Goffin's Cockatoo
Encyclopedia
The Tanimbar Corella, Cacatua goffiniana, also known as Goffin's Cockatoo or Goffin's Corella, is a species of cockatoo
endemic
to forests of Yamdena
, Larat and Selaru
, all islands in the Tanimbar Islands
archipelago
in Indonesia
. The species has been introduced at the Kai Islands
, Indonesia, Puerto Rico
and Singapore
. This species was only formally described in 2004, after it was discovered that the previous formal descriptions pertained to individuals of a different cockatoo species, the Ducorps' or Solomons Cockatoo (Cacatua ducorpsii). Tanimbar Corellas are the smallest of the white cockatoo
s. This species is Near Threatened
due to deforestation and bird trade. The species breeds well in captivity and there is a large avicultural population.
for females and 300 g for males. They are about 31 cm (12 inches) from head to tail.
Like all members of the Cacatuidae family, the Tanimbar Corella is crested, meaning it has a collection of feathers on its head that it can raise or lower. Its body is mainly covered with white feathers, with salmon or pink colored feather
s between the beak and eyes. The deeper (proximal) parts of the crest feathers and neck feathers are also a salmon color, but the coloration here is hidden by the white color of the more superficial (distal) areas of these feathers. The underside of its wing and tail feathers exhibit a yellowish tinge. The beak is pale grey and eye colour ranges from brown to black. Both sexes are similar. They are often confused with the Little Corella
(Bare-eyed Cockatoo) due to their similar appearance.
The maximum recorded lifespan for a (captive) Tanimbar Corella is 26 years - though this figure may be a significant under-representation, considering the long-lived nature of many other cockatoo species.
Due to ongoing habitat loss on Tanimbar, limited range and illegal hunting, the Tanimbar Corella is evaluated as Near Threatened
on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species. The species is listed on Appendix I of CITES. In the 1970s, Japanese loggers ravaged the islands. Many of the dazed, disoriented birds were captured for the pet trade. Although many died from stress during shipment, there may be a small silver lining behind this ecological disaster, because many Tanimbar Corellas have reproduced in captive breeding programs. As such, there are now more Tanimbar Corellas in captivity than in the wild.
in 1863. It was named for Andreas Leopold Goffin, a friend of Finsch and apparently a Dutch naval lieutenant who died the same year at the age of 27.
In 2000, it became clear that Finsch's formal description of this species was based on two specimens that actually belonged to an entirely different cockatoo species, the Ducorps' or Solomons Cockatoo (Cacatua ducorpsii). Cacatua goffini thus became a synonym for Cacatua ducorpsii, leaving this species without a proper scientific name and description. In 2004, the species was formally described as Cacatua goffiniana, maintaining the intent of Finsch to name a species of cockatoo after his friend. The new description is based on an individual collected from the Tanimbar Islands in 1923 by Dr. Felix Kopstein.
In aviculture the parrot is widely known as the Goffin's Cockatoo. Pet birds handreared from hatching can imitate human speech, but generally they are not good talkers. They are generally quiet, but they can make a loud screeching noise. They can make good pets, as they are friendly and sociable. Like most cockatoos, they enjoy being handled and stroked. They are intelligent and they can be trained and can learn tricks.
Tanimbar Corellas learn by watching and copying. Just by opening the cage door, a Tanimbar Corella's attention can be drawn to the latch on its cage and it can learn by trial and error how to open the latch with its beak and escape the cage in seconds. Tanimbar Corellas can destroy furniture with their beaks and can chew through wires and cause potentially dangerous electrical incidents.
Handreared Tanimbar Corellas tend to demand a lot of attention. Occasionally, captive birds of this species (like many cockatoos) develop self-destructive behaviours such as feather-plucking
, or stereotypy
if they do not have an interesting and enriching environment. Caged Tanimbar Corellas require a frequent change of toys to play with so they do not become bored. They need time out of their cage for one-on-one social contact of at least one hour daily and also to exercise their wings and fly. Even very tame birds can bite humans when irritated or even when being excessively playful. Their droppings are semi-solid and can be messy. Many new bird owners are not aware of the time and money a cockatoo demands and pet birds are often passed from one owner to the next or relinquished to animal shelter
s.
Tanimbar Corella chicks make a repetitive soft howling/screeching noise (producer calls) when they are hungry.
In the UK their sale is controlled as they are classified as a rare species. Each bird must have an official certificate to prove that it was captive-bred and not imported.
Cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...
endemic
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to forests of Yamdena
Yamdena
Yamdena is the largest of the Tanimbar Islands in the Maluku Province of Indonesia. Saumlaki is the chief town, located on the south end of the island....
, Larat and Selaru
Selaru
Selaru is an island in Indonesia in the Tanimbar Islands group, Southeast Maluku. It is located south of Yamdena.-External links:**...
, all islands in the Tanimbar Islands
Tanimbar Islands
The Tanimbar Islands, also called Timor Laut, are a group of about 65 islands in the Maluku province of Indonesia, including Fordata, Larat, Maru, Molu, Nuswotar, Selaru, Selu, Seira, Wotap, Wuliaru and Yamdena.-Geography:...
archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The species has been introduced at the Kai Islands
Kai Islands
The Kai Islands of Indonesia are in the south-eastern part of the Maluku Islands, in Maluku Province.-Geography:...
