CASPER, a Goffin Cockatoo, came to us in July 2019 in his 40s from a family that could no longer care for him properly due to having a new baby. He lives with two other cockatoos, Cami, a Moluccan and Jake, an umbrella cockatoo. They all have very different, distinct personalities. Casper is physically, the smallest, being about half the size of the other two, but he more than makes up for it with his spunky personality and fearlessness, in fact, he likes to try and boss Cami around! He is a quick learner and has been very successful at mimicking Cami’s various vocalizations, as well as our own. When we are taking the birds from their night quarters to their outdoor enclosures, we tell them to “step up” onto our hands, and Casper picked up on that quickly, so now when we are trying to get Jake or Cami to do that, Casper commands them to “step up” so we don’t have to!!! We also discovered, quite accidentally, that they love to dance to heavy metal, especially participating in the head-banging part.
ORDER: Psittaciformes
FAMILY: Cacatuidae
GENUS: Cacatua
SPECIES: Goffiniana
Goffin's cockatoos live in large flocks, or cackles of up to 300 birds. They are the best imitators of human speech. The Goffin's got their strange name from the naturalist Otto Finsch who named them after a close friend. Their crest is used for communication, and their feathers are covered in a powder to help waterproof them in a tropical climate. (Think of putting powder in your shoes to help keep your feet dry). They are smart and like making up dances. They are also mechanical and love to figure things out like how to open a door or lock. Mating season is from December to March where both the male and the female share incubating duties. After approximately 30 days and laying 2 to 3 eggs, the parents choose to raise only one baby. The other eggs were made just in case the first one didn’t work out. The baby learns to fly at about 3 months old but does not sexually mature until the age of 6. Their average lifespan in the wild is 30 to 40 yrs.
Threats
The biggest threat to the white cockatoos is illegal trapping for pet trade birds. Habitat loss and hunting comes in as a close second.
Conservation Status
EN - Endangered