Robert Irwin Hangs Out with 60-Year-Old Cockatoo Who Was One of Dad Steve's 'Very Favorite Animals'
- - Robert Irwin Hangs Out with 60-Year-Old Cockatoo Who Was One of Dad Steve's 'Very Favorite Animals'
Rachel RaposasJanuary 22, 2026 at 5:22 AM
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Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic; Robert Irwin/Instagram
Steve Irwin, and Occa and Robert Irwin. -
Robert Irwin introduced fans to Occa the Cockatoo, one of his late father's favorite animals
Occa is roughly 60 years old, Robert said, and has been with the Australia Zoo "for ages"
Robert also shared a clip of his father, Steve Irwin, introducing and playing with Occa decades earlier
Robert Irwin is spending some quality time with Occa the cockatoo!
The wildlife conservationist and Dancing with the Stars champion shared a video of the cockatoo, one of his late father, Steve Irwin's, "very favorite animals," on Instagram on Jan. 20, introducing the bird to his followers.
"Say 'hi,' Occa," Robert says in the clip, as the cockatoo — one of many birds capable of replicating human speech — does as he's told, and even offers a slew of "kisses" to Robert.
Occa is around 60 years old, Robert shared, and noted the species has a very long life span — 20 to 40 years in the wild and 70-plus years as a pet, per Pet MD. The sulphur-crested cockatoo is recognizable by its bright yellow crest, white body, and black hookbill.
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"He's been here for ages! We absolutely love him," Robert said. "He was also one of my dad's very favorite animals, and he's an absolute icon. Aren't you, mate?"
Robert's clip then cuts to a decades-old video of Steve introducing Occa — just as Robert did — alongside Occa's female counterpart, Whitey. The two can be distinguished by looking at their eyes, Steve said in the video: the males have black eyes, and the females have red eyes.
Occa appeared in a playful mood at the time of filming with Robert, and happily "jumped" with Robert for the camera. The conservationist then proceeded to give the "best sulphur-crested cockatoo in the world" his affirmations: "You are very handsome. You are very handsome." To this, Occa reached his bill up as if to kiss Robert's cheek.
Fans got a glimpse of a sulphur-crested cockatoo — whom many fans believed to be Occa — earlier this month, when Robert returned to Australia from his Dancing With the Stars win and showed his new Mirrorball Trophy to his animal friends. In a video shared on Instagram, Robert introduced a koala, a snake, and the cockatoo — who tried to bite one of the letters off — to his trophy.
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Robert introduced a few other cockatoos at the Australia Zoo in an earlier TikTok from March 2024, and explained that this species is intelligent and particularly fond of biting "absolutely everything."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
