Cockatoos are such beautiful birds. They come in all kinds of colors, too, from white to soft peachy-pink, and even black. Every Cockatoo is completely unique, and they’re bigger than they look, too. Weighing just over a pound full-grown, they’re deceptively small!
Cockatoo flapping their wings.Image via Shutterstock / Engkuuuy
Some Cockatoos are bigger than others, too. Each type of Cockatoo is slightly different, though for the most part, they look the same… Until you get into some of the really crazy Cockatoo subgroups.
On Tuesday, October 14th, one Cockatoo’s parent decided to show off the difference between a standard Umbrella Cockatoo’s wingspan and her Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo’s wingspan, and it’s actually wild enough to make your head spin:
Puppy the Black Cockatoo has my jaw on the floor. I’ve always thought standard Cockatoos had pretty big wingspans, but this is something else entirely. He is so huge, and his name makes him sound so cute and small!
Puppy’s mom has had him since he was just a baby! That was 14 years ago, and in that time, he’s grown into quite the handsome young man. He loves to go outside, play with mom, and fly around the house showing off his absolutely insane wingspan.
Related: Breathtaking Black Cockatoo’s Slo-Mo Flight Looks Like a Scene From Jurassic Park
There are five different species of Black Cockatoos: Puppy is a Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo. He might look super intimidating with his massive wings and dark coloring, but don’t let that fool you: Black Cockatoos are just as loving and sweet as any other Cockatoo would be.
Puppy in particular really adores his mom: he likes snuggling with her, and he eats treats right out of her hand. When she hands him something he doesn’t like, though, he’s been known to chuck it across the room:
Though Puppy’s mom hasn’t shared exactly what his wingspan is, he’s a male, fully-flighted, full-grown Cockatoo. It must be as big as possible!
Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo Wingspan
Red-Tailed Black Cockatoos are, in general, very large birds. They’re not the largest of all Cockatoo species: that’s the Palm Cockatoo, which is a bird that looks like a plague doctor. However, these birds are a close second!
Full-grown Red-Tailed Black Cockatoos have a wingspan of about 39 inches, or 1 meter. So, while they might not be as large as a Palm Cockatoo, they do have a similar (and even bigger) wingspan.
Puppy’s wingspan is just so large. He’s a truly majestic boy! I wish I could meet him!
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This story was originally reported by Parade Pets on Oct 16, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add Parade Pets as a Preferred Source by clicking here.