How to Draw a Cockatoo: Easy 10-Step Guide for Kids

Ready to bring a tropical bird to life? This tutorial is perfect for young artists ages 5 and up. All you need is a pencil, an eraser, and a piece of paper to practice your line work and create a vibrant, crested cockatoo.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

A vibrant, finished illustration of a cockatoo with a yellow crest, used as the featured image for the drawing tutorial.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Sketching the Beak and Eye

Close-up sketch of a cockatoo's beak and eye, showing the initial circular eye and triangular beak structure.

Start by drawing the curved, triangular beak and the front of the head. Add a circle within a circle for the eye and shade the center. Teacher's Tip: Keep your pencil lines light so you can easily adjust the shape if your bird looks a bit grumpy!

Step 2: Defining the Crest

Drawing the cockatoo's crest feathers using pointed, curved lines on the back of the head.

Use a 'V' shape to close the lower beak. On the back of the head, draw curved lines that meet at points to form the iconic crest. Teacher's Tip: Think of the crest like a fan—keep the lines sharp to make the feathers look perky.

Step 3: Adding Crest Height

Adding height to the cockatoo's crest with elongated, sweeping curved lines.

Draw the longer feathers of the crest using long, sweeping curves. Teacher's Tip: Vary the length of these lines to give your cockatoo a natural, fluffy look rather than a perfectly symmetrical one.

Step 4: Sketching the Body and Wing

Outlining the cockatoo's body and folded wing using layered, pointed feather shapes.

Sketch the neck and body contours. For the wing, draw overlapping curved lines that meet at points to represent flight feathers. Teacher's Tip: Imagine the wing is a folded hand—keep the lines flowing in the same direction.

Step 5: Adding Feather Texture

Adding texture to the wing with U-shaped lines and sketching the upper leg feathers.

Texture the wing with rows of connected 'U' shaped lines. Add the feathered upper leg using short, jagged strokes. Teacher's Tip: The 'U' shapes act as a pattern; keep them consistent to make the feathers look uniform.

Step 6: Drawing the Feet and Claws

Detailed drawing of the cockatoo's feet and sharp claws gripping a surface.

Draw the legs and toes using long, curved lines. Finish each toe with a small, curved triangle for the claw. Teacher's Tip: Bird feet are tricky! Focus on the 'grasping' shape to make it look like the bird is holding onto something.

Step 7: Adding the Tail

Sketching the long, flowing tail feathers and the second foot of the cockatoo.

Draw the second foot and begin sketching the long tail feathers using lines that double back on themselves. Teacher's Tip: Use long, fluid strokes for the tail to show movement.

Step 8: Perching on a Branch

Completing the tail feathers and adding a branch for the cockatoo to stand on.

Finish the tail feathers and add a tree branch for your bird to perch on. Teacher's Tip: Draw the branch with slightly wavy lines to make it look like real wood, not a straight ruler line.

Step 9: Adding Final Texture

Adding final textural details to the bird's body and the tree branch.

Add small, curved lines to the body and branch to create texture. Teacher's Tip: Use these lines sparingly to suggest feathers and wood grain without cluttering the drawing.

Step 10: Bringing it to Life with Color

A fully colored, vibrant cockatoo drawing with yellow crest feathers and a gray beak.

Time to color! Use bright yellow for the crest, white for the body, and gray for the beak and feet. Teacher's Tip: If you want to make it look like a sulfur-crested cockatoo, focus the yellow on the head and keep the rest of the body clean and white.