Major Mitchel’s Cockatoo

Major Mitchell's Cockatoo (Lophochroa leadbeateri), also known as Leadbeater's cockatoo or the pink cockatoo, is a medium-sized cockatoo that inhabits arid and semi-arid inland areas of Australia, though it is seen regularly in other climates, for example, South-East Queensland's subtropical region. Unlike other cockatoos, Major Mitchell's pairs will not nest close to one another, so they cannot tolerate fragmented, partly cleared habitats, and their range is contracting.

It is frequently referred to as the most beautiful of all cockatoos due to its enormous, vivid red and yellow crest and soft-textured white and salmon-pink plumage. It is named in honor of Major Sir Thomas Mitchell, who wrote, "Few birds more enliven the monotonous hues of the Australian forest than this beautiful species whose pink-colored wings and flowing crest might have embellished the air of a more voluptuous region". Male and female Major Mitchell's cockatoos are nearly identical. Typically, males are larger. When grown, the female's eyes turn crimson and she has a wider yellow stripe on her crest.