Palm Cockatoo
A species of Palm Cockatoo Scientific name : Probosciger aterrimus Genus : Palm Cockatoo
Palm Cockatoo, A species of Palm Cockatoo
Botanical name: Probosciger aterrimus
Genus: Palm Cockatoo
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Charley Hesse TROPICAL BIRDING 
Description
The palm cockatoo is 55 to 60 cm (22 to 24 in) in length and weighs 910–1,200 g (2.01–2.65 lb). It may be the largest cockatoo species and largest parrot in Australia, although large races of yellow-tailed black cockatoos and sulphur-crested cockatoos broadly overlap in size. It is a distinctive bird with a large crest and has one of the largest bills of any parrot (only the hyacinth macaw's is larger). This powerful bill enables palm cockatoos not only to eat very hard nuts and seeds, but also enables males to break off thick (about 1 in) sticks from live trees to use for a drumming display. The male has a larger beak than the female. The beak is unusual, as the lower and upper mandibles do not meet for much of its length, allowing the tongue to hold a nut against the top mandible while the lower mandible works to open it. The palm cockatoo also has a distinctive red cheek patch that changes colour when the bird is alarmed or excited. The palm cockatoo has a large and complex vocal repertoire, including many whistles and even a "hello" call that sounds surprisingly human-like. Distinct dialects occur throughout the species' range. Anecdotal evidence indicates a palm cockatoo reaching 80 or 90 years of age in an Australian zoo, although the oldest confirmed individual was aged 56 in London Zoo in 2000. Although longevity of captive birds is known, the lifespan of palm cockatoos that live in the wild is still unknown . 
Size
64 cm
Life Expectancy
56-90 years
Nest Placement
Tree
Feeding Habits
Palm Cockatoo predominantly consumes seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, and buds, foraged from diverse plants. This bird displays unique dietary preferences and adaptations, ensuring a varied diet. Feeding behaviors include methodical foraging, often at specific times suited to food availability.
Habitat
Palm Cockatoo's primary habitat encompasses rainforests, gallery forests, and forest edges, as well as monsoon woodlands. It is also known to inhabit parts of dense savanna, paperbark woodlands, and the fringes of lowland monsoon forest adjacent to Eucalyptus woodlands. Palm Cockatoo resides mostly within lowlands and hilly areas, thriving up to elevations of 1350 meters but more commonly below 750 meters. Interestingly, in certain geographical regions, palm Cockatoo shows a preference for woodlands over rainforests.
Dite type
Omnivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Behavior
It has a unique territorial display where the bird (typically the male) drums with a large (i.e. up to 2.5 cm diameter, 15 cm long) stick or seed pod against a dead bough or tree, creating a loud noise that can be heard up to 100 m away. After drumming, the male occasionally strips the drum tool into small pieces to line the nest. Although this drumming behaviour was discovered over two decades ago (in 1984 by G.A. Wood), the reason why palm cockatoos drum is still a mystery. One reason could be that females can assess the durability of the nesting hollow by the resonance of the drumming. Another possibility could be that males drum to mark their territory against other males. The palm cockatoo is an unusual bird, being an ancient species and one of the few bird species known to use tools.
Distribution Area
The palm cockatoo is found in rainforests and woodlands of New Guinea and Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia. It can still be found near Sorong, West Papua, Indonesia, where it is sometimes seen in trees along the roads.
Species Status
The palm cockatoo is still relatively common in Cape York, but is threatened there by habitat destruction, particularly due to bauxite mining around Weipa and altered fire regimens elsewhere. Palm cockatoos are hunted in New Guinea. The palm cockatoo is currently evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES. In Australia, palm cockatoos were relisted from Near Threatened to Vulnerable on 31 October 2015 (EPBC Act List of Threatened Fauna).
Photo By Charley Hesse TROPICAL BIRDING 
Scientific Classification
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