The cockatoos were first defined as a subfamily Cacatuinae within the parrot family Psittacidae by the English naturalist George Robert Gray in 1840, with "Cacatua" the first listed and type genus. This group has alternately been considered as either a full family or a subfamily by different authorities. The American ornithologist James Lee Peters in his 1937 "Check-list of Birds of the World", Sibley and Monroe in 1990 maintained it as a subfamily, while parrot expert Joseph Forshaw classified it as a family in 1973. Subsequent molecular studies indicate that the earliest offshoot from the original parrot ancestors were the New Zealand parrots of the family Strigopidae, and following this the cockatoos, now a well-defined group or clade, split off from the remaining parrots, which then radiated across the southern hemisphere and diversified into the many species of parrots, parakeets, macaws, lories, lorikeets, lovebirds and other true parrots of the family Psittacidae.
The fossil record of cockatoos is even more limited than that of parrots in general, with only one truly ancient cockatoo fossil known: a species of "Cacatua", most probably subgenus "Licmetis", found in Early Miocene (16–23 million years ago) deposits of Riversleigh, Australia. Although fragmentary, the remains are similar to the Western Corella and the Galah.
Names in parentheses after generic names indicate subgenera.
The current subdivision of this family is as follows:
Subfamily Nymphicinae
Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae: The black cockatoos
Subfamily Cacatuinae
The cockatoos are mostly medium to large parrots with a heavy, compact body. They range from in length and in weight. However, one species, the Cockatiel, is considerably smaller and slimmer than the other species, being long (including its long pointed tail feathers) and in weight.
The movable headcrest, which is present in all cockatoos, is spectacular in many species; it is raised when the bird lands from flying or when it is aroused.
Cockatoos share many features with other parrots, including the characteristic curved beak shape and a zygodactyl foot, with the two middle toes forward and the two outer toes backward. They differ however in a number of characteristics, including the presence of a gallbladder, some other anatomical details and their lack of the structures in the feathers which cause the bright blues and greens seen in true parrots.
Like other parrots, cockatoos have short legs and strong claws, and often use their strong bill as a third limb when climbing through branches. They generally have long broad wings used in rapid flight, with speeds up to being recorded for galahs. The members of the genus "Calyptorhynchus" and larger white cockatoos, such as the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, have shorter, rounder wings and a more leisurely flight.
Cockatoos are active mainly during the day and require daylight to find their food. They eat a range of mainly vegetable food items. Seeds form a large part of the diet of all species; these are opened with their large and powerful bills. The Galahs, corellas and some of the black cockatoos feed primarily on the ground; others feed mostly in trees.
Like most parrots, the cockatoos are made their nests in holes in trees, which they are unable to excavate themselves. These hollows are formed from decay or destruction of wood by branches breaking off, fungi or insects such as termites or even woodpeckers where their ranges overlap. In many places these holes are scarce and the source of competition, both with other members of the same species and with other species and types of animal. In general, cockatoos choose hollows only a little larger than themselves, hence different-sized species nest in holes of corresponding (and different) sizes.
The female lays two white eggs on small pieces of wood. The young, which is born naked and blind, is fed by the adults with partially digested food for about three months.
According to the IUCN and BirdLife International, seven species of cockatoo are considered to be vulnerable or worse and one is considered to be near threatened. Of these, two species—the Philippine Cockatoo (or Red-vented Cockatoo) and the Yellow-crested Cockatoo—are considered to be critically endangered.
The principal threats to cockatoos are habitat loss and the trade in wild animals. All cockatoos nest in trees, and are vulnerable to their loss. Also, many species have specific habitat requirements or live on small islands and have naturally small ranges, making them especially vulnerable.
Cockatoos are popular as pets and the capture and trade has threatened some species; between 1983 and 1990, 66,654 recorded Salmon-crested Cockatoos were exported from Indonesia, a figure that does not include the number of birds caught for the domestic trade or that were exported illegally. The capture of many species has subsequently been banned but the trade continues illegally. Not only are the rare species smuggled out of Indonesia but also common and rare cockatoos alike are smuggled out of Australia.
All species of cockatoo except the Cockatiel are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which restricts import and export of wild-caught parrots to special licensed purposes. Five cockatoo species (including all subspecies)—the Tanimbar Corella ("Cacatua goffiniana"), Philippine Cockatoo ("Cacatua haematuropygia"), Moluccan Cockatoo ("Cacatua moluccensis"), Yellow-crested Cockatoo ("Cacatua sulphurea") and Palm Cockatoo ("Probosciger aterrimus")—are protected on the CITES Appendix I list. With the exception of the Cockatiel, all remaining cockatoo species are protected on the CITES Appendix II list.
Bell P-39 Airacobra
The P-39 Airacobra was a fighter aircraft made by Bell Aircraft. It first flew in 1939, and was introduced in 1941. While it had good weapons, it was known for being very unstable and could lose control easily. It was fast but not very good above 5000 m (15,000 feet) as it lacked turbocharger. The Soviet Union used it during World War II as a fighter interceptor as most air battles at the Eastern front were fought at low heights. Very near the ground the Airacobra became extremely maneuverable and could out-turn any German airplane. The Russians liked the plane, and they often removed the wing guns to make it even more maneuvreable. Several Soviet pilots became fighter aces on P-39. The main weapon of P-39, a 37 mm cannon, was so powerful that it could destroy almost any airplane on a single hit.
The pilot who scored the most aerial victories was Grigori Rechkalov of the Soviet Air Force. He shot down 57 Germans with Airacobra. His squadronmate Aleksandr Pokryshkin had 59 victories, of which 47 were with Airacobra.
The P-39 was different from most aircraft in World War II. It had "tricycle" landing gear, doors that opened like a car (pilots would climb out of most fighters of the time) and the engine was behind the pilot. The "Q" version could go 375 miles per hour (600 km/h), had four 12.7mm machine guns, and one 37mm cannon.
Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest airline. It flies from Canada to the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, and some Caribbean countries. Air Canada began on September 1, 1937. It was first called "Trans-Canada Air Lines". The first flight was from Vancouver to Seattle. The airline's name changed to "Air Canada" in 1964. Air Canada was privatized in 1989. A large strike was launched by Air Canada pilots in September 1998. Air Canada bought Canadian Airlines in 2000. Since the early 2000s Air Canada has had many financial problems.
Air Canada's fleet includes:
Air Canada has ordered the Boeing 737 MAX airplanes for the future. It is still receiving more Embraers and Boeing 787s. In the past, Air Canada had Airbus A340s, Boeing 727s, Boeing 737s, Boeing 747s, Douglas DC-8s, Douglas DC-9s and Embraer 170s.
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