Cockatiels
Cockatiel General Information (scroll down)
Cockatiel Chick: Day-to-Day Development (Photos)
The Cockatiels are endemic to the outback regions of inland Australia. Their preferred habitat includes the Australian wetlands, scrublands, and bush lands.
The sociable and generally gentle cockatiel has become a treasured household pet that will do well in most households.
Arguably more popular than the Budgerigar, cockatiels are popular household pets in many parts of the world. Today, all pet cockatiels are bred in captivity, as Australia no longer permits the export of native wildlife, whether endangered or not.
Bookmarks / web links:
- Cockatiel Physical Description
- Cockatiel Mutations and Sexing
- Cockatiels as Pets / Information on Pet Potential & Experiences Submitted by Cockatiel Owners
- Breeding Your Cockatiels - Lots of info on nesting / incubation and raising cockatiel chicks
- Cockatiel Diseases - What are Cockatiels Susceptible to - Tips for do you recognize a health problem ... Cockatiel Nutrition.
- Taxonomy ... Cockatiel Books
Breeders / Procuring Your Cockatiel / Useful Info
The cockatiel is a small parrot of the Cacatuidae family. Like some other cockatoos, as for example the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, the cockatiel has an erectible crest. Cockatiels and cockatoos in general also share other features, such as the facial feathers covering the sides of the beak, which are rarely - if ever - found outside the Cacatuidae family. In contrast to most cockatoos, the cockatiel has long tail feathers, roughly making up half of its total length. The cockatiel's distinctive pointed yellow crest is held erect when startled or excited, while a crest slightly tilted indicates a relaxed state of mind.
The plumage is generally mid-grey, lighter underneath, with an orange cheek patch and a prominent white blaze on the wings. A row of yellowish spots can be found underneath the wings of female cockatiels, but not on the males. Some other mutations exist, such as the Lutino, which is a light yellow colour. Female Lutinos also have barred tail feathers. Both the cock and the hen have yellow facial feathers: the female has a yellow wash around the beak and eye, in the male, yellow covers most of the head and the fore part of the crest. Male cockatiels are very protective and nurturing of their offspring and are known to be very capable of raising their newborns if the mother is unable to.
Cockatiel lifespans in captivity are generally given as 15-20 years, though it is sometimes given as short as 12-15 years and there are anecdotes of cockatiels living as long as 30 years.
Available Mutations:
Pet cockatiels have been bred to have many different coloration patterns. Featured above (Soupy) and below (Cico) are normal greys. The "wild" natural grey cockatiels are said to be the hardiest and smartest of all. This might have been true for the longest time, as a lot inbreeding was done to produce mutations. Many color mutations are now well established and may very well be as hardy and smart as the original greys. The opinions differ as much as the personalities of the great numbers of cockatiels out there. Over the years, I have owned very smart mutation tiels as well normal greys. I would choose a cockatiel on the basis of its personality over its coloration any time.
Available color variants include Lutino, Pearl, Cinnamon, Pied, Silver, and Whiteface (mutation photos can be viewed on this webpage) and appear both singly and in combinations such as lutino pearl, whiteface pied, and the very rare whiteface lutino which is the technical term for albino cockatiels. There have also been reports of an 'Olive' variant. Albino cockatiels (who have no color pigments) are relatively rare and more expensive than other colorations -- although they have become more available in recent years and the price went down substantially since then. Whereas all other cockatiels have black eyes, the whiteface lutino has pink / red eyes, pink toenails, and a pink beak. Whereas most mutations persist into adulthood for all cockatiels, certain mutations like pearl are molted out in the males and retained in the adult females. Nearly all whiteface lutinos are females, a factor of the sex-linked mutations that create the combination.
| Chart by Dr. Rob Marshall |
| Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus |
| Size: 30cm in length |
| Pet Status: Excellent |
| Talking Ability: Males - good, Females - poor. |
| Noise Level: Moderate to high |
| Lifespan: average 15 years (although some cockatiels have lived to over 30 years) |
| Breeding Ability: Excellent |
| Courtship Display: Mutual preening. Male may bob head at female. |
| Number of Eggs: 4-7 eggs |
| Incubation: 19 days |
| Compatibility with other species: Good |
| Sexing: A bright orange cheek patch invariably indicates a male bird. Head of the cock is predominantly yellow and that of the hen is usually grey. |
Procuring Your Cockatiel:
Please visit this webpage to learn about nutrition, day-to-day living, toys, home safety, health care for your bird.
- Procuring your Parrot
- Cockatiel Breeders
- Do you breed this species and would like to be listed? Click here to see your options.
- Housing Your Bird
- Training Your Bird
- Bird Nutrition
- Parrot Products
Class: Aves ... Order: Psittaciformes ... Family: Cacatuidae ... Subfamily: Nymphicinae
Genus: Scientific: Nymphicus ... English: Cockatiel ... Dutch: Valkparkieten ... German: Nymphensittich ... French: Callopsitte
Species: Scientific: Nymphicus hollandicus aka Psittacus hollandicus ... English: Cockatiel, Quarrion, Weero, Crested Parakeet ... Dutch: Valkparkiet ... German: Nymphensittich ... French: Perruche à huppe jaune, Callopsitte ... CITES Status: Free
Distribution: Australia
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Photo contributions and articles are welcome!
