The palm cockatoo, also known as the goliath cockatoo, is found in rain forests and woodlands of northern Queensland, Australia and New Guinea. It is one of the largest cockatoo species, with a powerful bill that it uses to eat hard nuts and seeds that other species have difficulty managing. The palm cockatoo’s diet consists largely of the fruit and nuts of the Pandanus palm tree, although it eats other fruits, nuts, and seeds as well.

Unlike other cockatoos, palm cockatoos are not flock feeders. They are usually observed alone, in pairs, or in groups of up to seven. Pairs separate from these parties at sunset and return to their own territory to roost. They nest in hollow logs and tree stumps, which the males defend with calls and displays. One distinctive display is drumming, in which the male carefully selects a stick and uses its foot to beat the stick against the hollow log to make a reverberating sound. This display is also used to attract females during breeding season.