Abstract
I was first captivated by this small
white cockatoo in the late 1970s
while attempting to gain some insight
into their social behavior. This modest
beginning left an indelible mark. I
was amazed at what I observed in
these birds and decided to make the
Goffin's cockatoo a long term
project.
This little cockatoo is slightly sexually
dimorphic. The iris of the
mature male remains the juvenile
black, while the adult female has a
reddis':l brown iris. In addition, the
mandibles of the male are noticeably
larger than those of the hen. The
larger mandibles of the male are
noticeable at only a few months of
age.
Although Goffin's cockatoos are
still imported in large numbers, their
small island habitat is being rapidly
altered by humans and their chain
saws. The remaining natural habitat
on the Tanimbar Islands, north of
Australia , is rapidly diminishing.
Captive propagation is the only way
to ensure their continued long term
survival.
The following information is not
meant to establish a standard but
rather a description of some of what
we have done and observed over the
past dozen years.
The little Goffin's cockatoo has
frustrated many accomplished aviculturists
attempting to breed them. As
with many difficult to breed species,
the problems are often buried deep in
the evolutionary social structure of
the species. Without the minimal
expression of critical social patterns,
reproduction is often nil. This very
complex and controversial arena is
often, understandably, ignored or
glossed over by many top zoological
facilities.