What do cockatoos eat?

Cockatoos eat a mixture of fresh fruit, vegetables and seeds. Diets can include corn and insects, depending on necessity and environmental availability. Seed-only diets are not healthy for cockatoos.

A captive cockatoo with less access to exercise does not need as many calories and fat as a wild cockatoo. Cockatoos enjoy fruit, including apples, bananas, blackberries, figs, cherries, grapes and melon. They also eat vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower and cucumber. Nuts that cockatoos like, provided with or without a shell, include almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, cedar nuts and pine nuts. Clean fresh water and a vitamin supplement should also be available.