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
If I'm not the centre of your attention.
Baths are also 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. With her first foster Sugar mastered the step up, as well as made huge progress with changing her diet, target training, flight training, and going into her cage when asked. 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.
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 am in a foster to adopt placement
I learned some transferable skills through R+ and permission based training in my first home and have now moved to a foster to adopt placement. I've done well with my transition and am bonding with who I hope are my new forever family!
So far its going great and we are learning all about each other.
Interested in Adopting a FOTA bird?
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