The above plush birds include the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and the Galah from Wild Republic's Audubon Birds collection (now retired). KuKu the Beanie Baby. The little blue Cockatoo is from Russ Luv Pets (now discontinued). And the two big Cockatoos are made by Hansa Plush. Wild Republic has discontinued its Australian Series of birds.

The cockatoos (Cacatua) are natives of Australia and the East Indies. They are noted by a bill in which the upper jaw overlaps the narrow lower jaw, and by an erectile crest. The White-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua alba, measures 18 in. and is white, with a crest of feathers broadened at the tip. It lives in northern and central Moluccas. The Salmon-crested or Pink-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua moluccensis, of the southern Moluccas, is 20 in. long, with white, salmon-tinged feathers. It has a broad crest; its longest feathers are red.

The Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (18 in.), Cacatua galerita, has a yellow crest and yellow cheeks. Otherwise it is completely white. The Galah or Roseate Cockatoo (below), Cacatua roseicapilla, is ashy grey above and pink on the head and chest. It occurs in western and northern Australia.

Leadbeater's Cockatoo, Cacatua leadbeateri, also of Australia, has a red, white and yellow crest. The upper parts are white, the underparts pink. The Little Corella or Bare-eyed Cockatoo, Cacatua sanguinea, has a small, broad crest and a bare eye-ring. These species are considered pests in Australia because of the damage they do to crops.

The giant black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus magnificus) has naked cheeks that turn red when the bird is excited. It lives in the New Guinea rain forests cracking hard candlenuts with its huge bill.

The cockatoo makes its nest in a high tree hole in the tropical forest. Two white eggs are laid on wood chips. The young hatch naked and blind and are fed by the adults with regurgitated food for about three months. Cockatoos often travel in huge flocks numbering in the thousands. They make good pets and are found in all zoos.