White Cockatoo
Cacatua alba
- Family
- Cockatoos (Cacatuidae)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
Overview
The white cockatoo (Cacatua alba), also known as the umbrella cockatoo, is a medium-sized all-white cockatoo endemic to tropical rainforest on islands of Indonesia. When surprised, it extends a large and striking head crest, which has a semicircular shape (similar to an umbrella, hence the alternative name). The wings and tail have a pale yellow or lemon color which is exposed when they fly. It is similar to other species of white cockatoo such as yellow-crested cockatoo, sulphur-crested cockatoo, and salmon-crested cockatoo, all of which have yellow, orange or pink crest feathers instead of white.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Northern Moluccas (Bacan, Halmahera, Ternate, Tidore, and adjacent islands).
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: White cockatoo
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.


