Cookie (cockatoo)
A pink cockatoo whose 83-year life at a Chicago zoo made him the world's oldest parrot and a beloved feathery institution.
1933–2016 (age 83)·Oldest known Major Mitchell's cockatoo·Birthday: June 30·The Silent Generation
Biography
Cookie the Major Mitchell's cockatoo was not just a bird; he was a living record. Arriving at Brookfield Zoo near Chicago in 1934, roughly a year after his hatch, he witnessed the world transform. For over eight decades, he greeted generations of visitors from his perch, his salmon-pink crest and gentle demeanor making him the zoo's unofficial ambassador. His longevity was staggering, more than quadrupling the average lifespan for his species in the wild. In 2014, Guinness World Records officially recognized him as the world's oldest living parrot. His keepers noted his intelligence and particular fondness for grapes and head scratches. Cookie's health declined in his final years, and he was euthanized in 2016 at the age of 83, leaving behind a legacy that stretched from the Great Depression to the digital age. He remains a symbol of dedicated animal care and the profound, long-term bonds that can form between humans and the creatures they steward.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Cookie was born in 1933, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cookie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1933
#1 Movie
King Kong
Best Picture
Cavalcade
Cookie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1933Born
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1938Started school
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1946Became a teenager
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Could drive
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1951Could vote
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1954Turned 21
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1963Turned 30
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 40
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 50
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 60
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 70
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 80
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2016Died at 83
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
Key Achievements
- Held the Guinness World Record for the oldest living parrot in the world from 2014 until his death in 2016.
- Lived to be 83 years old, far exceeding the typical 40-60 year lifespan for his species in captivity.
- Served as a beloved animal ambassador at Brookfield Zoo for over eight decades, seen by tens of millions of visitors.
Did You Know?
He was one of the first animals to arrive at the then-new Brookfield Zoo in 1934.
Cookie was originally believed to be female for most of his life before later genetic testing confirmed he was male.
He outlived every other animal that was at Brookfield Zoo when he arrived.
“I have watched children become grandparents from this same branch.”
