Red Tail Black Cockatoo

Getting another bird was always going to be challenging, but less than what I expected. After some research, the Red-tailed black cockatoo seemed to be a perfect fit for the family. After getting him, it took a little while for him to settle in, but it didn’t take long after for him to show the dogs and other birds

how intimidating and scary he can be with his big wings while coming to mum for safety. Being a cockatoo, I forgot how messy they can be, and how much they like to chew everything, but that was easily fixed with lots of wooden toys. Having just an Eclectus parrot for a while, it was a shock to the system to add another bird who is completely different.

While the Eclectus is happy to sit on your shoulder and talk away, the cockatoo has a need to play with/chew everything in sight. Another difference would be that the cockatoo is a very social bird, and he loves attention from anyone, whereas my Eclectus is a one person bird and will tell you if he doesn’t like you.

The two birds tolerate each other, and can sit on the back of the couch together with not much issue, although jealousy is a problem. As long as each bird gets love, attention and treats they are both happy.

Having experience with birds before has helped a lot, with knowing what they need and how to keep them happy. Although having a baby bird again is sometimes challenging because I sometimes forget that he is only starting to learn everything, like stepping up or knowing his name, and that he isn’t like the Eclectus.