Cockatoos are big, beautiful birds, and they can be fun to watch. If you can’t have a pet cockatoo, you can try to attract one or more to your balcony. But make sure you don’t inadvertently turn the birds away.
To attract cockatoos to your balcony, you should have colorful plants. The balcony should also have a birdbath and a variety of nuts and seeds for the cockatoos to eat. Make sure the area is quiet and animal-free.
Attracting cockatoos to your balcony can be exciting. Keep reading to learn some easy ways to get the birds to come to visit you.
1. Add a Birdbath on Your Balcony
The first thing you can do to attract cockatoos to your balcony is to add a birdbath. Birds love clean water, and they enjoy drinking and bathing in it. You can get a traditional birdbath or a fountain birdbath.
A fountain can be more attractive to cockatoos due to the sound of the running water. However, they can require a lot of maintenance. You can start with a regular model and switch if you find that it doesn’t attract cockatoos.
But adding any source of water can be especially useful in cities. It can be hard for birds to find fresh water, so your balcony might be their best option. You don’t have to have the biggest or most expensive bath, but it should be big enough for a 26-inch bird, which is about as large as cockatoos get.
2. Grow Colorful Plants
The next thing you can add to your balcony to attract cockatoos is a small garden. You don’t need a ton of plants, but you should look for colorful flowers. Bright colors are very eye-catching to cockatoos so that a garden can be a great visual option.
One of the best colors to attract birds is bright red. You can plant anything from roses to orchids to petunias. The bright color will stand out, and it can help differentiate your balcony from those of your neighbors.
You can also use other colors, but make sure you avoid white. White can signal danger or other problems, and it won’t help attract cockatoos to your balcony. You may not be able to control your home color, but avoid putting out white plants or furniture.
3. Avoid Using Traditional Pesticides
When growing a garden on your balcony, you should avoid using traditional pesticides. They do have benefits, such as killing insects and fungus. However, they can also be troublesome for cockatoos.
You should especially avoid using spray pesticides because they can get everywhere. If pesticide gets on the birdseed you have, it can poison any cockatoos that eat the seed.
When you notice a problem with your plants, you can take the plant inside and use pesticides on it. Or you can use an alternative, such as soap or coconut oil, to keep the pests away. You can apply the soap or coconut oil directly to the plant, which can keep it from getting everywhere.
You’ll be able to keep your plants on your balcony to attract the cockatoos, but you won’t risk harming the birds in the process. Plus, you can keep using colorful plants to attract birds.
4. Use a Variety of Food Like Nuts and Birdseed
When a cockatoo visits your balcony, they may be hungry. You can set up a bird feeder or birdhouse, and you can use a brightly-colored one to match your plants. When you fill the bird feeder, use a variety of different foods.
Cockatoos love different nuts and seeds, so that can be a great natural option. But you can also look for birdseed, which can be easier than preparing the nuts. Don’t be afraid to use a few different kinds of birdseed when attracting cockatoos.
The birds need more than birdseed to thrive, and mixing multiple foods can make it fun for the cockatoos. You can look for cockatoo treats, such as Avi-Cakes, to keep things interesting. If you rotate the treats, your local birds may want to return to see what you have next.
5. Don’t Hand-Feed the Birds
While you should use different treats and foods to attract cockatoos, you need to be safe. Don’t hand-feed the birds because that can be dangerous for you and them. If the bird feels unsafe, they can bite hard, and that can hurt you.
Instead, set the food out in a bird feeder where the cockatoos can get to. You can hang the feeder from the top of your balcony or a nearby tree branch.
Leaving the food out will allow the local birds to come and go as they please. You won’t have to worry about being on your balcony all of the time. But you can still enjoy the birds when they come to visit.
6. Keep Your Trees Near the Balcony
If you own your home and have trees near the balcony, don’t cut them down. The trees can provide cockatoos with a comfortable place to nest. So even if they aren’t hungry and don’t need a bath, the birds will still have a reason to come near you.
Older trees are best because they typically have hollow spots where the birds can fit. But if your trees are younger, they can still be useful. If the birds know a tree is there, they can come back later when the tree does have more space.
And while trees don’t have bright colors, they can be another piece of nature. As long as you take care of the nearby trees, they can be a great tool for attracting cockatoos now and in the future.
7. Leave Your Pets Inside
If you have a pet cat that normally goes on your balcony, just keep the cat inside. You may love your pet, but they can scare cockatoos and prevent them from visiting you. Whenever you suspect a cockatoo might come by, don’t let your cat on the balcony.
Cats are hunters, and they can prey on birds. If the cat is territorial, that problem can be even worse. It’s better to keep everyone safe by leaving your pet inside your home.
And if you have dogs or other pets, you should also keep them indoors. Animals can scare the cockatoos, and that won’t help in attracting cockatoos. Even if the birds do visit once, they may not come back if they notice other animals.
8. Keep Your Balcony Quiet
It may be tempting to use bird sounds to attract cockatoos to your balcony. However, birds can use their calls to show other birds that this is their space. A recording may make a cockatoo think a bird has claimed your balcony, so they may or may not want to challenge the bird.
You should also keep from being too noisy in general. Like with visual signs of danger, some sounds may make cockatoos want to fly away.
The quieter you can keep your balcony, the more likely you will be able to attract a beautiful bird. You don’t have to be silent, but you shouldn’t overdo it with bird recordings, music, or other sounds.
9. Wait Patiently
If you want to attract a cockatoo to your balcony, you may want the birds to show up immediately. While a lot of things can help attract them, it may take time.
You can implement a few things to make your balcony more intriguing. But if cockatoos aren’t flying by your home, there’s not much you can do.
They will move around the area to search for food, but you may not be in the best area to attract the birds. But as long as you make your balcony cockatoo-friendly, you can increase your chances of success.
Final Thoughts
Attracting certain birds, such as cockatoos, to your balcony requires a bit of planning. Consider that birds like a lot of colors, but other animals can scare them off. Keep these tips in mind when designing your balcony for cockatoos.