, Indonesia, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. This species was only formally described in 2004, after it was discovered that the previous formal descriptions pertained to individuals of a different cockatoo species, the Ducorps' or Solomons Cockatoo (Cacatua ducorpsii). Tanimbar Corellas are the smallest of the white cockatoo
Cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...
s. This species is Near Threatened
Near Threatened
Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...
due to deforestation and bird trade. The species breeds well in captivity and there is a large avicultural population.
Description
Tanimbar Corellas weigh, on average, about 250 gGram
The gram is a metric system unit of mass....
for females and 300 g for males. They are about 31 cm (12 inches) from head to tail.
Like all members of the Cacatuidae family, the Tanimbar Corella is crested, meaning it has a collection of feathers on its head that it can raise or lower. Its body is mainly covered with white feathers, with salmon or pink colored feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s between the beak and eyes. The deeper (proximal) parts of the crest feathers and neck feathers are also a salmon color, but the coloration here is hidden by the white color of the more superficial (distal) areas of these feathers. The underside of its wing and tail feathers exhibit a yellowish tinge. The beak is pale grey and eye colour ranges from brown to black. Both sexes are similar. They are often confused with the Little Corella
Little Corella
The Little Corella, Cacatua sanguinea, also known as the Bare-eyed Cockatoo, is a white cockatoo native to Australia and southern New Guinea....
(Bare-eyed Cockatoo) due to their similar appearance.
The maximum recorded lifespan for a (captive) Tanimbar Corella is 26 years - though this figure may be a significant under-representation, considering the long-lived nature of many other cockatoo species.
Conservation
Near Threatened
Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...
on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species. The species is listed on Appendix I of CITES. In the 1970s, Japanese loggers ravaged the islands. Many of the dazed, disoriented birds were captured for the pet trade. Although many died from stress during shipment, there may be a small silver lining behind this ecological disaster, because many Tanimbar Corellas have reproduced in captive breeding programs. As such, there are now more Tanimbar Corellas in captivity than in the wild.
Scientific naming
Historically, the discovery of the species as Lophochroa goffini is attributed to Otto FinschOtto Finsch
Friedrich Hermann Otto Finsch was a German ethnographer, naturalist and colonial explorer.-Biography:...
in 1863. It was named for Andreas Leopold Goffin, a friend of Finsch and apparently a Dutch naval lieutenant who died the same year at the age of 27.
In 2000, it became clear that Finsch's formal description of this species was based on two specimens that actually belonged to an entirely different cockatoo species, the Ducorps' or Solomons Cockatoo (Cacatua ducorpsii). Cacatua goffini thus became a synonym for Cacatua ducorpsii, leaving this species without a proper scientific name and description. In 2004, the species was formally described as Cacatua goffiniana, maintaining the intent of Finsch to name a species of cockatoo after his friend. The new description is based on an individual collected from the Tanimbar Islands in 1923 by Dr. Felix Kopstein.
In aviculture
Tanimbar Corellas learn by watching and copying. Just by opening the cage door, a Tanimbar Corella's attention can be drawn to the latch on its cage and it can learn by trial and error how to open the latch with its beak and escape the cage in seconds. Tanimbar Corellas can destroy furniture with their beaks and can chew through wires and cause potentially dangerous electrical incidents.
Handreared Tanimbar Corellas tend to demand a lot of attention. Occasionally, captive birds of this species (like many cockatoos) develop self-destructive behaviours such as feather-plucking
Feather-plucking
Feather-plucking, sometimes termed feather-picking, feather damaging behaviour or pterotillomania, is a maladaptive, behavioural disorder commonly seen in captive birds which chew, bite or pluck their own feathers with their beak, resulting in damage to the feathers and occasionally the skin...
, or stereotypy
Stereotypy
A stereotypy is a repetitive or ritualistic movement, posture, or utterance, found in people with mental retardation, autism spectrum disorders, tardive dyskinesia and stereotypic movement disorder. Stereotypies may be simple movements such as body rocking, or complex, such as self-caressing,...
if they do not have an interesting and enriching environment. Caged Tanimbar Corellas require a frequent change of toys to play with so they do not become bored. They need time out of their cage for one-on-one social contact of at least one hour daily and also to exercise their wings and fly. Even very tame birds can bite humans when irritated or even when being excessively playful. Their droppings are semi-solid and can be messy. Many new bird owners are not aware of the time and money a cockatoo demands and pet birds are often passed from one owner to the next or relinquished to animal shelter
Animal shelter
An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost, or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats.Parrots, for example, are the third most common pet owned by people...
s.
Tanimbar Corella chicks make a repetitive soft howling/screeching noise (producer calls) when they are hungry.
In the UK their sale is controlled as they are classified as a rare species. Each bird must have an official certificate to prove that it was captive-bred and not imported.
External links
- World Parrot Trust Parrot Encyclopedia - Species Profiles
- More Tanimbar Corella Info