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Goffin's Cockatoo

Family: CacatuidaeCacatua goffiniPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   The Goffin's Cockatoo are known to be clowns, and are extremely playful!

Goffin's Cockatoos often have the peculiar habit of putting things on their backs, or tossing them over their heads. They will hop straight up and down and love to dance. Acrobatic tricks often become second nature to them.

   To learn more about Cockatoos and their needs visit:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Cockatoo

Scientific name:Cacatua goffini

Distribution:    Goffins are native to the Tenimber islands of Indonesia.

Description:    Goffin's Cockatoos are a smaller cockatoo that is white with pink highlights in front of the eyes and on the breast. They are one of the better talkers among the cockatoos. They are easy to teach all kinds of tricks. Cockatoos in general are a very loving type of bird that needs a lot of attention from their owners. Buy a cockatoo only if you can spend a lot of time with it.

Care and feeding:   A cage of at least 20" x 20" is required unless the bird is to be let out for extended periods. Many birds can spend most of their time on a play pen or parrot perch. They eat a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, and commercial pellets, as well as the same nutritional foods humans eat. The Rose-breasted Cockatoo should be fed a less oily diet (sunflower seeds and other oily seeds) than other cockatoos since they can develop fatty tumors known as lipomas.

   See About Cockatoos: Housing and About Cockatoos: Care and Feeding for more information.

Size - Weight:    The Goffin's are the smallest of the cockatoos. Mature birds are about 22.5 cm (9 inches) in length.

Social Behaviors:    Wild Cockatoos are friendly and peaceful. They live together in flocks of 20 or more birds.

Breeding/Reproduction:    See About Cockatoos: Breeding for Cockatoo breeding information.

Sexual differences:    Hard to tell with young birds. As they get older the females' eyes will develop a lighter brown color, the males' eyes will remain black.

Potential Problems:    Cockatoos can be quite loud screechers. The behaviour can be reduced by giving attention and proper surroundings. Also, since they are prone to chewing, if they are not given enough attention they will chew their own feathers.

Availability:    These birds are readily available and are inexpensive for a cockatoo.

Activities: Loves to climb and play and chew. Provide lots of toys.

Lastest Comments on Goffin Cockatoo View all 57 comments on Goffin Cockatoo Add Your Comment

Anonymous - 2012-02-01 I have a 10 month old goffin and I was told to start teaching her tricks and how to speak. She is very hyper most of the time and I really don't know how to teach her to talk or do tricks. I've gotten her favorite seeds as treats, but she will either just go for the seeds or lose interest and do her own thing. Help? Click For Replies (1) Charlie Roche - 2012-02-01 AHH it is sooo very ,much easier to let the goffin train the human - honest. Let's start with some really easy stuff. When your feathered one comes up on your hand say 'UP'. When you just sorta grab her beak and plant a kiss on the beak say 'Kiss' When you tickle scratch under her wing - just gently pull it out (extend it) and say 'PRETTY' I would say 'I am a bird I fly high, I am a bat I lay down' and I would raise my bird really high above my head and then lower it down on its back. Put words to the things your feathered companion does naturally. You can bop 'UP and DOWN' in a beat and she will learn to bop 'UP and DOWN' in rhythm - think country with a good bass works best for this. Start just putting words to the things she does naturally, then show her new behaviors. Remember, she is just 10 months - still really a baby. I found that most birds aren't all that receptive to actually training before 1 - 1/2 years but putting words to their actions just like you would a human child - works great. Let them train you - definitely works best. You will learn. She also does not associated her treats wityh a behavior. It is too soon - just put the words to her actions first. (NO TREAT) and when you know she has that one thing down - then say the 'Command' and give her a treat. No treats for regular obediance though such as 'UP' 'DOWN' 'POTTY' You wouldn't give a child a treat for those things - right. A feathered friend is a 3 year old human dressed in feathers but yours is just 10 months old. Reply

kim - 2011-11-29 Please tell me how to get my one year old cocktoo to stop picking her fathers. She is a very loveable bird. I love her so much. Click For Replies (2) Charlie Roche - 2011-11-29 You need many toys and much stimulation to keep a cockatoo from picking his feathers. You also need to spritz him with water or a bird bath mixture. A cockatoo needs a lot of attention, many toys, a lot of time outside the cage, stimulation to keep them busy - cartoons on the TV, music and they do watch TV - cartoons with singing Kung Fu Panda, Rio, Surfs Up etc. It is one of the hardest things to prevent and almost impossible to get it stopped. You can also speak to your vet about a collar which sometimes helps but you don't want to do that if it completely upsets the bird. A cockatoo needs to be with you and are not content on their own and so they pluck. Rose - 2012-01-27 I have had great luck using foraging techniques recommended by Dr Speer. Our goffin went from picking and destroying almost all her feathers except tail feathers, to almost completely feathered for 80% of the year. I cut paper towel tubes in half and place all over her cage and then wrap small pieces of food (Harrisons, roudy, and fruits and veggies) in paper towels and then place in the tubes all around her cage. I also place paper towels without food in the tubes, so not every attempt gets food. It is easy and inexpensive way of foraging. She barely plays with toys anymore, but she will do puzzles, pen boxes, and hang upside down to try to get food. Also, we feed her no seeds, and all food must be foraged for. Foraging also reduced her constant craving for attention. Now after being out of her cage for a short time, she will want to go and back to her cage and "do stuff". Good Luck! Foraging is fun! Reply

