Cockatoo

Cockatoo (Malay, kakatua, the cry of the bird), a popular name for any crested parrot. These birds are distinguished by a deep notch on each side of the cutting edge of the mandible, and form the family CacatuidAe. They are very abundant in the Australian region, especially in its Austro-Malayan portion, belt are not found farther east than the Solomon Islands, and are absent from New Zealand. The type-genus Cacatua, with eighteen species, ranges from the Philippines southward to Tasmania; Calyptorhynchus is confined to Australia and Tasmania; and Microglossus to North Australia and the Papuan district. The plumage of the last two genera is black.