I didn’t EGGS-pect that! Moment an 18-year-old cockatoo lays an egg in its owner’s lap
- The footage showed the cockatoo struggling to lay an egg on its owner’s lap
- The Indonesian bird made straining noises as it snuggled against its owner
- The video was shot in Thomaston, Connecticut on June 9 and shared on TikTok
This is the extraordinary moment a cockatoo lays an egg in its owner’s lap.
Footage shot by Erin Samela Audet shows her comforting umbrella cockatoo Chic as the pet squeezes out the small white egg.
The 18-year-old bird’s crown feathers stand up and it makes quiet wails for almost two minutes in the video, which has had more than a million views on TikTok.
Ms Audet, who lives in Thomaston, Connecticut, was quick to reassure worried viewers that Chic was fine afterwards.
The umbrella cockatoo, pictured at its home in Thomaston, Connecticut, took almost two minutes to squeeze the white egg onto Erin Samela Audet’s lap
Viewers remarked on the close bond between the bird and Ms Audet in the footage filmed on June 9
Viewers remarked on the close bond between the bird and Ms Audet as it snuggled against her and she stroked it in the footage filmed on June 9.
She explained: ‘She always has to be near me or within a few feet when I’m home… she’s so needy but a good girl.’
And she told another commenter: ‘She chews my shirts and crawls into my sleeve every night… she’s the best.’
Ms Audet explained that this was the seventh egg that Chic had laid over three and a half years.
However it would not hatch because it was infertile as she did not have a male cockatoo, the experienced bird owner explained.
Umbrella cockatoos can live into their seventies and are renowned in avian circles for being one of the most affectionate types of bird.
They are originally from Indonesia and do not like being put in a small cage.
If they are left isolated they are known to self-harm. They are also very easy to spoil and to not take change very well.
In the wild, they love to forage for seeds and nuts and like a varied diet.
The birds can also be trained to learn a vocabulary of more than 50 words.
Chic’s egg, which Ms Audet explained would not hatch as it had not been fertilised. Umbrella cockatoos can live into their 70s and are known as one of the most affectionate type of bird