Cacatua sulphurea
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
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 →
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
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Komodo National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hong Kong | 🇨🇳 China |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lisbon Oceanarium | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 2 | Toba Aquarium | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 3 | Bali Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Lion Country Safari | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Al Ain Zoo | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 7 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | |
| 9 | National Zoological Garden of South Africa | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 10 | Selwo Aventura | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 11 | Central Park Zoo & Resort | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 12 | Surabaya Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 13 | Reserva Zoológica Oasys MiniHollywood | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 14 | Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 15 | African Dawn Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 16 | Johor Zoo | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 17 | Vancouver Aquarium | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 18 | Castellar Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 19 | Zoo de Lourosa | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 20 | Edward Youde Aviary | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | |
| 21 | Bloedel Conservatory | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 22 | Centro de Recuperación de Rapaces Brinzal | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 23 | Jakarta Aquarium | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 24 | Underwater World, Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore |
No species of the same family or order lives in Komodo National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-crested Cockatoo sighting in Komodo National Park on a given day, based on 35 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 76 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, May and November
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-crested Cockatoo in Komodo National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, September and December, the lowest months.
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.
Only Komodo National Park, in our data
Komodo National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Yellow-crested Cockatoo sightings: about 50% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-crested Cockatoo is recorded against all the birds logged in Komodo National Park (35 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
