The Beautiful Leadbeaters Cockatoo Bird

Many times known as the Major Mitchell's cockatoo, Leadbeater's Cockatoo is most probably one of the world's most beautiful of all cockatoos. This is purely because most of the Leadbeater cockatoo's are chiefly white! Nevertheless, there is simply no factually evidence to the fact that this species do not make a great pet bird, indeed they do.

They incredibly absurd nicknames given to Leadbeater's cockatoos they are either hated or simply adored by aviculturists. The trick to having one of them as a pet is to make sure that they are raised in the proper manner.

In the wild, the Leadbeater's cockatoos mainly eat grass seeds and roots. Their habitat is extremely erratic throughout the arid parts of Australia and in the breeding season it varies particularly depending on the area of the continent. It is common among the Leadbeater's cockatoos to nest in the eucalyptus trees and chew out the bark that is inside to provide soft shavings for their little ones.

In captivity, you are suggested to feed your pet a good pellet or a seed mix formulated for small parrots. Tremendous amounts and a great variety of fruits and vegetables alike should be given and supplemented with some meat like chicken bones or cooked chops. You should also bear in mind that since these birds comes around to getting easily bored, you should try and keep them busy with loads of branches to chew on and pine cones to shred.

Leadbeater's cockatoos are known to be extremely keen chewers, so be sure that their cages are quite strong! These birds may also be intensely loud, as they have a unique shriek. When they are young they are very affectionate, but as soon as they grow older they will try to claim some authority over you and must be prohibited with a determined hand. When they are raised in the appropriate manner, they then become very loving, entertainingly playful and generally a joy to own.

At maturity, the Leadbeater's cockatoos are about 14 inches in length and approximately weigh from 300 grams to around 425 grams. The females weigh slightly more than the males. Their plumage is white and the have crests that arch forwardly. The breast and the heads of these birds are salmon pink and there are red bands across their crests. One subspecies has a yellow band on its crest. The females have a reddish brown iris whereas the males have a very dark brown or simply black coloured iris.

In 1831, it was first sighted by the Vigour's. Leadbeater's cockatoos are native to the desert and mostly grassland regions of Australia, apart from the northeast part of the country. These birds are known by numerous silly names, including Desert Cockatoo, Pink Cockatoo, Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, Wee Juggler, Cocklerina or even Chockalott! Even thought they are common in most parts of Australia, generally the Leadbeater's cockatoos are quite rare to find!