Cacatua haematuropygia - Red-vented Cockatoo

Red-vented Cockatoo – Cacatua haematuropygia (Müller, PLS, 1776) – s rare in aviculture. They are critically endangered of becoming extinct due to trapping of wild birds for trading and loss of their native habitat.

Young birds can easily be tamed. They are not as noisy as some of the larger cockatoos.

They are gregarious and like to stay in the flock when eating and sleeping except in the breeding period, where the pairs prefer to avoid other birds.

They are difficult to breed in captivity; often the male gets aggressive towards the female.

Notice: Red-vented Cockatoo is listed on CITES Appendix I and EU Annex A!

The Red-vented Cockatoo is endemic to the Philippines; it is also known as Philippine Cockatoo in some sources. The largest population (an estimated 650 – 1200 birds) is located on Palawan and nearby Islands; some very small populations are located on Sulu, Polillo, Bohol  and Samar.   They prefer lowland forests close to riverine or coastal areas with mangroves.

It used to be widespread on most of the larger islands and also many of the smaller islands. However, the population has declined drastically and it is now only present on a few islands. According to the IUCN Red List it has been listed as Critically Endangered since 1994 because of loss of its native habitats and also due to trapping for bird trading.