Goffin Cockatoos

Here is a goffin hatching out of it's egg. The "c" mark on the egg lets us keep track of which pair of goffin cockatoos this baby belongs too.

It's fascinating to watch as the chick pips all the way around the egg, before pushing out into the world.

Below the Goffin babies are beginning to open their eyes, and this is at 10 days old. The goffin with eyes still closed is 9 days old.

Baby goffin cockatoo at 4 weeks and at 5 weeks of age. Don't you just love the big feet? I know I do!

Goffins 4 weeks and 6 weeks old, and yes they are cuddly! This is what their crest looks like when raised. Goffins don't have as elaborate crests as some of the larger ones, but they love hugs just the same.

Goffins 8 through 10 weeks old. "Bring on the toys we are tired of posing." Toys are great for birds to play with, it gives them structure and a fun activity when alone.

This is a goffin cockatoo named "Puff" at four months old. Doing her best to look irresistible and helpless, so no one will want to put her in her cage. Wouldn't you want to pick her up and cuddle her?

This goffin cockatoo was six months old at the time of photo, Isn't he cute? His name is "Dozer Boy", as a baby he would often fall asleep with his face in the bowl of food. Or while playing with other goffin babies and toys, we would find him sleeping in the middle of the toys. But when he was a wake, he was like the Eveready Bunny, all over non stop, very busy little fellow.

Almost unheard of until the middle 1970's, which really isn't long ago. The Tanimbar Islands are where they originally came from. Many people think it was Indonesia, because they were exported out of Indonesia. They are one of the more difficult types of cockatoo to breed. Even so, they are becoming quite popular as pet birds, and there is beginning to be greater success in breeding them.

Goffins are one of the smaller cockatoos, they are about 12 inches in length. There have been many books written about the eye color of the male being black and the hens being reddish brown. Owning numerous pairs of goffin cockatoos, I can tell you this does not run true. We have several males that have dark brown to light brown eyes. We even have a hen or two with dark brown eyes, that we expected to change in time, but after having them well over ten years and some even longer this did not occur. Some hens do indeed have reddish brown eyes and I have seen only one goffin hen ever to have really red eyes. I was so captivated by her that I just had to have her, and needless to say she is now part of our aviary.

Goffins have yellow under the tail and wings, a light grayish blue beak, darker gray feet, and a pale blue eye ring. They are coral to peach color around the lore's, beneath the feathers under the cheeks, down the back, and chest. Some are deeper in color than others. At first glance they look almost white. A rounded crest that can be raised and lowered at will, and a captivating personality.

Many of the babies as well as the adults like to pick things up, and flip it over their backs. They take great delight in doing this. It seems to be predominately on the hens, but I have seen a male or two do it, just not as often. They truly love toys, even my import breeders play with toys. They are quite strong for their size, mine carry all sorts of toys into the nest box. I have often wondered if they are decorating the nursery, or is the purpose to warm the beads and such other toys so they can leave the nest to feed. While the eggs will be kept warm longer? Who knows, I guess we should ask them. In the wild cockatoos in general drag all sorts of little pebbles, rocks, and things of that nature back to the nest. I have one pair that insists on putting to plastic base balls in the nest. On occasion I have caught the hen in the nest with one wing out over each baseball, (all in the name of comfort, I believe), fast asleep while sitting her eggs.

I have been so fortunate to be able to observe them up close on our camera system, when they didn't know we were there. That is how we found out one of my favorite male goffin's was chasing and abusing his hen. He never did this in front of us, and usually this sort of thing goes undetected in a lot of aviaries until the hen is killed. Unfortunately this is common of most species of cockatoo. It can be prevented by supplying a large enough cage for the hen to get away, clip the males wings, and not just once. Because he will molt out and grow new feathers. I have seen the reverse, but not to often. And really pay attention to what is going on when they think you are not there.

I believe in giving them toys, it gives them an activity to do when their mate doesn't want to be bothered. I would rather see them push and chase a ball around the cage then their mate. After all what are they going to do when one is sitting the eggs. They get board just like people do.

Always make sure they are safe toys, mine like beads, (larger than a quarter), that they can carry. I don't care for rope toys (without supervision), because they can get hung up in them. They love us to string their beads on leather, (vegetable tanned only, other types are not safe), we tie knots and hang them. Of course they untie them and pull off all the beads, but this takes a while on their part. A few of my older goffins will even try to restring the beads, some get pretty far too!

Some of my breeder goffins talk, and all of our pets, quite well actually. I have one that gets all the others going, he starts off by yelling, "do the bunny" over and over until he has them all going. And yes they do hop up and down like a bunny. This is something my ex husband taught him, (Tazie) to do, in turn Tazie taught all our other pet goffins, and an eleonora cockatoo (named: Wickie Bird) to do it, and say it! "Marvin", another pet goffin cockatoo we have whom is not quite a year old says: "Oh Marvin", when he has made a mess with his toys. Or if he knows I'm mad at him, he will look up at me, and in a child like voice say: "Mom ma". Well, by then I've melted for this cuddly bundle of feathers.

This is a breeder pair of goffin cockatoos, the male is on the right, and the hen is on the left. The leaves in front of part of the cage that is visible are from a Weeping Willow tree. These are very safe (provided they don't have any pesticide sprayed on them) and the cockatoos love pulling them into their cage to shred and play with them.

Always remember it is not safe no matter what kind of plant it is if it grows along the highway, where car exhaust fumes are absorbed.

The hen on this pair of goffins is looking in to the nesting box, where the male is sitting the eggs. Pairs generally rotate sitting the eggs, the male generally sits during the day and the hen at night. This is typical of most pairs, but there are exceptions.

This is my first pair of goffin cockatoos, "Baby Fuji Motto & Mr. Motto". I have had them since 1985. They were imports, than pets, than breeders, and still remain tame as pets.

Left photo shows Baby Fuji Motto (female) in front, Mr. Motto (male) is in the nest. Mr. Motto again in the right photo, he is guarding the nest and takes his work very seriously. He thinks he is quite scary here, and I don't tell him how cute he really is, it's a guy thing you know.

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Sweet Acre Bird Farm

"Marvin" is a very talkative goffin cockatoo with an attitude all his own, giving important tips on things for your birds.