Goffin's cockatoo: description, care, illness

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:48

Goffin's cockatoo is one of the smallest representatives of the family with a body length of no more than 30 cm and a weight of about 350 grams. Parrots of this species are common in Indonesia, on the island of Tanimbar. Because of this, they are often referred to as Tanimbar cockatoos. In Europe, they first appeared in the seventies of the last century. Under natural conditions, parrots live in tropical and subtropical forests, in cultivated landscapes.

Description

Goffin's cockatoo are graceful birds of small size. They have a wide, rounded crest on their head.

A distinctive feature of females and males is the iris. In the former, it is red-brown, and in males it is black. Periorbital ring white, glabrous. In males, the head is larger, rounded, the color of the periorbital ring is brighter. Paws, gray beak.

Goffin's cockatoo is characterized by white plumage. The lower part is terry, tail feathers – yellow. Outside, the tuft is white, and the insidepart of it is pink-red. Feathers at the base of the head are pale pink.

Lifestyle

Goffin cockatoos keep in packs. They can be large or small: from 20 to 200 or more individuals. These birds are not exactly common. They are able to hold food with one paw and break off pieces from it with the other. When frightened, excited, parrots raise their crest. At night, during the full moon, the birds sing.

According to the description, Goffin's cockatoo feed on nuts, berries, fruits, flowers, buds, seeds. Their diet includes young shoots, larvae and insects. Individuals live up to 40 years.

Features of reproduction

Cockatoos breed throughout the year. They make their nests in the hollows of trees. Both parents incubate the clutch: females sit at night, and males during the day. The clutch usually contains up to three eggs. A month later, the cubs hatch. Chicks are born without plumage - it appears only by the tenth day of life. And at the age of two weeks, parrots fly out of the nest. By the age of 2-3, Goffin has puberty.

Birds are listed in the Red Book. Their number is about 350 thousand individuals.

Contents

Goffin's cockatoos are undemanding in this regard. Birds are kept in metal cages, closed enclosures. In the first method of keeping, cells with a size of at least 60X60X90 cm per individual are used. The size of the enclosures is 4X1, 5X2 m, a wooden house 25X25X40 cm is installed in a dark corner.

When keeping it is important to observe the temperature regime. ATat night, it should not differ from daytime by more than five degrees. There is enough natural lighting for birds.

The cage is placed away from drafts so that the bird does not catch a cold. You can not put it near heating devices, as this negatively affects the condition of feathers and skin. If there is a TV or some kind of household appliance next to the bird, then it can unnerve the cockatoo. Do not place the cage on the windowsill, in the corridors, near the front door, in the kitchen. A quiet room is ideal. The cage is suspended or placed in a corner near the wall, which will provide diffused light. To prevent the parrot from feeling overwhelmed or superior to the owner, the cage is placed at eye level.

Young individuals are tamed very quickly. They demand attention. If they are given less than three hours a day, then cockatoos begin to pull their feathers on themselves and scream loudly.

Goffin's cockatoo are smart, gentle, inquisitive, active creatures. They are able to memorize a large number of words.

Parrots love to swim. Water procedures help to clean feathers from pollution. If you deprive them of the opportunity to take a bath, then the birds look unkempt, untidy, lose the brightness of their plumage.

You can bathe the bird in the shower. To do this, the cage is placed in a bath and warm water is turned on so that only splashes fall on the bird. It is allowed to direct a warm jet directly onto the cage. As a result, you can wash the cage and bathe the bird.

During swimming, the air temperature should not fall below 20 degrees. The bird dries up by itself, but you canspeed up the process by placing a 40-watt incandescent lamp half a meter from the cage. Do not use a hair dryer, as dry air will ruin the feathers, and fumes from the elements of the device can cause poisoning.

You can not deprive the parrot of the opportunity to communicate, walk. The cockatoo must be regularly released from the cage, after removing all wires, other animals, containers with liquids, poisonous plants, small objects that can be swallowed.

Feeding Features

The appearance of Goffin's cockatoo, described above, also depends on the diet. The bird needs food with a low fat content. Because of this feature, the diet is based on: 50% - grain mixtures, 40% - vegetables, the remaining 10% - fruits. Birds can be picky about menus.

Tanimbar cockatoos eat a wide variety of foods. In their diet you can include:

• celery;
• boiled rice;
• sunflower seeds;
• oats;
• millet;
• hemp seed;
• buckwheat;
• nuts;
• bananas;
• boiled corn;
• dandelion leaves;
• tops from turnips;
• tree buds, young shoots, twigs.

Cockatoos like dry biscuits. You can not give the parrot chocolate, coffee, cabbage, fried foods, dairy products, s alt and sugar. During the growing period, young individuals are fed sprouted grains, boiled chicken meat, nuts.

Diseases

Goffin's cockatoos rarely get sick if all the rules of care are observed. Violationcontent causes a variety of pathologies in birds: obesity, self-plucking, refusal of food, sarcocystosis, mycosis, diseases of the beak and plumage. Improper feeding can cause food poisoning.

If you follow all the rules for caring for a cockatoo, the bird will become a real pet, the most devoted, faithful friend for the whole family. Birds quickly get used to their owners, are friends with other pets.