Rarity of my bird?

[Brody]

I have a bird Penny, and we can confirm its a Lesser Sulphur, he has yellow feathers on his tail and underneath his wings. He is 14 inches, near the 13 inches which is what an Lesser should be. He is pretty good at tricks, he knows how to balance wood on his wing and can say Happy and say my name clear. Unlike the other cockatoo's we've had. He is a very one person bird. He is very shy and nervous around new things and doesn't let anybody even my brother touch under his wing or anything. Im just curious on if my bird is so rare that we cant find him a potential mate? He didn't come from a regular breeder because his closed band says FL 1615 so we know he comes from Florida. When we got him, we looked up his specis, lesser sulphur crested cockatoo and we found out that they are critically endangered and are almost extinct, with only populations of a 100 or so on islands with only 7500 birds existing. Is our bird that rare and we got lucky to have a bird that we only payed $300 for because he would bite people? Any tips on where I could help his kind and find a potential mate and female?

 

[MonicaMc]

You're bird is not rare. They are pretty common in captivity, although it's hard to say whether or not all sulphurs are pure or have been hybridized with other sulphurs. They might be a little harder to find now-a-days, but again, not rare or uncommon.


Just so you know, if you decide to allow him to breed, he may no longer be a pet bird and will become aggressive and defensive. Even if you did end up breeding him in captivity, you really aren't helping his kind any as birds raised in a home situation would never be used for wild release and I don't know if there is a breeding program for cockatoos. At least, I haven't heard of one....


There are for some species of macaws. They may be using captive raised parrots as their breeding pairs, but the offspring are raised for release into the wild.





So...... with that information in mind, I'd say to just enjoy him as a pet! Don't try to breed him! Heck, even if you were able to find a mate for him doesn't mean that the two would get along well enough to breed anyway! Males have been known to become extremely aggressive with females which has lead to a barbaric 'surgery' of splitting the lower beak so that the males can't harm the females.

 

[Kiwibird]

I have really thought about the best way to address this one, so here it goes-

LSC2s are not rare in the domestic pet trade. Sadly, many parrot species on the brink of extinction in the wild are common as house pets and even more commonly shuffled from home to home to home because people aren't prepared to care for wild-behaving exotic animals. Please do not find your bird a girlfriend and contribute further to this issue. Start looking into parrot shelters and sanctuaries and you'll be horrified to find the many sad reasons why we don't need any more backyard breeders (especially not of cockatoos!). Rescues are overflowing as is with birds people can't handle, cockatoos tend to be a dominate species perpetually up for rehoming and adoption because they are rather difficult birds to keep. As for monetary value, just like an 20 year old car with a few dings and needs a few repairs, a 20 year old bird with some behavioral issues will never be as monetarily valuable as a brand new off the lot (or straight from the breeder!) baby bird. You paid a fair price for the bird you got, what babies of that species cost is irrelevant. And just a matter of personal opinion, but I see birds as individuals and feel their true value is reflected in what we put into them in terms of love, care and effort, not what you pay for one because society places monetary prices on animals. I am not providing this link to scare you, but more to inform and hopefully give you some fresh perspective on your new feathered friend:

All About Cockatoos - MyToos.com

This bird is a unique individual and an intelligent sentient being. Please keep that in mind. If I had just taken this precious baby in, my main focus would be helping him become a confident, social and happy bird first and foremost. You say he is skittish, frightened/cautious of humans and bites (likely out of fear and frustration). No living being wants to live in that mindset continually, it's probably very comparable to humans with serious depression and anxiety issues. He needs your help to come out of his shell. That all said, please let us help you help your bird! There is a wealth of information on this forum and a lot of very knowledgeable bird owners who can and want to help you start working with your new buddy Have you taken him yet to an avian vet for a checkup? If not, that would be a good first step to see if he's healthy. Next, I would suggest learning about target training. You need to build his trust little by little, target training is a proven method of how to go about that. And don't hesitate to become an active member and ask any questions you may have. We are here to help!