The red-vented cockatoo (''Cacatua haematuropygia''), also known as the Philippine cockatoo and locally katala, abukay, agay or kalangay, is a species of
cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 parrot species 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 the ord ...
. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
though pressured by various
environmental degradation
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment (biophysical), environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; an ...
and illegal pet trades, the population of the Philippine cockatoo is somehow growing owing to Katala Organization.It is roughly the size and shape of the
Tanimbar corella
The Tanimbar corella (''Cacatua goffiniana''), also known as Goffin's cockatoo, is a species of cockatoo endemic to forests of Yamdena, Larat and Selaru, all islands in the Tanimbar Islands archipelago in Indonesia. It has been introduced to t ...
, but is easily distinguished by the red feathers around the vent. It is threatened by habitat loss and the
cage-bird trade
Wildlife trade refers to the of products that are derived from non-domesticated animals or plants usually extracted from their natural environment or raised under controlled conditions. It can involve the trade of living or dead individuals, ti ...
.
Description
![Cacatua haematuropygia MHNT](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Cacatua_haematuropygia_MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.148.33.jpg)
![Cacatua haematuropygia -two captive-8a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Cacatua_haematuropygia_-two_captive-8a.jpg)
The plumage is all white with red undertail coverts tipped white, yellowish undertail and pale yellow underwings. It is long and has an wingspan.
Ebird describes it is "A rare large parrot of forest on Palawan and several other scattered islands. Heavily persecuted. Can roost on small islets or in mangroves and forage in more open areas, including agricultural fields. Mostly white with a pale yellowish cheek, undertail, and underwings and a red patch under the base of the tail. Note the pale bill and the bare white skin around the eye. Hidden crest is usually held flat. Unmistakable. Voice includes various nasal or rasping squawks.
The red-vented cockatoo makes a characteristic bleating call, as well as screeching or whistling noises that are common to most cockatoos. It is quieter than most cockatoos, and much quieter than the
umbrella cockatoo
The white cockatoo (''Cacatua alba''), also known as the umbrella cockatoo, is a medium-sized all-white cockatoo endemic to tropical rainforest on islands of Indonesia. When surprised, it extends a large and striking head crest, which has a sem ...
or
Moluccan cockatoo
The salmon-crested cockatoo (''Cacatua moluccensis''), also known as the Moluccan cockatoo, is a cockatoo endemic to the Seram archipelago in eastern Indonesia. At a height of up to and weight of up to , it is among the largest of the white co ...
.
Habitat and Conservation Status
It appears to be restricted to lowland primary and/or secondary forest predominantly below 50 m, in or adjacent to riverine or coastal areas with mangroves.
The
IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
has assessed this bird as
critically endangered with an estimate of 430 - 750 mature individuals. Red-vented cockatoos were formerly widely distributed on all larger and many smaller islands of the Philippines, excluding northern and central Luzon.
[Peter and Indira Lacerna Widmann. "The cockatoo and the community: ten years of Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Programme." ''BirdingAsia'' 10 (2008): 23–29.] In the early 1990s the total wild population was estimated at 1000–4000. However, by 2008 this was reduced to probably less than 1000.
["Katala Foundation Inc. – Philippine cockatoo"](_blank)
''philippinecockatoo.org''. Remnant populations exist on the islands of
Palawan
Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in ...
,
Tawitawi,
Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
and
Masbate
Masbate, officially the Province of Masbate ( Masbateño: ''Probinsya san Masbate''; tl, Lalawigan ng Masbate), is an island province in the Philippines located near the midsection of the nation's archipelago. Its provincial capital is Masbate C ...
. The species' stronghold is the Palawan Faunal Region where the
Katala Foundation
Katala Foundation, Inc. (KF) is a non-profit, non-stock and non-governmental organization that is active in protecting and conserving wildlife, particularly the critically endangered Philippine cockatoo or red-vented cockatoo (scientific name: ...
has been running the Philippine cockatoo Conservation Programme since 1998.
There are around 180 found in wilderness conservation in the municipality of Narra and Puerto Princesa, Palawan, particularly in
Rasa Island
Rasa Island is a flat coral island in the Sulu Sea just off the coast of the municipality of Narra in Palawan, Philippines. It is a shallow island surrounded by mangroves and tidal flats containing one of the country's last remaining coastal fo ...
. The efforts for
conservation
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...
of the Katala Foundation are threatened by plans to build a
coal-fired power station
A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide, there are about 8,500 coal-fired power stations totaling over 2,000 gigawatts Nameplate capacity, capacity. They ...
on Palawan's coast.
Environmental organizations
An environmental organization is an organization coming out of the conservation or environmental movements
that seeks to protect, analyse or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation from human forces.
In this sense the environment ...
like the Katala Foundation or Rainforest Rescue are trying to prevent the construction.
Populations have decreased dramatically due to illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade. The high price fetched per bird (c.
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
300 in
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
in 2006) means that chicks are taken from virtually every accessible nest. Other contributing factors are loss of coastal habitat and persecution as an agricultural pest.
1992, an international captive-breeding programme was initiated, with 39 birds kept under the European Studbook in 2007. It is also threatened by habitat loss deforestation still continues thanks to both legal and
illegal logging
Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...
, conversion into farmland,
mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
and road and urban development. In its stronghold on
Rasa Island
Rasa Island is a flat coral island in the Sulu Sea just off the coast of the municipality of Narra in Palawan, Philippines. It is a shallow island surrounded by mangroves and tidal flats containing one of the country's last remaining coastal fo ...
, it is threatened by
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
and extreme weather in which droughts caused up to 60% nest fatality.
Thanks to the efforts of the
Katala Foundation
Katala Foundation, Inc. (KF) is a non-profit, non-stock and non-governmental organization that is active in protecting and conserving wildlife, particularly the critically endangered Philippine cockatoo or red-vented cockatoo (scientific name: ...
the population has increased in key sites where the population increased from 23 in 1998 to 260-340 individuals by end of 2015. Individuals have reportedly 'self-introduced' from Rasa Island to the mainland indicating that Rasa may be reaching carrying capacity.. With the implementation of a nest protection scheme on Pandanan in 2008 the cockatoo population increased from 40 birds to at least 230 by the end of 2015. Despite these massive efforts, it is believed that the cockatoo population is still decreasing overall with the many threats affecting other sites.
Currently, sites are assessed and tested for their suitability for translocation. An attempt on a resort island in northern Palawan indicated that rescued hand-raised birds can adapt well to natural conditions including foraging and predator avoidance but was terminated owing to problems caused by tameness.
Siargao
Siargao is a tear-drop shaped island in the Philippine Sea situated 196 kilometers southeast of Tacloban. It has a land area of approximately . The east coast is relatively straight with one deep inlet, Port Pilar. The coastline is marked by a s ...
is being assessed and made suitable for reintroduction efforts.
See also
*
Katala Foundation, Inc.
References
External links
*
Katala Foundation IncorporatedOriental Bird Images: "Philippine cockatoo"
{{Taxonbar, from=Q757360
Corellas
Endemic birds of the Philippines
Birds described in 1776
Taxa named by Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller
Species endangered by the pet trade
Species endangered by mangrove destruction
Species endangered by logging
Species endangered by deliberate extirpation efforts
Species endangered by use as food
Species endangered by invasive species