There are almost 18 types of cockatoos worldwide; each type has a unique appearance and personality. Some types have further sub-types, and some types have produced hybrids with other types. Let’s talk about each type and how it differs from the others.
Umbrella Cockatoo
Umbrella Cockatoo, also known as the White-crested cockatoo, is completely white and has a large crest. It is probably the most popular cockatoo species. Since it is commonly available and is not very expensive, it is often preferred over other species.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
The Sulphur-crested cockatoos are also one of the most popular types of cockatoos. They are extremely intelligent and can easily be tamed. Their playful nature never fails to amuse people around them. Sulphur-crested cockatoos have 3 sub-types each type has a slightly different appearance and nature.
Moluccan Cockatoo
Moluccan cockatoo, also known as Salmon-crested, is white but has a pink tinge and a beautiful large red crest.
Gang-gang Cockatoo
The Gang-gang cockatoo is another colorful cockatoo species. Its head is bright red, and the rest of the body has grey-scaled color.
Bare-eyed Cockatoo
Bare-eyed Corella cockatoo is also known as Little Corella and Short-billed Corella cockatoo. It is named Bare-eyed because of the bare patch around its eye ring.
Long-billed Corella Cockatoo
Long-billed Corella Cockatoo, also known as Slender-billed Corella cockatoo, is the most popular type of Corella cockatoo. It looks similar to Bare-eyed cockatoos and Goffin’s cockatoos but has a bright red patch on its neck.
Blue-eyed Cockatoo
The Blue-eyed cockatoos have a blue eye ring which is why they are called Blue-eyed cockatoos. They are one of the rarest types of cockatoos.
Goffin’s Cockatoo
The Goffin’s cockatoo is a type of Corella cockatoo. It has white plumage and a pale-red patch near its beak.
Galah Cockatoo
Galah cockatoos, also called Rose-Breasted cockatoo, is one of the two types of cockatoo that exists in pink color. Their body is partially pink, and the rest is grey. They have a beautiful white and pink colored crest.
Citron-crested Cockatoo
Citron Crested cockatoos have a strong resemblance to Sulphur-crested cockatoos. But they have a citron-colored crest. Apart from their crest, they have very few differences.
Red-vented Cockatoo
The Red-vented cockatoos have a body structure similar to a Goffin cockatoo. However, Red-vented cockatoos have no red patches on their face and bright red under-tail feathers.
Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo
Major Mitchell’s cockatoo, also known as Leadbeater’s cockatoo, is another species of cockatoo that is partially pink. Their body structure resembles Sulphur-crested cockatoos, but they are more colorful.
Ducorps Corella Cockatoo
Ducorps Corella cockatoos, also known as Solomons and Broad-crested cockatoos, are almost white but have a red tinge. At first sight, they look like mini Umbrella cockatoos.
Cockatiel (Cockatoo)
Cockatiels are the most common type of cockatoo all over the world. They are the best breeder among all the types and the least expensive. Moreover, cockatiels exist in a variety of colors.
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
The Red-tailed Black cockatoos belong to the Black cockatoo family. They have gorgeous black plumage with red under-tail feathers and a crest. Their feathers shine in the sunlight and look magnificent.
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
Like Red-tailed Black cockatoos, Yellow-tailed cockatoos have black plumage and a crest. But they also hand a yellow patch on their cheeks and yellow under-tail feathers. Both breeds are somehow related.
White-tailed Black Cockatoo
The White-tailed Black cockatoo is one of the rarest Black cockatoos worldwide. They also have Black plumage and crest. Unlike Yellow-tailed Black cockatoos, they have a white patch on their cheeks and white under-tail feathers.
Glossy Black Cockatoo
Glossy Black-Cockatoos also belong to the Black cockatoo family. They look just like Red-tailed Black cockatoos. The only difference is that Glossy Black cockatoos have a smaller crest and are slightly smaller overall.
Black Palm Cockatoo
The Black Palm cockatoo is the largest among all the types of cockatoos. They have a bright red patch on their face and a large crest.
Final Thoughts
All types of cockatoos and their sub-species are adorable and unique. Some species are large, and some are small, but all become good pets when cared for and given love.
If you enjoyed reading about the types of cockatoos and are planning to get one, you might also be interested to know cost of cockatoos. Generally, large species are slightly expensive, require a large cage. Some large species are also rare and not easily available in the USA.
I recommend choosing a cockatoo species that you can easily take care of in the long term. Keepi
