Red-vented cockatoo

The red-vented cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), also known as the Philippine cockatoo and locally katala, abukay, agay or kalangay, is a critically endangered species of cockatoo that is endemic to the Philippines. It is roughly the size and shape of the Tanimbar corella, but is easily distinguished by the red feathers around the vent.

Red-vented cockatoo
In Palawan, Philippines
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Cacatuidae
Genus: Cacatua
Subgenus: Licmetis
Species:
C. haematuropygia
Binomial name
Cacatua haematuropygia
Cacatua haematuropygia - MHNT

Description
Two in captivity

The plumage is all white with red undertail coverts tipped white, yellowish undertail and pale yellow underwings. It is 12 inches (30 cm) long and has an 8.6-inch (22 cm) wingspan.

The red-vented cockatoo makes a characteristic bleating call, as well as screeching or whistling noises that are common to most cockatoos. It is quieter than most cockatoos, and much quieter than the umbrella cockatoo or Moluccan cockatoo.

Distribution and status

Red-vented cockatoos were formerly widely distributed on all larger and many smaller islands of the Philippines, excluding northern and central Luzon.[2] In the early 1990s the total wild population was estimated at 1000–4000. However, by 2008 this was reduced to probably less than 1000.[3] Remnant populations exist on the islands of Palawan, Tawitawi, Mindanao and Masbate. The species' stronghold is the Palawan Faunal Region where the Katala Foundation has been running the Philippine cockatoo Conservation Programme since 1998.[2] There are around 180 found in wilderness conservation in the municipality of Narra and Puerto Princesa, Palawan, particularly in Rasa Island.[4] The efforts for conservation of the Katala Foundation are threatened by plans to build a coal-fired power station on Palawan's coast. Environmental organizations like the Katala Foundation or Rainforest Rescue are trying to prevent the construction.[5]

A captive population is bred by Antonio de Dios's Birds International near Manila.[6]

This bird is critically endangered. Populations have decreased dramatically due to illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade. The high price fetched per bird (c. US$160 in Manila in 1997) means that chicks are taken from virtually every accessible nest. Other contributing factors are loss of coastal habitat and persecution as an agricultural pest.[2]

Threats

The red-vented cockatoo is a social species which roosts, feeds, and flies in noisy groups but during the mating season, from March to July, pairs live apart from the flock.

They feed on seeds, and, to a lesser extent, on fruits, flowers, buds and nectar. The species is very adaptable and even forages on crops, particularly rice, when half-ripe, and corn, hence becoming regarded a pest.[3]

See also

References
  1. BirdLife International (2017). "Cacatua haematuropygia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  2. Peter and Indira Lacerna Widmann. "The cockatoo and the community: ten years of Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Programme." BirdingAsia 10 (2008): 23–29.
  3. "Katala Foundation Inc. – Philippine cockatoo". philippinecockatoo.org.
  4. BirdLife International (2004). "Cacatua haematuropygia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004. Retrieved 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map, a brief justification of why this species is critically endangered, and the criteria used.
  5. "Philippines: power plant threatens rare cockatoos". rainforest-rescue.org.
  6. Boussekey, Marc (1995). "Conservation of the Red-Vented Cockatoo". PsittaScene Magazine 7.4 (no. 25): p. 7
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