Complete Psittacine by EB Cravens
This is Part 7 in our Parrots magazine series about lesser known psittacine species and their wonderful pet possibilities. We emphasise that owners who seek out one of these birds are adding their support to aviculture’s needs to keep them reproducing and available for future years. Some may be rather difficult to locate, some may require a waiting list. But in the case of many such parrots, the wait is truly worth it.

Citron-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua suphurea citrinocristata)
This well-proportioned and beautiful member of the white Cockatoo family is in a unique niche in American aviculture. Never available in the large numbers of its cousins the Umbrella, Moluccan and Medium Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, the Citron has existed for years in their shadows, quite generally unknown and unseen by the vast majority of the pet bird public. A definite ‘sleeper’ psittacine, if you will.

This underrated status is further compounded by the fact that there is exceedingly little reliable personality text written about this parrot species. Even owners of hand-fed Citrons can have trouble agreeing upon what constitutes typical ‘Citron characteristics’. Poll four keepers on the pet qualities of citrinocristata, and you are liable to come up with four different descriptions! Noisy or subdued, skittish or docile, shy or confident, we've seen it all in various Citrons.

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