''Cacatua'' is a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...

of the white

cockatoo A cockatoo is any of the 21 species of parrots belonging to the family Cacatuidae, the only family in the superfamily Cacatuoidea. Along with the Psittacoidea ( true parrots) and the Strigopoidea (large New Zealand parrots), they make up t ...

s (genus ''

Cacatua ''Cacatua'' is a genus of cockatoos found from the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands to Australia. They have a primarily white plumage (in some species tinged pinkish or yellow), an expressive crest, and a black (sub ...

''). They are found in wooded habitats from

Wallacea Wallacea is a biogeography, biogeographical designation for a group of mainly list of islands of Indonesia, Indonesian islands separated by deep-water straits from the Asian and Australia (continent), Australian continental shelf, continental ...

east to the

Bismarck Archipelago The Bismarck Archipelago (, ) is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. Its area is about . History The first inhabitants of the archipela ...

and south to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. With the exception of the yellow-crested cockatoo, all are relatively large cockatoos with a total length of 45–55 cm (18–22 in). Their

plumage Plumage () is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, there can b ...

is mainly white (tinged pinkish in the salmon-crested cockatoo), and the underwing and -tail have a yellowish tinge. Their crest is expressive and brightly coloured in most species. Unlike the members of the subgenus '' Licmetis'', the members of the subgenus ''Cacatua'' have a black bill. The sulphur-crested cockatoo is relatively widespread and can even be seen in

suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

habitats in some parts of its range, but the remaining members of this subgenus all have relatively small distributions and are considered

threatened A threatened species is any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which is vulnerable to extinction in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensatio ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

due to a combination of

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

and capture for the wild bird trade.

Species

* Yellow-crested (or lesser sulphur-crested) cockatoo, ''Cacatua (Cacatua) sulphurea'' * Citron-crested cockatoo, ''Cacatua (Cacatua) citrinocristata'' *

Sulphur-crested cockatoo The sulphur-crested cockatoo (''Cacatua galerita'') is a relatively large white cockatoo found in wooded habitats in Australia, New Guinea, and some of the islands of Indonesia. They can be locally very numerous, leading to them sometimes being ...

, ''Cacatua (Cacatua) galerita'' * Blue-eyed cockatoo, ''Cacatua (Cacatua) ophthalmica'' * White (or umbrella) cockatoo, ''Cacatua (Cacatua) alba'' * Salmon-crested (or Moluccan) cockatoo, ''Cacatua (Cacatua) moluccensis''

References

* Juniper, T., & M. Parr (1998). ''A Guide to the Parrots of the World.'' Pica Press, East Sussex. Cockatoos Animal subgenera Taxa named by Louis Pierre Vieillot {{parrot-stub