Species Use Database

Sulphur-crested cockatoo, White cockatoo
Cacatua galerita

Used for Keeping/companionship/display and Conservation Management in New Zealand

A. Species

Scientific name: Cacatua galerita

Common name(s): Sulphur-crested cockatoo, White cockatoo

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Least Concern


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • New Zealand

Country/Region:


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: National Level

Name/Details of location: New Zealand, North and South Islands


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 1989

End Year: 2006


E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from a suitable habitat but not its own natural habitat

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Hunting and/or Trapping of live terrestrial and aerial animals

Lethal or non-lethal: Non-Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Keeping/companionship/display and Conservation Management

Motivation of use: Population/Area Management

Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: National / local private sector


G. Information about the sustainability of use

Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from a suitable habitat but not its own natural habitat

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: This NDF Case study.

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Deliberate pest management strategies are controlling the numbers and range of this introduced alien parrot species in NZ. Sustainable until extirpation is achieved.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: This NDF Case study.

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Trapping is done to alleviate crop damage caused by these parrots, which has an economic cost.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded


Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species

The definition of Range State needs clarification where a species is being traded from a population that is well outside its natural range. In order to minimise the chances of parrots being smuggled from Australia or elsewhere and being declared as captive-bred or wild-caught in New Zealand, each export application for parrots is assessed by both the Scientific and Management Authorities of NZ.


Record source

Information about the record source: grey_lit

Date of publication/issue/production: 2008-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

SULPHUR-CRESTED COCKATOO CACATUA GALERITA, EXPORTS FROM NEW ZEALAND, CASE STUDY (2008).
By Rod Hay
New Zealand CITES Scientific Authority.
NDF WORKSHOP CASE STUDIES
WG 6 – Fishes [!]
CASE STUDY 3
Cacatua galerita
Country – NEW ZEALAND.

Date of record entry: 2023-09-29