Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Wings of the World by Safari Ltd.)

Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972

The sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) of Australasia is nearly as iconic a parrot as the macaws of South America. It is also one of the smartest and longest living of all birds, with some captive individuals lasting well into their 70s, and a few even surpassing 100 years.

Here we have the Safari Ltd. cockatoo, released back in 2016. With a wingspan of slightly over 9 cm, a length of 7 cm, and a height of slightly over 5 cm, it is much smaller than the green-winged macaw that I myself reviewed here some years ago, but larger than the rainbow lorikeet.

The cockatoo is sculpted with its wings spread apart, its head turned to the right, its crest raised and fluffed, and its body leaning to left, as though it has been startled by something. Or perhaps it’s showing off to a potential mate.

Naturally, the main colour here is white. The crest is a bold shade of yellow and the underside of the tail and wings are tinged with yellow as well. The beak and feet are dark grey, the eyes and claws are black, and the bare patch of skin at the base of the beak is pale pink. Physical appearance is also on par, from the signature crest to the zygodactyl arrangement of the toes.

As always, Safari has done an excellent sculpting job on this bird. All of the feathers, from the ones making up the crest to the largest ones on the wings and to the small ones on the torso are clearly defined. The beak is smooth and the feet have a slightly wrinkled texture. The beak is small, but sturdy-looking. Like most parrots, the sulphur-crested cockatoo feeds on nuts, seeds, plants, and insects. They also regularly prune branches and leaves from trees to keep their beaks in shape.

The Safari sulphur-crested cockatoo is a pretty little addition to our family’s avian figure menagerie. Definitely recommended.