Description: white; head and sometimes breast feathers with pale pink base, but not visible; underside of wing and tail feathers pale yellow; crest broad and round; skin to periophthalmic ring greyish-white; iris brown to black; feet grey; bill greyish-white. Female as male, but on average smaller and with reddish iris. Immatures as adult, but with light greyish plumage and dark iris; female attains adult colour to iris at 2 to 3 years. Length: 31 cm.
Distribution: eastern Saolomon Islands from Bougainville to Malaita,but not found on San Crist¢bal islands. They habit in forest, forest edges and tall secondary vegetation in lowlands to lower limits of cloud forest at 1,700 m (5,700 ft); open country when foraging; occasionally on trees in gardens.
Keep in pairs or small groups of up to 8 birds outside breeding season; occasionally larger flocks in areas with abundant food; gather at dusk on roosting trees; perching on outer branches of tallest trees; in early morning they fly screeching loudly to feeding grounds; shy and cautious; only coming down to ground to feed and drink with a few birds on lookout on surrounding trees; if disturbed they fly off screeching loudly; flight undulating with strong, jerky wing-beats interrupted with gliding phases; loud raucous cries during flight, often continuous screech.
Natural diet: seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, flowers, fleshy plants, leaf buds, insects and their larvae; occasionally raid maize and grain fields, causing considerable damage; they forage for banana and papaya in fruit plantations and dig for sweet potatoes in fields; despite this not persecuted by inhabitants.
Breeding behaviour: breeding July to September; nest holes in tall trees or large branches; nests are used year after year; clutch 2 or 3 eggs; egg measures 37.5 x 26.7 mm.
Breeding in aviculture: seldom achieved; breeding begins in Europe in May; 2 to 4 eggs; incubation 28 days; nest box 25 x 30 x 50 cm (10 x 12 x 20 ins); compatible pairing is difficult; isolate pairs as aggressive during breeding; male often attacks and injures female; sensitive to disturbance; young often not reared and must be removed for hand-rearing.
