Editing Cockatoo (section)

{{Short description|Any bird in the family Cacatuidae }}
{{Other uses}}
{{Distinguish|Cockapoo|Cockatiel|Kākāpō}}
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{{Featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Cacatua galerita Tas 2.jpg
| image_caption = [[Sulphur-crested cockatoo]]
| image_alt = Cockatoo perching on a branch: Its plumage on the top of its head above its eyes is white and it has a horn-coloured beak. The rest of its head, its neck, and most of its front are pink. Its wings and tail are grey.
| taxon = Cacatuidae
| authority = [[George Robert Gray|G. R. Gray]] 1840
| type_genus = ''[[Cacatua]]''
| type_genus_authority = [[Vieillot]] 1817<ref name="ICZN">{{Cite journal|author=ICZN|year=2000|title=Opinion 1949. ''Cacatua'' Vieillot, 1817 and Cacatuinae Gray, 1840 (Aves, Psittaciformes): conserved|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/45022#80|journal=Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature|volume=57|pages=66–67|access-date=21 February 2018|archive-date=25 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825024003/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/45022#80|url-status=live}}</ref>
| synonyms = *Plyctolophinae <small>[[Nicholas Aylward Vigors|Vigors]] 1825<ref>Suppressed by the [[International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature]] in Opinion 1949 (2000). {{Cite journal|author=ICZN|year=2000|title=Opinion 1949. ''Cacatua'' Vieillot, 1817 and Cacatuinae Gray, 1840 (Aves, Psittaciformes): conserved|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/45022#80|journal=Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature|volume=57|pages=66–67|access-date=21 February 2018|archive-date=25 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825024003/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/45022#80|url-status=live}}</ref></small>
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = {{ubl
|''[[Cacatua]]''
|''[[Callocephalon]]''
|''[[Calyptorhynchus]]''
|''[[Eolophus]]''
|''[[Lophochroa]]''
|''[[Nymphicus]]''
|''[[Probosciger]]''
|''[[Zanda (bird)|Zanda]]''
}}
| range_map = Cockatoo distribution.png
| range_map_alt = Map showing southeastern Asia, Australia, Melanesia, and New Zealand. Islands in the Philippines and the Sunda Islands are colored red, east to the Solomon Islands, as is Australia with Tasmania. New Caledonia is colored blue.
| range_map_caption = Current range of cockatoos&nbsp;– red<br />Finds of recent fossils&nbsp;– blue
}}

A '''cockatoo''' is any of the 21 [[species]] of [[parrot]]s belonging to the [[family (biology)|family]] '''Cacatuidae''', the only family in the [[Superfamily (biology)|superfamily]] '''Cacatuoidea'''. Along with the Psittacoidea ([[true parrot]]s) and the Strigopoidea (large [[New Zealand parrot]]s), they make up the [[order (biology)|order]] Psittaciformes. The family has a mainly [[Australasia]]n distribution, ranging from the [[Philippines]] and the eastern [[Indonesia]]n islands of [[Wallacea]] to [[New Guinea]], the [[Solomon Islands]] and [[Australia]]. <!--The name ''cockatoo'' originated from the [[Indonesia]] language|Bahasa Indonesia]] name for these birds, ''kaka(k)tua'' (either from ''[[kaka (bird)|kaka]]'' "parrot" + ''tuwah'' or "older sibling" from ''kakak'' "older sibling" + ''tua'' "old").-->

Cockatoos are recognisable by their prominent [[Crest (feathers)|crests]] and curved [[beak|bills]]. Their [[plumage]] is generally less [[colourful]] than that of other parrots, being mainly white, grey, or black and often with coloured features in the crest, cheeks, or tail. On average, they are larger than other parrots; however, the [[cockatiel]], the smallest cockatoo species, is medium-sized.<ref>
[https://cockatielworld.co.uk/cockatiel-size/#:~:text=Cockatiels%20usually%20measure%20between%2012,they%20are%20beloved%20pets%20worldwide.|General Overview of Cockatiel Size, cockatielworld.co.uk]</ref> The phylogenetic position of the cockatiel remains unresolved, except that it is one of the earliest offshoots of the cockatoo lineage. The remaining species are in two main clades. The five large black-coloured cockatoos of the genus ''[[Calyptorhynchus]]'' form one branch. The second and larger branch is formed by the genus ''[[Cacatua]]'', comprising 12 species of white-plumaged cockatoos and three monotypic genera that branched off earlier, namely the pink and grey [[galah]], the mainly grey [[gang-gang cockatoo]] and the large black-plumaged [[palm cockatoo]].

Cockatoos prefer to eat seeds, [[tuber]]s, [[corm]]s, fruit, flowers, and insects. They often feed in large flocks, particularly when ground-feeding. Cockatoos are [[monogamy in animals|monogamous]] and nest in [[tree hollow]]s. Some cockatoo species have been adversely affected by [[Habitat destruction|habitat loss]], particularly from a shortage of suitable nesting hollows after large, mature trees are cleared; conversely, some species have adapted well to human changes and are considered agricultural [[pest (organism)|pest]]s.

Cockatoos are popular birds in [[aviculture]], but their needs are difficult to meet. The cockatiel is the easiest cockatoo species to maintain and is by far the most frequently kept in captivity. White cockatoos are more commonly found in captivity than black cockatoos. Illegal trade in wild-caught birds contributes to the decline of some cockatoo species in the wild.