By Julie Forsyth

Hi there. I'm Casper, the Greater Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo.

I came to my current owner's house due to being at the right place at the right time. I was at a rescue person's home for a while, and then she adopted me out to a new owner. I was there for about5 six months or so, but the next door neighbors said I was too loud and had to go. You see, I like to scream. I really do -- a lot!

Julie, my "next new owner" was visiting the rescue person's house (where I had been returned) and she asked Julie if she would take care of me. Julie said sure. I'm not sure she knew what she was getting herself into, but it ended up working out fine.

Julie had a King size cage all ready for me and everything. Julie had to put a new chain with a lock on the cage door and uses a key to open it, as I can open (figure out or break) just about anything less than that! Julie lets me play outside my cage a lot, but I think I should be allowed to come and go as I wish.

I do talk, too. I can say "Casper!", "step up", "bye bye", and some other words...and of course I'm real good at Screaming.

I don't like to be alone (which is probably why I started screaming in the first place). When Julie is out of my sight I'll scream. Sometimes I scream just for the fun of it. I do like to laugh too or talk to myself. I sound a lot like a person when I laugh.

I'll let Julie trim my toe nails, my beak, and my wings without any towels. Just a lap will do. I can be a happy bird but when I'm mad, you had better leave me alone or I'll try to bite you. Julie can tell the difference though, so I don't bite her very much.

Most Cockatoos are from Australia and some are from the South Pacific. I was born in Oregon though. I'm about 20" long with white feathers and a yellow crest on my head and a blackish beak. All Cockatoos have a bald spot on their head, covered by a crest of feathers. They have a down powder beneath their feathers which provides them with insulation to keep them warm. The down also sheds a thick powder, which the birds use to waterproof and clean their outer feathers. Cockatoos are the only parrots to have powder down.

We are very intelligent birds, and can be quite comical. The life cycle of a Cockatoo is similar to that of humans. We go through infancy, childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle age, and old age. We can be trained to talk, though our voice is much higher pitched than that of other parrots.

I weigh about 800 grams, which makes me one of the larger types of parrot. I can live up 100 years and I (Casper) am only about 15 years old now, so Julie and I should be together for a long time. Lucky Julie!

Cockatoos can make excellent pets, but they can also be a hand full and are not recommended for everyone.

[Scream!] "BYE BYE!" [Scream!]

The Alaska Bird Club • P.O. Box 101825 • Anchorage AK 99510
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