Cicero

Cicero 

Cicero is a beautiful Cacatua moluccensis (aka Salmon-crested Moluccan Cockatoo or M2). He belongs to a friend of ours. We were visiting them last week and Cicero was making his usual sounds (actually he was kind of screaming loudly from another room). His owner asked me if his noise bothered me as she said some people find it annoying. Since I had recently read an article in Time Magazine called, What Animals Think, I replied that it didn’t bother me. In fact I was rather fascinated and very curious as to what he was trying to say. She told me he was telling us that he wanted to be - a part of our group.

The Moluccan is from south Moluccus in eastern Indonesia. They are the largest of the white cockatoos at approximately 20-21 inches in length. Some Cockatoos have a life span of up to 120 years. These striking, intelligent birds are endangered and can no longer be imported into the United States because they are listed on the Wild Bird Conservation Act. They are also being bred in captivity -- although, ironically enough, they are not well protected in their native Indonesia. 

The Parrot appears on the list of the most intelligent animals on the planet, as such, the Moluccan cockatoo has a constant need for mental stimulation. Cicero has a pretty extensive vocabulary and can even speak in sentences. I recently read a story about an African parrot, which became lost and was able to repeat his name, address and telephone number when found and was promptly returned to his owners.

Moluccans are also popular for their beauty and trainability (which makes them popular in trained bird shows). The Salmon-crested Cockatoo is widely considered to be the one of the most demanding parrots to keep as a pet due to their high intelligence, large size, potential noise level, and need to chew (they have a very powerful beak).

Moluccan cockatoos require a very large and very sturdy cage. They are highly social pets and can be extremely cuddly, affectionate, and gentle birds.

The morning I stopped by to take some photos of Cicero, I was told that he is a little "rowdy" in the mornings. I guess he’s just not an early morning bird. I hear ya Cicero!

I'm Just Sayin