Yellow-crested Cockatoo

Yellow-crested Cockatoo

Cacatua sulphurea

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCNTVUENCRCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Hong Kong

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

698 Verified sightings at Hong Kong
35 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Yellow-crested Cockatoo

The yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea) also known as the lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo, is a medium-sized (about 34-cm-long) cockatoo with white plumage, bluish-white bare orbital skin, grey feet, a black bill, and a retractile yellow or orange crest. The sexes are similar.

The yellow-crested cockatoo is found in wooded and cultivated areas of East Timor and Indonesia's islands of Sulawesi and the Lesser Sundas. It is easily confused with the larger and more common sulphur-crested cockatoo, which has a more easterly distribution and can be distinguished by the lack of pale yellow coloring on its cheeks (although some sulphur-cresteds develop yellowish patches). Also, the yellow-crested cockatoo's crest is a brighter color, closer to orange. Endemic to Sumba, the citron-crested cockatoo, previously considered a subspecies of the yellow-crested cockatoo, is also similar, but presents with an orange crest.

The yellow-crested cockatoo's diet consists mainly of seeds, buds, fruits, nuts, and herbaceous plants. In the 18th century, yellow-crested cockatoos were imported into Europe as pets and these birds were described by various naturalists. In 1738 English naturalist... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:26

Hong Kong SAR China · 2024

© ardenet · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:26

Hong Kong SAR China · 2026

© lava_chen · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:28

Hong Kong SAR China · 2019

© Colin Chiu · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Komodo National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~50%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Hong Kong 🇨🇳 China
~20%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Lisbon Oceanarium 🇵🇹 Portugal In captivity
2 Toba Aquarium 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity
3 Bali Zoo 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
4 Parc des oiseaux 🇫🇷 France In captivity
5 Lion Country Safari 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
6 Al Ain Zoo 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates In captivity
7 Bronx Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
8 Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China In captivity
9 National Zoological Garden of South Africa 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
10 Selwo Aventura 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
11 Central Park Zoo & Resort 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
12 Surabaya Zoo 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
13 Reserva Zoológica Oasys MiniHollywood 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
14 Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens 🇨🇳 China In captivity
15 African Dawn Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
16 Johor Zoo 🇲🇾 Malaysia In captivity
17 Vancouver Aquarium 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
18 Castellar Zoo 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
19 Zoo de Lourosa 🇵🇹 Portugal In captivity
20 Edward Youde Aviary 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China In captivity
21 Bloedel Conservatory 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
22 Centro de Recuperación de Rapaces Brinzal 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
23 Jakarta Aquarium 🇮🇩 Indonesia In captivity
24 Underwater World, Singapore 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Yellow-crested Cockatoo in Hong Kong?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-crested Cockatoo sighting in Hong Kong on a given day, based on 698 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 26th most-seen of the 204 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Yellow-crested Cockatoo in Hong Kong?

June

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-crested Cockatoo in Hong Kong on a given day, against about 10% in August, the lowest month. That is one of Hong Kong's wettest months, with about 280 mm of rain against 25 mm in December.

What time of day is best to see a Yellow-crested Cockatoo?

Between 3 and 6 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-crested Cockatoo sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see a Yellow-crested Cockatoo?

Only Hong Kong, in our data

Hong Kong is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Yellow-crested Cockatoo sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the Yellow-crested Cockatoo sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Yellow-crested Cockatoo is recorded against all the birds logged in Hong Kong (698 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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