Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
About the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Native to Australia, New Guinea and the Aru Islands, the sulphur-crested cockatoo has established invasive populations in New Zealand and causes significant damage within its native range in urban and agricultural zones. Highly intelligent, long-lived and destructive, they travel in large, noisy flocks.
Why it's a pest
In New Zealand, displaces native parrots from nesting hollows and causes significant property damage. Within its native range, causes severe infrastructure damage by gnawing through timber fascias, window frames, electrical wiring and rubber seals on vehicles. Decimates grain crops and sunflower fields. Flocks of hundreds can strip a paddock in hours.
Global Distribution
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Native range
Established as invasive pest in
Breeding & lifecycle
40-60 years
48-84 months
~1.5 fledglings
August to January
25-27 days
A crackle of cockatoos
Acoustic — perfectly mimics the harsh, ear-splitting, static-like screeching they make when a large flock roosts or flies, especially at dawn and dusk.
A family of cockatoos
Social — cockatoos are highly intelligent, long-lived birds that form deep, lifelong social bonds and complex family structures.
A flock of cockatoos
The standard biological term used for a general feeding or roosting group.
How the APC-N1 and APC-N4 manages Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
At approximately 500 mm, the sulphur-crested cockatoo fits a T3 — Large tunnel (130 × 500 × 630 mm). The tunnel is the physical entry point — sized precisely to admit the target species while excluding larger non-target birds. Species-specific attractant bait draws the sulphur-crested cockatoo into the detection zone inside the tunnel, where AI computer vision confirms species identity at 99.7% accuracy. Once confirmed, CO₂ is introduced gradually into the chamber; the bird becomes drowsy and loses consciousness without pain or distress. Euthanasia follows only after explicit authorisation from a licensed operator, and the specimen is stored in the integrated freezing chamber with a full compliance audit trail.
The T3 — Large tunnel is available on the APC-N1 and APC-N4 — both units carry this tunnel size as a standard configuration.
Learn about the APC-N4Sulphur-crested Cockatoo — Cacatua galerita
Physical dimensions
Recommended tunnel
Tunnel size is set by the species' standing height — sized to admit the target bird while excluding larger non-target species.
Dimensions (W × H × L)
130 × 500 × 630 mm
Species height range
401–500 mm standing height
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo standing height
500 mm✓
Available on
Affected regions
Fleet size calculator
Estimate how many APC units you need to control a sulphur-crested cockatoo population — accounting for growth rate, knockdown timeframe, and operational hours.
Open calculatorDealing with sulphur-crested cockatoo at your site? Talk to us about a deployment.
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