Australian Faunal Directory.Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government.Archivedfrom the original on 21 October 2021.Retrieved16 October2021.
  3. ^"Master Lists – IOC World Bird List".worldbirdnames.org.Retrieved6 December2023.
  4. ^abStafford, Andrew (16 September 2023)."What's in a name? The renaming of the pink cockatoo is no small thing in Australia's violent history".The Guardian.Retrieved6 December2023.
  5. ^abJoseph M. Forshaw (2010).Parrots of the World.Princeton University Press. p. 26.ISBN978-1400836208.
  6. ^Vigors, Nicholas Aylward (1831)."April 26, 1831".Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London.1–2:61.Archivedfrom the original on 16 October 2021.Retrieved16 October2021.
  7. ^abcGray, Jeannie; Fraser, Ian (2013).Australian Bird Names: A Complete Guide.Collingwood, VIC, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. pp. 124, 128–130.ISBN9780643104709.
  8. ^abLear, Edward (1832).Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots.London: Self. p. Pl. 5.Archivedfrom the original on 21 October 2021.Retrieved21 October2021.
  9. ^Swainson, William John (1837).On the Natural History and Classification of Birds.Vol. 2. London: Longman. p. 302.Archivedfrom the original on 21 October 2021.Retrieved21 October2021.
  10. ^abBrown, D.M. & Toft, C.A. (1999):Molecular systematics and biogeography of the cockatoos (Psittaciformes: Cacatuidae).Auk116(1): 141–157.
  11. ^Les Christidis & Walter E Boles (2008) Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds, CSIRO Publishing
  12. ^"Taxonomic Updates – IOC World Bird List".www.worldbirdnames.org.Retrieved24 July2023.
  13. ^Gill, Frank;Donsker, David, eds. (2021)."Parrots & cockatoos".World Bird List Version 11.2.International Ornithologists' Union.Archivedfrom the original on 20 September 2014.Retrieved16 October2021.
  14. ^Checklist Committee, Royal Australasian Ornithologist's Union (1926).Official checklist of the birds of Australia compiled by the Checklist Committee, Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union; with appendix, scientific names—notes and pronunciation.Melbourne: H.J. Green, Govt. Printer. p. 45.Archivedfrom the original on 20 October 2021.Retrieved20 October2021.
  15. ^Gould, John (1848).The Birds of Australia. Volume 6.London: Printed by R. and J. E. Taylor; pub. by the author, 1840–1848. pp. Pl. 2,et seq.Archivedfrom the original on 16 October 2021.Retrieved16 October2021.
  16. ^Cliff Goddard (1992).Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara To English Dictionary(2nd ed.). Alice Springs, Northern Territory: Institute for Aboriginal Development. p. 26.ISBN0-949659-64-9.
  17. ^Condon, H.T. (1955)."Aboriginal bird names – South Australia Part One"(PDF).South Australian Ornithologist.21(6–7): 74–88.Archived(PDF)from the original on 16 November 2021.Retrieved20 October2021.
  18. ^Halley, Jacob John (1871).A monograph of the Psittacidae, or parrot family of Australia.Melbourne: Self. p. 7.Archivedfrom the original on 21 October 2021.Retrieved21 October2021.
  19. ^Iain Campbell; Sam Woods (2013).Wildlife of Australia.Princeton University Press. p. 138.ISBN9781400846825.
  20. ^John Gould(1865).Handbook to The Birds of Australia, Volume 2.
  21. ^Major Mitchell's CockatooHandbook of the Birds of the World
  22. ^"Cacatua leadbeateri".The Moirai – Aging Research.20 October 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 20 December 2016.Retrieved13 December2016.
  23. ^Hurley. V, The State of Australias Birds 2008, Major mitchell's Cockatoo: changing threats, Birds Australia, p. 8ISSN1036-7810
  24. ^"Lophochroa leadbeateri leadbeateri — Major Mitchell's Cockatoo (eastern), Eastern Major Mitchell's Cockatoo".Archivedfrom the original on 31 March 2023.Retrieved4 May2023.
  25. ^Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria
  26. ^Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria
  27. ^DELWP (2013),Advisory List of Threatened Vertebrate Fauna in Victoria: 2013(PDF),Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning,archived(PDF)from the original on 15 August 2021,retrieved30 June2019
  28. ^"Cookie Cockatoo" Retires "".Chicago Zoological Society.9 October 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 9 October 2009.Retrieved9 April2022.

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toPink cockatoo.
Wikispecieshas information related toLophocroa leadbeateri.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pink_cockatoo&oldid=1232740080"