Yellow-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Yellow-crested Cockatoo

Cacatua sulphurea (Gmelin, JF, 1788)

34 cmLength303 gWeight

It is white overall with a yellow or orange crest that can be raised and lowered.

Busiest months: March–April and September–December · Most records: China, Philippines

Looks like Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Critically Endangered

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Feathers white overall
  2. Crest yellow or orange, can be raised and lowered
  3. Bare skin around the eye bluish-white
  4. Bill black, legs and feet gray

Male, female and young

Sexes similar.

Voice

Rather loud calls.

Similar species

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is larger and generally lacks pale yellow on the cheeks; this species has a brighter, almost orange crest.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: March–April and September–December · Most records: China, Philippines

Yellow-crested Cockatoo has been recorded at 14 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.

Countries and regions with the most records

ChinaPhilippines

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea) also known as the lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo, is a medium-sized (about 34-cm-long) cockatoo with white plumage, bluish-white bare orbital skin, grey feet, a black bill, and a retractile yellow or orange crest. The sexes are similar.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Yellow-crested Cockatoo?

The Yellow-crested Cockatoo is about 34 cm long and weighs around 303 g.

Where does the Yellow-crested Cockatoo live?

Its breeding range: Australasia: Sulawesi region and Lesser Sundas. It is most often recorded in China and Philippines.

When is the best time to see the Yellow-crested Cockatoo?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in March, April, September, October, November and December (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Yellow-crested Cockatoo endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Yellow-crested Cockatoo as Critically Endangered.

What does the Yellow-crested Cockatoo eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Yellow-crested Cockatoo in?

It belongs to the family Cockatoos (Cacatuidae), order Parrot (Psittaciformes).

At a glance

Length
34 cm
Weight
303 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Seeds
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Critically Endangered
More measurements
Wing
221 mm
Tail
100 mm
Bill
37 mm
Tarsus
21 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Australasia: Sulawesi region and Lesser Sundas

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Parrot Psittaciformes
Family
Cockatoos Cacatuidae
Genus
Cacatua

Other birds in the genus Cacatua

Pink CockatooPink CockatooCacatua leadbeateriRed-vented CockatooRed-vented CockatooCacatua haematuropygiaTanimbar CorellaTanimbar CorellaCacatua goffinianaSolomons CorellaSolomons CorellaCacatua ducorpsiiWestern CorellaWestern CorellaCacatua pastinatorLittle CorellaLittle CorellaCacatua sanguineaLong-billed CorellaLong-billed CorellaCacatua tenuirostrisWhite CockatooWhite CockatooCacatua albaBlue-eyed CockatooBlue-eyed CockatooCacatua ophthalmicaSalmon-crested CockatooSalmon-crested CockatooCacatua moluccensisCitron-crested CockatooCitron-crested CockatooCacatua citrinocristataSulphur-crested CockatooSulphur-crested CockatooCacatua galerita
Yellow-crested Cockatoo

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by J. Patrick Fischer. ↗

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