Another rehab...

[ShreddedOakAviary]

We recently inherited a (believe it or not) fitzroy sulfer crested cockatoo (yes, we confirmed the species with an expert, and yes I know I'll never find another one in this country)... the poor guy is super crazy. He is calming slowly and I have hopes he'll learn to trust again. Today I am now able to pet him and he is no longer lashing out at people. I'll post his story and progress as I better understand it.

 

[ann]

hes in a good home now , good luck with him, it sounds like your already making progress! what do you mean by "i know i'll never find another one in this country" are they more rare than other cockatoos? oh and pictures are always appreciated

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

According to the cockatoo experts and some zoo friends it is believed there are probably less than six Fitzroys.in the U.S. simply because we never imported them. I'm not certain about whether I believe them or not. It isn't that they're extra rare overall, it's just that we don't have them here in the U.S. (exactly like tge galerita galerita (the closest relative of the fitzroy)

 

[Thingamagigs]

Its hard to believe they would keep the subspecies/localities intact over seas... they rarely if ever do in reptiles and I have seen someone overseas obliviously pairing an eastern galah with a western galah. Most wouldnt even notice the difference between Cacatua galerita galerita and Cacatua galerita fitzroyi.
The fitzroy race might be easily mistaken for an undernourished galerita.

The fitzroy sulphurs are an awkward looking bird... they have huge beaks on long necks and small heads. They lack the yellow patches as well. Some photos...

All sizes | Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) eating fruit of a Silver Leaf Wattle (Acacia holosericea), Cooinda, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia. | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Alan Marshall's Pictures and videos of Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) in the NT (Northern Territory) of Australia

I can't wait to see pics of your fitzroy!

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

I'll get a better reference photo soon. He's about 20", he doesn't have the normal yellow patches, the skin around his eyes is white, in fact I considered a hybrid, but I have been told he isn't (either way it doesn't matter to me). He is certainly an older bird, but no.idea how old. I am quite familiar with galerita galeritas (as my friend has a single pair). I do know what you mean about the galahs... the man who calls this one a fitzroy gives speaches around the country on cockatoo subspecies identification.... he recently did one on the types of galahs and how to identify them. It was quite educational. The only reason I even botherrd identifying him was in case I wanted to pair him, though not that I'll have luck there hybrid, fitzroy, or not... he's quite a damaged guy mentally and he's gonna be some work.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

I really wish we had kept them separate.... so many sulfurs are mixed up that the odds of finding a pure anything seems unlikely most days. It's sad.

 

[Rio Mom]

He's in excellent hands!

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

I've never met such a mentally screwed up cockatoo... he is currently out if quarantine and learning to be a cockatoo from our flock... he is slowly getting better. But he's like a bomb on a hair trigger... he needs time.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

A little bit about him... he was dumped outside a humame society in Denver Colorado mid winter several years ago. The lady.who ran the rescue called.the only bird lover she knew (a woman who had small birds.) Thar woman lept him for.several years.... trying to deal with his insanity.and make him happy. She met me a while back and I.agreed.to work with him for her. I made progress, but due to the level of unpredictability this 'too is prone to, we agreed to buy him and keep him here...