Erden with two cockatoo residents of The Oasis Sanctuary, a rescue organization she runs in Arizona for unwanted pet parrots.

COCKATOOS ARE AMONG the most sought-after birds in captivity. They are also among the most misunderstood and the most likely to end up in sanctuary or rescue facilities. Male cockatoos are also well-known for maiming or killing their mates in breeding programs. As a result, breeders have resorted to such hideous practices as beak "splitting" - or mutilation - to make marketable babies.

Given the problems inherent in keeping cockatoos both as "pets" and in breeding programs, the question must be asked: Why are they being bred in captivity for the pet trade?

While there is no argument that cockatoos are among the most endangered "exotic" birds in the wild, captive breeding these birds, particularly hand-rearing with no possible chance of release to a safe habitat, is inhumane. It does not address the habitat destruction leading to the extinction of the species in the wild.

For instance, Moluccan cockatoos are highly endangered. Only 500 breeding pairs are known to remain in the wild. Nonetheless, these large (750-900 gram) pink- or peach-colored birds are plentiful, even overabundant, in captivity. Rehabbers and avian veterinarians will attest to the numerous problems with keeping these beautiful and highly intelligent animals as pets. Because they are prone to feather plucking, self-mutilation and screaming as well as aggression (usually by males) toward caregivers, many people initially enamored with these status-symbol birds become disillusioned over time. Rescue organizations, sanctuary and adoption programs receive more calls about cockatoos, which can live up to 60 years, than any other type of parrot. And yet they continue to be bred.

In captivity there is a surfeit of males, in part due to the more flexible natures of the females as pets - and in part because males in breeding programs often kill their mates, usually by biting their beaks off. To minimize the risk, breeders have resorted to the "solution" of splitting - or mutilating - the beaks of the males to make it more difficult to attack the female.

Why do we have this problem in captivity? Cockatoo males go into breeding season before females. In the wild, they put the extra energy generated by their hormonal surges into beginning a nest. As the male excavates, he shows the nest to the female. In the meantime, the female comes into season.

Although nesting wild cockatoos may be within hearing range of one another, the established male keeps his female away, and out of sight, from other males while in breeding mode. If another strange male does come close to the nest, the resident male will run the stranger off his established territory. If he cannot move the stranger, the established male may temporarily run his female away.

In captivity, breeders provide a breeding pair of cockatoos with a ready-made nest box. All too often, breeders do not even provide shredding materials or toys to their breeding pairs in order to encourage the pairs to breed. So whether the female cockatoo is ready or not, the male has nothing to occupy himself with to relieve his anxiety or aggression. Additionally, the cages are often next to one another, or within a few feet of another pair of birds. The males cannot chase each other away from their "territories." Likewise the female has nowhere to go to escape the male. It is a recipe for disaster.

We need to rethink the breeding of captive birds. Breeding facilities must place the lives and safety of the animals within their care first - ahead of monetary gain. As we come to understand the psychology of these wild animals, environments need to be created with a more naturalistic view, with the instinctive behaviors of these birds kept in mind. Only by giving these beautiful, endangered birds a true quality of life in captivity will we do away with the need for barbaric "answers" such as beak mutilation.

ParrotChronicles.com

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