Major Mitchell’s/Leadbeater’s Cockatoo

ANIMAL:
Major Mitchell’s/Leadbeater’s Cockatoo Lophocroa leadbeateri

Type of Animal:
Parrot

Habitat:
Semiarid/arid areas near water-woodlands, treeless areas, scrubland, savanna, wooded grassland, desert, semidesert, forests, shrubland, semiarid/arid temperate grassland, lightly timbered grassland, scrub forest, farmland, crop fields, not found more than 980 ft above sea level

Location(s):
W, C, & S Australia

Appearance:
salmon pink/whitish coloration, large bright red & yellow crest w/ white tips, white back/tail/wings, males somewhat brighter than females, juveniles paler than adults w/ light brown eyes, males have brown eyes, females have reddish-pink eyes, females have more orange in crest

Food/Diet:
Seeds, grains, insects, leafy greens, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fruit, tubers, grubs, insect larvae, grasses, berries, roots, pellets

Status in Wild:
Stable

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos & aviculture

Lifestyle:
Flocks of 2-50 birds. Break off into monogamous pairs for breeding/nesting season.

Additional Info:

Called:
Male: Cock
Female: Hen
Young: Chick
Group: Flock

Weight:
Male: 15.87 oz
Female: 10.58 oz
Young: 2.4 oz

Gestation:
1 month 

Life Span:
20-30 years in wild, 40-60 years in captivity

Height:
1.18 ft

Body Length:
1.18 ft

Tail Length:
2.5 in

Main predators are foxes, cats, falcons, eagles, & snakes.
 
In breeding season, males strut along branches while bobbing heads up & down w/ raised crests.
 
Pairs lay 1-5 eggs every season w/ chicks staying w/ parents for 4-8 months.
 
Sexually mature at 2 years old.
 
Highly territorial during breeding/nesting season, sometimes killing intruding cockatoos.
 
Named for Major Sir Thomas Mitchell, explorer & surveyor of SE Australia in 1800s, & British naturalist Benjamin Leadbeater.
 
Plays role as seed disperser in native range.
 
Like most cockatoos, they’re highly intelligent.
 
Also called Pink Cockatoo.

Fun Fact(s):
Have hybridized w/ Galah/Rose-Breasted Cockatoos in parts of range.
 
Screams can be heard up to a mile away.
 
While average lifespan in captivity is 40-60 years, one bird named Cookie lived to age 83. He lived at Brookfield Zoo from 1 year old in 1934 when zoo opened until August 27, 2016. Brookfield Zoo unveiled memorial of him in September 2017.
 
Males in captivity have been known to turn on their mates & kill them, making this species difficult to breed.
 
Sometimes kept as pets but can be very hard to handle, especially males. Strongly bond w/ single person.
Major Mitchell’s cockatoo, Leadbeater’s Cockatoo, stock photo

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