Umbrella Cockatoo
Cacatua alba
Order: Psittaciformes
Husbandry Information
Housing Requirements
Diet Requirements
Veterinary Concerns
Notes on Enrichment & Training
Other
Colony or Breeding Management
Notes species is housed or managed socially or for breeding purposes.
Individual Identification
Dimorphism or practiced ways to individually mark species (such as those in colonies, like giant millipedes).
Programmatic Information
Transportation
Temperature Guidelines
Crating:
Tips on Presentation
Touching Techniques
Tips on Handling
Potential Messaging
Acquisition Information
Comments from the Rating System
- Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park: Needs constant attention, very loud, and moody!
- Children’s Zoo at Celebration Square: Our Umbrella Cockatoo is a surrendered pet. She had abuse issues and is harder to get comfortable with certain people (all guys and females who wear glasses). She is a big cuddler and will try to cuddle people during handling sessions. She also likes to climb onto your shoulders or head. She still does not feel comfortable with most handlers even after being here almost 10 years now. A lot of things around our grounds scare her, so she is harder to walk around the zoo. All of our parrots are no contact for the public. She will bite handlers when frightened, if they try to get her to do something she doesn’t want to do, or if she thinks the handler will let her get away with it. She generally does not bite experienced handlers. She still won’t say any words for us, but makes some coo-type noises and alarm noises. We don’t have issues with her plucking, but she is hard to enrich. She does not enjoy most toys or shredding things. She would rather have human attention all day. Messaging is plentiful with cockatoos, so that’s nice. She in particular is hard to train because she is so attention-focused and nervous around new things and situations.
- Downtown Aquarium, Denver: Need staff who can spend time socializing to make suitable for large groups and foreign places. Good “wow” factor.
- Henry Vilas Zoo: Pretty bird — great to teach with; few people can handle due to aggression; disruptive to collection; challenging to train; difficult to care for in terms of intelligence and personality conflicts, as well as destruction and NOISE.
- Seneca Park Zoo: Great animals for the “wow” factor, but can have behavioral problems and sometimes a low amount of handlers.
Natural History Information
Range and Habitat
Physical Description
Life Cycle
Behavior
Threats and Conservation Status
Did you know…
Photographs
Documents
Any Documents to attach, species spotlights, etc.
- Check out sample animal policies, handling sheets, and fact sheets on our Example Policies & Guidelines page
- View past issues of Program Animal SAG Newsletters
Contributors and Citations