Yellow-crested cockatoos

Cockatoo for sale in Yuen Po Bird Market. Photo credit: Thomas Gomersall
Like many parrots, the yellow-crested cockatoo is a popular cage bird, with individuals sold for the pet trade often having been stolen as chicks from their nest cavities. In 2002, the species was upgraded to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), making it illegal to trade in wild-caught individuals. However, birds that are captive-bred within the country of sale can still be legally traded (Andersson & Dingle, 2020).

Although imports of yellow-crested cockatoos into Hong Kong have seemingly declined since the CITES listing, they are a common pet here and can still be bought in Mong Kok’s Yuen Po Bird Market and in pet shops around the city. According to Yu Yat-tung, Research Manager for the Hong Kong Birdwatching Society, the existence of a legal trade potentially provides a cover for the laundering of wild-caught birds alongside captive-bred ones. “It’s possible that people are selling [yellow-crested cockatoos] claiming they are locally bred,” he said, although it is currently unclear what proportion of the cockatoos for sale in Hong Kong are wild-caught, if any (Andersson & Dingle, 2020).