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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a cockatoo

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Presenter Don Spencer stands with sulphur-crested cockatoo on his forearm
Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a cockatoo

SUBJECTS:  Science

YEARS:  F–2


Meet Charlie, a pet cockatoo.

Watch other cockatoos in the wild as they climb, fly and walk around.

Discover the reason for the name of the sulphur-crested cockatoo.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Have you ever seen a white cockatoo? Some people keep them as pets. Like other parrots, cockatoos can be trained to 'talk'. What do you think about this?
  2. 2.What type of cockatoo is this? How did it get its name? Look at the cockatoo's beak and claws. How does it use them to climb? What is the cockatoo's body covering?
  3. 3.The cockatoo's beak and claws are very strong and are used for climbing. What else might the cockatoo use them for? Can you make the shape of a cockatoo's beak with your fingers? How is it different from other birds' beaks? What do you think the cockatoo eats? Find out to see if you are right.
  4. 4.Ask an adult if they can take you to a pet shop or aviary (bird house). Ask questions about keeping pet birds like cockatoos or other parrots. Find out what they need. Draw a picture to help explain how you look after a pet bird.



Date of broadcast: 3 Sep 1986


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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