Hello my name
is Sugar May!
Cacatua moluccensis
I am a 25-28 year old presumed female Umbrella Cockatoo who entered into The Friends of the Aviary's foster program in April of 2025. U2's like me are a tricky bird to care for and often not recommended for first time bird owners. It took FOTA 7 months to find a foster home equipped to care for a bird like me.
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My owners reached out because due to changes in their life they knew they could no longer provide me with the best care. They loved me dearly and still do, but could no longer accommodate the high needs of my personality and species.
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They wanted to make sure I was well taken care of so reached out to FOTA. Through their help, I have found a loving foster family who are interested in adopting me!
Likes
Scritches, sitting with you, doing my target training, more scritches!
Dislikes
Carriers and baths are kinda scary!
Fav Foods
My favourite treats are almonds, blueberries, pistachios, and nutriberries!
What I Can Say
I whisper "hi"
Friends
I used to live with cats and small dogs in my previous home!
About Me and Other Umbrella Cockatoos
Also known as the White Cockatoo, these parrots are native to the tropical forest islands of Indonesia. In captivity, with proper care, cockatoos like me can live about 60 years. In 1993 it was estimated that there were 43,000-183,000 of us in the wild, but that number has not been updated since then.
Umbrella Cockatoo's are famous for their impressive crest. A crest is the group of feathers on this bird's head which they can control and gives us insight into how they feel. Considering other body language a raised crest can indicate excitement or aggression. Sugar is a beautiful girl with a big personality. When coming into care, we first started working on some training to make her transition to a new home even smoother. In her foster placements Sugar has mastered the step up and going home to her cage, as well as made huge progress with improving her diet, learning target training, flight training, and playing with people and independently. She is one smart girl!
Cockatoo's are popular companion birds thanks to the film and television industry (shows like Baretta made people interested in owning a pet bird). However, unfortunately many people do not realize the amount of time, specialized care, and enrichment these birds need to remain happy and healthy companions.
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Sugar like other Cockatoos have a tendency to display more hormonal behaviours than other species. We have recently tried her on a lupron injection to see if that makes a difference in the level of hormonal behaviour we have seen. She is not territorial or aggressive, nor does she regurgitate, but has been seen spending some time at the bottom of her cage trying to nest.
It is best to limit petting to a bird's head, allow them 12-14 hours of uninterrupted sleep, and making sure they don't have too much sugar and fat in their diet or access to a dark "nesty" place to reduce hormonal behaviours.
Umbrella Cockatoos are classified as Endangered according to the IUCN Red List. They are found in Indonesia, specifically the Northern and Central Moluccas islands. They typically live in open fields or swampy areas, but can also be found in open woodlands and forest. The biggest threat to this cockatoo like many exotic birds is illegal trapping. Habitat loss and hunting are also factors in this species’ decreasing population.
What I'm up to Now
I'm looking for my forever home!
I learned some transferable skills through R+ and permission based training in my foster home and am hoping this will help me thrive with a forever family. I am very friendly, love to play and forage, and need lots of attention!
I would do best in a home with large to extra large parrot experience that has a solid understanding of bird body language.
If you are interested in adopting me, FOTA has a 3 month foster to adopt option to make sure we are the perfect fit!
Interested in Fostering to Adopt Me?
Interested in Donating to My Care?