Eileen - 2011-11-17 Hi. I watched the 'Petkeeping with Marc Marrone' and he mentioned of Goffin Cockatoo. When I was watching it, it made me wonder if I am too old to get this bird and what is its life span will be. Because I am in my 40's and I do not know if I can still get one and also not sure if it can be a service animal due to my Aspergers and I am also deaf as well. Just curious as I already have three animals, two dogs and a rabbit. :-) Click For Replies (2) Charlie Roche - 2011-11-18 Goffins life span is around 50 - 60 years and they (as most cockatoos) require a lot of attention. Without attention, a great deal of toys and much companionship, they have a tendency to pluck. I have never heard of a parrot being trained as a service animal and although they are extremely intelligent and can be trained to do many things - I don't think they would be as dependable as many of the service animals need to be. Possibly their size and dexterity would be a good reason. Eileen - 2011-11-21 Ok. Thanks for your input. Your information really helps. Reply

kacyliew - 2011-10-13 I had a goffin too. Three years ago I moved out of my landed property where it was allowed to move along a long bamboo placed in the garden to an apartment. At the apartment, it was left unchained on the balcony on a T shaped clothes bamboo holder that allows it to look out on to the greenery and tree tops as its 12th storey high. One day, it was attracted by some other wild parrot and later flew down to the tree top. As it was captive for sometime, it could not fly very steadily but landed on the tree below. We went down to the car park where the tree was grown to try to persuade it to come down but to no avail. It spent the night perched on the tree. Next morning, we went down to check and that poor fella, hungry and lonely flew down to land on my maids head. The maid regularly fed her and there was this bond established so it chose to return to her. Goffins are affectionate towards their handlers and its a pity that I had to give it away because I felt unreasonable to keep it at a limited space environment. Now I want to buy a yellow crested cockatoo. Any suggestions where I can get one baby bird at a reasonable price?? Reply

kristin - 2011-09-19 I recently got a female goffin named cookie. I was told she was under 10 and I wanted to get a male for her I've heard that if I had a pair that they would get mean and unsociable. I don't want that so does anyone maybe have a pair that could shed some light onto that rumor or keeping them in sperate cages or the odds that they would bond and not hate each other. Click For Replies (1) Toby Jungle - 2011-09-19 Most birds in the wild become very territorial during breeding season. They stay pretty close to their mate, away from other birds. At the end of breeding season they re join the flock with their off spring. Some species of parrots are way more social than others. Cockatoos are one of those species. A friend of mine (breeder) has an Umbrella cockatoo and he goes out in the aviary every spring and stays with his gal pal and they have babies. When the babies are brought in then the dad comes back in the house - he is such a pet. Unless he comes back in - he won't eat. Another woman I know had a pair of scarlet macaws and they remained totally tame and you could always hold them except if they were on eggs. Pair of moluccans that freinds have had for years and they have babies right in the living room and stay 100% pets even while on eggs. It depends on the birds, the species of the bird, how tame and sociable the bird is and the personality of the bird. Most breeders would tell you that the parrots do not remain as tame as they were prior to selecting a mate. There are exceptions. I look at it like when your child/bird decides it is time to get married and have babies, they get pretty independent. If you want to keep your gal strictly as a pet - then I wouldn't suggest getting a male goffin. However, if you get a male, you will probably have babies and then have a pet again. There is no odds. Sorry. Reply

anna - 2011-09-17 I have had my one goffin cockatoo for 36 years, and one for 25 years, very funny birds they do flips, they are fun to watch, as they get older,they get a beautiful peach color, but i never thought i would have them this many year's, if you have alot of year's, i would get one, they are alot of fun, just make sure the one you want is young, and it make's good eye contact with you, a bird that wont look you in the eye is alot harder to train, you can tell how old it is by the color, baby's are white, it take's time to get that color in them. hope this helps you. anna Click For Replies (1) krauss51@yahoo.com - 2011-09-17 P.S. they are great escape artist,mine have a very heavy lock on there cage, if i leave the key in it, they can unlock it, that's why her name is houdini. anna Reply

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