Galerita
Galerita or Sulphur Crested cockatoos.
This species originates from Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The largest population in Australia and the country where most people associate this cockatoo with.
Introduced to New Zealand and Palau, where they are now resident and breeding. Some birds in Puerto Rico (not breeding).
They are the largest of the Sulphur Crested cockatoos and weigh in at around 1,000 grams .
Often this species is mistaken for Yellow Crested, Eleonoras and Triton. Usually because they all have a yellow crest, but there are noticeable differences in each species.
Sadly in captivity the species have been interbred either by unscrupulous breeders who aren't worried they are hybridising species or just because they haven't bothered to find out. Either way it seems they don't care.
The true Galerita is not often seen in the UK.
They are a wonderful species, can be very loud and in Australia they are seen in huge numbers.
Over the generations this species has been persecuted by humans. They have been trapped in huge numbers, gassed, poisoned, netted and killed by being beaten to death, culled by the Australian authorities.
They are now a protected species in Australia but there are still licensed culls sadly in some parts. They are still persecuted and shot/poisoned by farmers for destroying crops and sometimes poisoned just by idiots because they can.
This cockatoo has been in Australia for as long as the aboriginal native people of Australia estimated between 40,000 and 70,000 years ago. Long before the white europeans dominated Australia.
They may destroy some crops and chew wooden buildings, but this is their homeland their native habitat which has gradually been destroyed by humans, you have to have sympathy for these birds.
When I was a youngster and my dear Dad grew vegetables, he told me he always planted twice more than he needed: One third would succumb to the weather and disease, one third for the animals and birds who would eat them and the last third for him and his family.
We have to share this world and all its inhabitants, not destroy what gets in our way.
Numbers of this species are in fact dwindling, currently they are not classed as a vulnerable species in Australia but that could change if public opinion does not change and illegal culls (and legal ones) are not stopped.