Skip to main content
cockatoo

cockatoo

11 3.5
A large white parrot from Australia with a high crest often kept as a pet
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːkəˌtuː/
translation icon : cacatúa
  • During our trip to Australia, we saw wild cockatoos flying in groups in the trees.
  • species of cockatoo

Are we sure the cockatoo sees this as a rescue?

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Compared with birds of the same size reared in open, more exposed nests, cockatoo nestlings are in no hurry to leave the safety of the nest hollow.

    Academic text (1991)
  • I have spent many hours watching the behavior of parent and young cockatoos via a glass-backed nest box in an aviary.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The white one's a cockatoo.

  • First, we have the cockatoo, which is a very soft, romantic color palate.

  • Oh, mister zookeeper, I could never take a cockatoo that size.

  • Looking up, they saw a flock of white cockatoos flying by.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Also, Ben could hear the white cockatoos with their squawking, shrewish screams at everything that disturbed them, even their own dreams.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • We are lucky in Western Australia—although some farmers may think differently—in that six species of cockatoos commonly roam the region's wheat fields.

    Academic text (1991)
  • My friend has a beautiful white cockatoo that can mimic human speech.

  • The pet store had several cockatoos available, each with a unique personality.

Synonyms

Kakatoe galerita
vscockatoo
  • Specialized
9.9

A large white parrot with a yellow crest that can be raised

is the general description for the large white crested parrot often kept as pet
Cacatua galerita
vscockatoo
  • Specialized
9.9

A large white cockatoo from Australia with a bright yellow crest it can raise

is the everyday description rather than a scientific species name
sulphur-crested cockatoo
vscockatoo
  • Australian
8.7

A large white parrot with a bright yellow crest that makes loud calls in Australia and nearby islands

is the broader common description that covers size color and crest
Kakatoe
vscockatoo
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of crested parrots with strong beaks, like cockatoos

is narrower and used for the large crested bird native to Australia
Kakatoe leadbeateri
vscockatoo
  • Specialized
9.9

A white Australian cockatoo with pink feathers and a bright crest

is the general white or light bird form without a strong pink tinge
pink cockatoo
vscockatoo
  • Australian
7.7

A medium bird from Australia with pink and grey feathers and a crest

is the broader description not focused on the pink tint but on whiteness
galah
vscockatoo
  • Australian
9.1

A pink and grey Australian parrot that makes loud calls and plays a lot

is the white or light crested bird rather than the colorful loud species

Compounds

cockatoo farmer
  • Australian
8.6

A person who raises cockatoos, often to sell them

A small grey Australian bird with a yellow crest on its head

pink cockatoo
  • Australian
7.7

A medium bird from Australia with pink and grey feathers and a crest

8.7

A large white parrot with a bright yellow crest that makes loud calls in Australia and nearby islands

How Big

macaw
7 4.1
cockatoo
11 3.5
cockatiel
2 6.7
conure
  • US
4 8.4
budgerigar
1 8.1

Surface Forms

cockatoo singular
cockatoos plural

Etymology

Cockatoo comes from the Malay word kakatua, a name local people used for the bird that can be split into kakak 'older sister' and tua 'old'. European sailors borrowed the word, and that is why we still call the loud, crested white parrots of Australia 'cockatoos'.