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Cockatiels 101
Cockatiels are intelligent, social, companion birds. They are the second most popular pet bird after
the parakeet. These elegant looking exotic birds are known for their pumpkin orange cheek patches, bright yellow
crests and long sleek tails. Ranging in colors of yellow, gray, and white, cockatiels provide us with
companionship, affection and entertainment. By tending to their needs with love, these charming birds
greet us with songs or words when we awaken each morning and amuse us with their antics all day long.
Cockatiels are parrots and 1 of approximately 340 different species.
Their name comes from a Dutch word "Kakatielje"
which means little cockatoo.
DNA research (UC-Davis, 1997) shows that cockatiels belong to one of the cockatoo families.
The scientific name for these elegant birds is Nymphicus, Hollandicus, "Goddess of New Holland",
the name of Australia during 1700s-1800s.
Australia is the native homeland of cockatiels.
Our pet cockatiels are bred domestically. Australia banned exportation of all native birds in 1894.
In the wild, cockatiels travel in pairs or small flocks. They whistle to alert other flock members of
danger, food or of their locations.
Wild cockatiels are predominantly gray. This helps camouflage them from predators.
They build their nests in tree hollows as high as 6 feet off the ground and near
a source of water. Their diet consists of fruits, berries, grains, seedlings,
small insects and cultivated crops. In Australia, many wild cockatiels are
destroyed because of damage to farm crops.
The average lifespan of a pet cockatiel is 15-20 years.
According to Dr. Margaret A. Wissman, D.V.M., Diplomat, ABVP, Avian
Practice, with advances in avian medicine and the better nutrition that cockatiels
are now receiving, it's now possible for them to live well into their late twenties. With
poor nutrition, inadequate cage cleaning,
allowing a female to constantly lay eggs and lack of medical attention,
a cockatiel's lifespan can be cut short to as little as 1-5 years.
Cockatiels are also very sociable birds.
Their dispositions are gentle and docile, and they have a moderate activity level.
They need to be talked to, played with
and touched. They will solicit attention from people by singing or doing tricks.
As sociable flocking birds, they like to eat while the family or anyone else is eating.
Being affectionate birds, they like to be pet, bending their heads down to be stroked.
They often reciprocate this affection by preening your hair or eyebrows.
Cockatiels also bite less, are smaller, cleaner and quieter than the
larger parrots, making them ideal family pets.
Cockatiels provide human entertainment and can learn to perform
tricks. Because of their ability to mimic sounds,
they can be taught to talk and whistle tunes.
Their talking is more unclear and muffled than the larger parrots.
Both male and females are capable of learning to
talk and sing, but males are said to be more vocal.
Cockatiels may prefer learning to talk and sing from a woman's higher pitched voice.
If you twirl one of a cockatiel's molted feathers before it or show it a
mirror, the bird may start singing or talking. Bird's
think that their reflection in a mirror is another bird.
Because of their intelligence, cockatiels require
mental stimulation from you, and their environment.
They need different toys every few weeks to prevent boredom.
Since they are inquisitive, cockatiels like to explore rooms.
Exploring is done with their beaks.
Cockatiels chew on things such as paper, cloth, wood, rubber, metal, anything that catches their attention.
Their chewing has to be watched carefully, because they can be
poisoned from rust, lead, zinc and many plants.
Bored or unhappy birds may start chewing and
plucking out their own feathers, stripping themselves bare.
Healthy cockatiels need proper nutrition. Birds on an all seed diet will
develop diseases and can die as young as 5 years of age. Unless they are on
a pellet based diet, special foods need to be prepared.
Pellets are little morsels of bird food with nutrients
that you buy. Cockatiels also need fresh vegetables and fruits everyday. Table foods, which are nourishing for you are also nourishing
for a cockatiel. Foods such as fruits, vegetables, chicken,
eggs, cereals, bread, cheese, keep them healthy. A cockatiel needs 10-12 hours of sleep
each night to stay healthy or it will become cranky or ill. Cockatiels can also
suffer depression. A depressed
bird refuses to eat and will starves itself to death.
Cockatiels are afraid of loud noises, loud voices and sudden movements. They
will hiss, squawk, turn their back on you or hide on the bottom of their cage
when they are frightened. Cockatiels are also prone to night frights. This is
when something wakes them up during the night and they start flapping their
wings in an effort to fly inside of the cage. This can be very dangerous because
they can break a blood feather. You should always keep a night light on for your
bird to help prevent night frights. Cockatiels do not like changes. Changes can be as minor as a pair of new curtains
in a room or your wearing a new robe. Some birds do not like strangers in the home and will
scream or bite, even after they leave. Having a cage with corners can make a cockatiel
feel more secure. It gives them a place to hide.
Female cockatiels can be more nervous, but more friendly and cuddly than males.
Males can be more aggressive, but may sing or talk more.
A single cockatiel bonds strongly with its primary companion, thinking of him/her as its mate.
It may regurgitate on you,
since mates in the wild feed each other this way.
Single cockatiels may even try to mate on your hand. Single females can start laying unfertilized eggs.
They also protect the cage door by comically hanging
upside down spreading their wings like a bat.
This is how they protect the entrance to their nests in the wild.
If you are getting cockatiels for breeding, they should be 18
months old. Younger females can suffer
physical problems, such as egg binding which can kill them if not treated properly. Males may
be infertile and the chicks may not be as strong or healthy.
If you want a pearl cockatiel, male pearls lose their pearl markings and revert
to the normal gray after their first molt. To be absolutely certain as to what
sex a young bird is, it needs to be DNA tested. This is done by a blood test.
A bird's feathers provide warmth and are used as a defense mechanism. Puffing out
feathers makes a bird look much larger and can frighten away larger
predators in the wild. Birds are little dust makers. Their feathers are
coated with a powder, which act as a water repellant.
Down feathers disintegrate causing additional powder dust. If you nuzzle a cockatiel under your chin,
it may look like you put powder on it.
Birds also have feathers called blood feathers. A blood feather is a new feather that is
growing in.
Breaking one is very serious, causing
profuse bleeding and death if it's not removed immediately.
Molting is the shedding of old feathers and is followed by the growth of new
ones. Cockatiels molt twice
a year, in the Spring and Autumn, and after breeding. A cockatiel's first molt occurs when it is between 6-12 months of age. When a bird is molting, you
will find little flakes and feathers on the bottom of the cage. The little flakes
are the keratin coating that new feathers are covered with. When the coating is shed, the new feather emerges.
This is a stressful time for a bird and they will be less active and a bit
cranky. They also need more calcium and protein and are more prone to
breaking bones during this time. Preening is how a bird cleans its feathers
with oil from a gland near the tail. Your bird will use its beak to comb through
all of its feathers. Cockatiels like to have their head and cheek patches stroked or gently scratched.
They can't reach these areas to preen so it feels good to them, especially
when the new little, stubby pin feathers are starting to grow in after molting.
Cockatiels and other pet birds will get sick and can die if they are in a
drafty area. To test for a draft hold a lighted candle in the area.
If the flame flickers then there is a draft. The ideal room temperature for a
cockatiel is a constant temperature between 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit. A drastic change in temperature
from 80 degrees F to 70 degrees F can make your bird sick, more so than a constant
temperature of 65 degrees F.
If a bird goes without water for 24 hours it will die.
Fumes from overheated non-stick cookware as well as many other household substances, are
lethal for birds. To learn more about the
dangers that lurk in the home please read my page on household hazards.
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