Flocks of sulphur crested cockatoos are known to aggressively attack wood on trees, decks, outdoor furniture, window sills and houses. Such destruction is common, particularly in spring. There are many theories why they do this, but they do like to chew, particularly soft woods used for building, such as cedar.
It is in a cockatoos nature to chew things. They do it to keep their beaks trim, to search for bugs in the bark and sometimes, we think, to simply alleviate boredom. Unfortunately, they often take a liking to chewing branches off certain trees such as White Cedar and they take great delight in taking fruit crops too.
Cockatoos need to chew items in their environment, including artificial structures, to maintain their beaks at the correct length and condition. Wherever cockatoos land, either feeding or beak maintenance occurs.
Cockatoos can damage timber fittings and furniture through chewing. This problem often occurs when someone is providing food for the birds and attracting them into the area. Try to find out who is feeding the birds and explain your problem. Removing the food source may be enough to move them on to another area.
Some of the common illnesses your cockatoo could contract are parasites, intestinal inflammation, PDD, coccidiosis, respiratory ailments, feather picking, and parrot fever also known as psittacosis which is not common but is contagious to humans and can be dangerous.
Pest parrots and cockatoos are known to cause extensive damage in both rural and urban areas in Western Australia. Because of this, several species are declared pests (simply referred to as pests below) and subject to active management control.
Some species, but especially cockatoos, manifest stress as stereotypical behaviors such as pacing, toe-tapping, and head swinging. Often, birds perform these behaviors to stimulate themselves because they are bored.
Implement motion sensor irrigation
Motion-sprinkler systems detect movement on your lawn and shoot a jet of water in the direction of birds. The sound of the sprinkler when it turns itself on and the stream of water tends to startle birds and frighten them off.
Locals have been feeding a flock of cockatoos in the area and claim they are friendly. Cockatoos are a protected species under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and the penalty for shooting and killing a cockatoo can be up to $22,000 fine and/or five-years imprisonment.
Cockatoos like to dig in soil as they enjoy the succulent stems of grasses and other plants. They also forage in trees. As pets, they both relish cooked sweet potato that they can dig their beak into. Expect a messy cage at feed time because they are naturally destructive and wasteful.
“They can learn how to use tools by themselves, innovate the tool sets, and transport what they [specifically] need from them.” The findings cement Goffin's cockatoos as one of the smartest creatures on Earth.
Many parrots are afraid of the dark. Cockatiels are especially prone to night frights. Night frights are when your bird flaps and flails inside and around its cage.
Another reason birds are shredding your lawn could be the type of lawn you have. Birds like Cockatoos and Galahs have a strictly vegetarian diet, feeding on seeds, weeds and vegetation. These types of birds love to rip up and eat the starchy underground runners beneath the soil, particularly common in Kikuyu lawns.
Have you wondered, do parrots get jealous? The short answer is yes! Parrots are highly emotional animals, both in the wild and in a domestic situations. Birds are not like dogs, that easily warm up to any person.
Screaming or loud vocalization is a natural way for wild parrots and other birds to communicate with each other in their flock environments. They will also scream if they are alarmed. Birds will vocalize if they are frightened, bored, lonely, stressed, or unwell.
Primarily, birds dislike really strong smells because they find them quite irritating. These include peppermint oil, citronella, lemon, cayenne pepper, chili, garlic and vinegar. By using this information, we can apply these strong scents to areas that we want the birds to stay away from.
Flocks have a preferred night-time roosting site, often along watercourses. As evening falls the noise at these sites is deafening, as the birds gather and jostle for position, screeching and cawing till darkness falls.
Cockatoos and Corellas are often attracted to residential properties where the resident is putting out feed such as seeds, bread, nuts or fruit scraps. The damage and noise in these instances can impact on several properties in the area. Council advises residents not to place feed out for any birds in their backyards.
Sulphur-crested cockatoos are declared pests of agriculture in the southern half of Western Australia under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007. This species can only be kept under permit and only family pets can be imported.
Aggressive. When a cockatoo is aggressive towards a particular person, it will look at him very directly, walk towards him in a straight line and open its bill to bite him. Following every move of someone is also a sign of aggression towards that person.
Keeping them away
Sulphur-crested cockatoos are a protected species, so make sure you don't harm them! One way is to string up a kite that looks like a hawke or an eagle. Another is to purchase a gel (from pest control companies) that makes standing uncomfortable for the birds.
Screaming out of frustration or boredom is common among cockatoos. Often this screaming behavior is actually trained by the owners of the bird: every time the bird start to scream people will go to see what's going on or try to make the bird stop screaming (“Shut up!” ).
Some birds become aggressive during their adolescence due to hormone changes. This will typically pass once the bird gets through this stage. Protecting their claimed territory, such as the birdcage or feeder, can lead to aggression. Birds that are stressed or lack mental stimulation may also act out.
Every day the evidence is right before our eyes, our parrots emotions are expressed through their eyes, body posture, behavior and vocalizations which are often verbal. The bond we have with our birds is primarily one of emotion and it is this emotional relationship that enriches our lives.