If there ever was any candidate in the bird kingdom that could match the desirability and involvement of a pet dog's or pet cat's companionship to humans, a cockatoo would come out as the undisputed winner! In fact, in some cases, cockatoos and certain other birds have been known to be more engaging companions than our beloved domestic canines and felines (no offense to dog/cat owners/lovers!) because, if trained, they are able to carry on conversations with their human masters in human languages! Yes, cockatoos, parrots, mynahs, budgerigars, macaws, some crows, etc., are some of the highly intelligent birds which are able to mimic human speech if they spend sufficient time in captivity among humans. Most of these birds, like budgerigars, have been known to have an exhaustive human vocabulary, well exceeding a thousand words! Cockatoos can also pick up human vocabulary very fast by mimicking speech of their owners and other people! There are over fifty different kinds of cockatoos, classified under twenty-one species, that can be found all over the Australian continent, their natural habitat, from where they have spread to other parts of the world by virtue of their value as pets. Let's find out a little more about cockatoos before proceeding towards the various types of cockatoos. Cockatoo Facts

• All twenty-one species and the different types included under each species of cockatoos belong to the family of birds known as Cacatuidae.
• Cockatoos of are close relatives of parrots and budgerigars.
• Their natural habitat is restricted to the island continent of Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand. However, a few species are known to exist naturally in certain regions of Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
• Cockatoos are extremely social, diurnal birds and cockatoos as pets are known to be quite the pranksters, playing intelligent but naughty tricks on their owners!
• For breeding purposes, cockatoos form monogamous pairs that can last for many years (humans, here's something you can learn from these birds!).
• Falcons and eagles are the most common predators that pose a threat to cockatoos in their natural habitats.
• Cockatoos are herbivorous birds and are especially fond of hard nuts and seeds which they love to crack open with their powerful beaks while holding on to them with their strong talons.

Cockatoo Species

1. Blue Eyed Cockatoo
2. Citron Crested Cockatoo
3. Cockatiel
4. Ducorp's Cockatoo
5. Gang-Gang Cockatoo
6. Glossy Black Cockatoo
7. Goffin's Cockatoo
8. Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
9. Little Corella
10. Long Billed Black Cockatoo
11. Long Billed Corella
12. Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
13. Moluccan Cockatoo
14. Red Tailed Black Cockatoo
15. Red Vented Cockatoo
16. Rose Breasted Cockatoo
17. Short Billed Cockatoo
18. Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
19. Umbrella Cockatoo
20. Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo
21. Western Corella

Different Varieties of Cockatoos

• Abbott's Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
• Gould's Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
• Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo
• Medium sulphur-crested Cockatoo
• Greater Palm Cockatoo
• Red-vented, or Philippine Cockatoo
• Abbott's Medium Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
• Greater Sulfur-crested Cockatoo
• Roseate Cockatoo
• Bare-eyed Cockatoo
• Great White Cockatoo
• Salmon-crested Cockatoo
• Black Palm Cockatoo
• Pink Cockatoo
• Salomonenkakadu Cockatoo
• Black Cockatoo
• Lesser Sulfur Crested Cockatoo
• Solombo Besar Cockatoo
• Blue-eyed Cockatoo
• Little Corella Cockatoo
• Solomon Island Cockatoo
• White-tailed Black Cockatoo
• Short-billed Corella Cockatoo
• Short-billed Black Cockatoo
• Sumba Cockatoo
• Slender-billed Corella
• Slender-billed Cockatoo
• Ducorp's Cockatoo
• Little Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
• Eleanora Cockatoo
• Little Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
• Tasmanian Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
• Fitzroys Cockatoo
• Mathew's Cockatoo
• Timor Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
• Gang Gang Cockatoo
• Mathew's Pink Cockatoo
• Triton Cockatoo
• Glossy Black Cockatoo
• Mathew's Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
• Umbrella Crested Cockatoo
• Goliath Palm Cockatoo
• Salmon-crested Cockatoo
• Van Oort's Palm Cockatoo
• Goffin's Cockatoo
• Banksian Black Cockatoo
• Western Corella
• White-eared Cockatoo
• Yellow-eared Black Cockatoo
• Carnaby's Cockatoo

These are some of the major different varieties of cockatoos besides some obscure, endangered and extinct species, fossils of which have been found in many places of the world like New Caledonia. If you have one, or intend on getting one as a pet, you must be very particular about cockatoo care pointers including diet, grooming, molting, ventilation, etc. A cockatoo is one of the most interactive pets you can get! A house that is host to a pet cockatoo is hardly ever familiar with the words silence, solitude and boredom! In fact, if you happen to have a vocally hyperactive one (most cockatoos are!), you may want to occasionally slip away to a library just to experience some peace and quiet!