Palm Cockatoo SSP Husbandry Manual Introduction

In 1983, 100 palm cockatoos (Probosciger aterrimus) were confiscated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Ten zoological institutions received ten birds each to hold till the legalities of the confiscation case were completed. After the case was resolved, each holding institution was allowed to keep two pairs. The remaining birds were auctioned off to private individuals by the USFWS. Those receiving palm cockatoos were required to join the newly formed Palm Cockatoo Consortium. Ron Young of the Greater Baton Rouge Zoo became the chairman and was approved, in 1985, by the Wildlife Conservation Management Committee (WCMC) of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) to develop a North American regional studbook. Mr. Young petitioned for and was approved by the WCMC, in 1988, to convert the consortium into the Palm Cockatoo Species Survival Plan (SSP). In 1990, Mr. Young transferred the SSP Coordinator and Studbook Keeper duties to Mike Taylor of White Oak Conservation Center with the approval of the WCMC. In October 1992, the Palm Cockatoo Management Group developed the first Master Plan for the SSP.

In April of 1994, a meeting was held to develop the Palm Cockatoo Husbandry Manual. In the four years since that meeting, several things have changed. Two chapters were added, one on Natural History and one on Chick Rearing Accounts. Most of the information in the Natural History chapter was extracted from a few of the original chapters. This was an attempt to create a more cohesive document since, due to different chapter authors, some information tended to be redundant. The chapters concerning diets have also been updated.

Since the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) has kept a studbook for the palm cockatoo, there have been a total of 235 hatchings within the SSP population with a sex ratio of 94 males, 71 females and 70 of unknown sex. There were 154 (73.53.28) of these captive hatched birds alive as of January 1997. This information was recorded between 1986 and 1997. There have been 155 palm cockatoos, with a sex ratio of 69 males, 49 females and 37 of unknown sex hatched at Avicultural Breeding and Research Center (ABRC) by 1997, making them the largest producer of palm cockatoos in North America and possibly the world.

I, Mike Taylor, would like to thank the following people who helped write and/or edit this manual;

I would also like to thank the institutions which allowed their people to attend the Husbandry Manual Meeting held at the White Oak Conservation Center; the Detroit Zoo, Sea World of Florida, the Sacramento Zoo, and especially the Avicultural Breeding and Research Center who sent three individuals to the meeting and have contributed much information to this manual.

I thank the White Oak Conservation Center and especially John Lukas, the General Director of White Oak Plantation, for allowing me the time for this husbandry manual and all other duties relating to the Palm Cockatoo SSP. I also thank the WOCC for agreeing to distribute this manual.

I would like to thank Joe Barkowski from the Houston Zoo for his efforts in facilitating the publishing of this manual. I greatly appreciate Luanne and Richard Porter, Caloosahatchee Aviary and Botanical Gardens, and the International Aviculturists Society for publishing this husbandry manual, especially in such a timely manner.

I would like to thank all SSP participants who may have been anxiously awaiting this manual.

It is the hope of the authors that this manual will be beneficial to the management of the palm cockatoo in captivity. This manual is going to be dynamic, it will continue to grow and change as new information and techniques are learned about these fantastic birds.

For further information or comments, please contact Mike Taylor


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