20/11/2025
MORNDYKE PARROT SPECIES
Part 34
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (Triton)
Cacatua galerita triton
The Triton Cockatoo is one of the four subspecies of Sulphur Crested Cockatoo. It
lives in New Guinea and surrounding islands and the West Papuan Islands. It has
been introduced to the Palau Islands, Micronesia and some of the East Moluccan
Islands. It prefers thick jungle forest on hillsides and is almost completely arboreal. The Triton Cockatoo grows to 45-50cm in length and 550- 600g in weight. It is
smaller than the nominate species, the Greater Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
(Cacatua galerita galerita). It also has broader crest feathers and a pale blue ring
of skin around it’s eye, known as a periopthalmic ring. Males have a black eye and females a reddish brown eye.
IUCN Red List Status classifies the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (nominate species and subspecies together) as ‘Least Concern’. The population is decreasing, however.
CITES lists it as 'Appendix II'. This means that they are not necessarily threatened with extinction but may be if trade is not closely controlled.
THREATS include habitat loss, being hunted for food and for its feathers which are used for ornamental purposes. Despite legal protection, it is still illegally trapped and smuggled for the pet trade.
At Morndyke Parrot Sanctuary we have four Trition Cockatoos; Jaya, Shungol, Bosavi and Kubor. If you visit our website you can see them when they had just arrived with us. They were in a state, especially Kubor. They were also utterly, utterly terrified. I've handled wild birds less scared. These days, the four look far healthier with plush shiny feathers instead of greasy and moth-eaten. They adore climbing our trees and hanging upside down from the roof- they are very playful, especially Jaya. She has even approached us humans and had a kiss from Tricia, something we never thought would happen and certainly not in just a year!
♥🦜
