Probosciger aterrimus
The Palm Cockatoo lives in rainforests and woodlands of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, and northern Queensland (Australia). It is one of the largest cockatoo species, the most ancient one, and one of the few bird species known to use tools.
This bird has a very large and strong bill that it can use to open nuts and seeds. The male also uses it to break long and thick sticks from trees in order to perform a display which consists of drumming the stick against a dead bough or hollow tree. The noise produced can be heard as far as 100 meters away. It is not known what the display achieves. It has been conjectured that it may be a territorial display, but also that females can assess the durability of the nesting hollow by the resonance of the drumming.
The above picture was taken at the zoo of Wuppertal, Germany, in April 2011.
Genus Probosciger
Subfamily Microglossinae
Family Cacatuidae
Order Psittaciformes
Class Aves
Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum Chordata
Kingdom Animalia
Life on Earth
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