Psittaciformes - Cacatua - Citron Crested Cockatoo

Citron Crested Cockatoo - Cacatua Citrinocristata - Critically Endangered

The citron-crested cockatoo (Cacatua citrinocristata) is a medium-sized cockatoo with an orange crest, dark grey beak, pale orange ear patches, and strong feet and claws. The underside of the larger wing and tail feathers have a pale yellow color. The eyelid color is a very light blue. Both sexes are similar. Females have a coppered colored eye where as the male has a very dark black eye.

The smallest of the yellow-crested cockatoo's, it is endemic to Sumba in the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. The diet consists mainly of seeds, buds, fruits, nuts and herbaceous plants.

In 2022, The citron-crested cockatoo was recognized as a separate species, Cacatua citrinocristata.

Conservation status

The citron-crested cockatoo is a critically endangered bird whose population has declined due to habitat loss and illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade. A 1993 survey of Sumba estimated the species' numbers at less than 2,000 individuals. By 2012, the estimate had dropped to 563. Together with the other subspecies of the yellow-crested cockatoo, it is listed in appendix I of the CITES list. Consequently, international trade is strongly regulated and trade in wild caught citron-crested cockatoos is illegal.

They are uncommon in the United States and due to ESA regulations they are difficult to ship across state lines.