The five large black-coloured cockatoos of the genus Calyptorhynchus form one branch.
The remaining species are in two main clades. The phylogenetic position of the cockatiel remains unresolved, except that it is one of the earliest offshoots of the cockatoo lineage. On average they are larger than other parrots however, the cockatiel, the smallest cockatoo species, is a small bird. Their plumage is generally less colourful than that of other parrots, being mainly white, grey or black and often with coloured features in the crest, cheeks or tail. The family has a mainly Australasian distribution, ranging from the Philippines and the eastern Indonesian islands of Wallacea to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Australia.Ĭockatoos are recognisable by the prominent crests and curved bills. Along with the Psittacoidea ( true parrots) and the Strigopoidea (large New Zealand parrots), they make up the order Psittaciformes. A cockatoo is any of the 21 species of parrots belonging to the family Cacatuidae, the only family in the superfamily Cacatuoidea.