Our Large Birds

Everything about Moluccan Cockatoos is extraordinary, from their beauty to their maintenance cost!

These birds from Indonesia are now endangered because of their extensive capture for trade, and they are additionally threatened in the wild due to habitat loss. The wild population is estimated to be as low as 2,000 birds.

These 20 inch long birds require a varied diet, including fresh fruit and vegetables, seeds and nuts. Each of our Moluccans eats several handfuls of expensive nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios, and Brazil nuts) each day to stay healthy. Because Moluccans are quite prone to feather-plucking, they require a continual supply of new and exciting toys (which they will quickly reduce to toothpicks!). We hope you'll decide to sponsor one of our large birds below and help save a life!

(Click on any of the thumbnails below to view a larger picture.) Click on the Sponsor button to sponsor that bird.

These beauties are now endangered because so many have been captured.

Oliver is truly a survivor. He had been kept all alone in a garage for almost 2 years, where he turned to feather plucking to console himself. He was adopted by a family for a year, but while he loved the woman, he chased her husband around, biting at his feet. Because of his past neglect, Oliver was very fearful when he arrived at Garuda Aviary. But with consistent, gentle love he now enjoys being petted and held. Oliver is also quite the comic-he entertains us by digging his head in the bins of pine shavings and tossing them around!

Ah, Talha. The cuddlebug. The big, pink teddy bear. Everyone's darling. Talha is a "pre-sanctuary" bird-one of our volunteers bought her as a pet before we were a sanctuary. She fell in love with her immediately (who wouldn't?) Then when our founder met Talha, she, too, fell in love with her (see?) A girl of many talents, Talha can appear like a fierce protectress in full battle gear-head feathers upright and screaming an ear-piercing battle cry-or snuggle into your arms for as long as you want.

Tara (Moluccan Cockatoo)is a lovely pink bird and was one of our first rescues. An aviary volunteer discovered Tara living on a farm under very poor conditions. He (yes, Tara is a boy) had a large cage, no toys and only wild bird seed to eat. He was terrified of his owner's hands, as he was rough and aggressive with him. Tara is still quite shy and very cautious, but will let you pet him if you move slowly and speak softly. He's in love with Tashi - she's sure a lucky gal!