Classification
Order — Psittaciformes.
Family — Cacatuidae.
Subfamily — Nymphicinae.
Genus — Nymphicus.
Species — Nymphicus hollandicus.
Habitat
Cockatiels are native to Australia, where they are found largely in arid or semi-arid country, but always close to water. Largely nomadic, the species will move to where food and water is available. They are typically seen in pairs or small flocks. Sometimes, hundreds will flock around a single body of water. To many farmers' dismay, they often eat cultivated crops. They are absent from the most fertile south west and south east corners of the country, the deepest Western Australian deserts, and Cape York Peninsula. They are the only cockatoo species which can sometimes reproduce in the end of their first year.
Outward appearance
Length: 30 – 33 cm.
Weight: 90 g.
The cockatiel's distinctive erectile crest expresses the animal's emotional state. The crest is dramatically vertical when the cockatiel is startled or excited, gently oblique in its neutral or relaxed state, and flattened close to the head when the animal is angry or defensive. The crest is also held flat but protrudes outward in the back when the cockatiel is trying to appear alluring or flirtatious
Tail feather, in contrast to most cockatoos, is long. It roughly makes up half of its total length.
Plumage is primarily grey with prominent white flashes on the outer edges of each wing.
MALE: the face of the male is yellow or white.
FEMALE: the face of the female is primarily grey or light grey.
Both sexes feature a round orange area on both ears, often referred to as "cheddar cheeks".
This orange colouration is generally vibrant in adult males, and often quite muted in females. Visual sexing is often possible with this variant of the bird.
Character
Generally, well-socialized birds are gentle and friendly. Some Cockatiels enjoy physical contact, lending themselves well to taming. Many Cockatiel owners develop regular bonding rituals with their animals, engaging in preening, scratching, and even petting. A Cockatiel that wishes to be petted will often lower its head or nibble at the owner's fingers to indicate that it wishes to have its head and neck scratched (two places it can't easily scratch on its own), and will emit a low squeak to show its pleasure. Cockatiels which are hand-fed from a young age are more readily suited for physical contact.
Some birds will emit a distinctive 'hiss' when irritated, retreating or defending with pecking bites. This hissing may be coupled with the bird tapping its beak on a hard surface to generate additional attention while lowering its head and spreading its wings in a display of aggression.
Cockatiels do have a reputation for demanding attention of their owners on a regular basis. Their vocalizations range from soft cheeps to piercing cries, but they lack the screeching voice of other parrots; males are, however, louder than females. A Cockatiel permitted to roam freely will often seek out its owner, following him or her from room to room; or, if the owner happens to be outdoors, going from window to window to keep the owner in sight.
Maintenance care
A cockatiel needs a cage spacious enough to accommodate multiple perches, toys, food bowls and have plenty of room to flap its wings without hitting them against anything. A cage with a large door front is ideal because it makes it easier to return a cockatiel to its cage, especially since cockatiels can be flighty birds. Cockatiels are natural ground foragers and will forage on the bottom of the cage if given the opportunity; cover the cage floor with newspaper and sprinkle crumbled treats or millet sprinkle seed for your cockatiel to find. Cockatiels are social birds and thrive when given opportunities to interact with you, whether it is gently petting their cheek feathers, being talked to or simply being in the same room as you.
Feeding
Bird pellets should make up about 70% of Cockatiel's diet. Seed can make a good treat, but don't feed it in excess as it's too fatty. You should also feed your Cockatiel healthy vegetables and sometimes fruit; well-cooked beans, and spaghetti are examples of tasty treats you can give your Cockatiel. When you choose fruits and vegetables to feed, organic ones are recommended. You should also thoroughly rinse off uncooked fruit and vegetables before feeding.
Do not feed your Cockatiel avocados, chocolate, alcohol, onions, mushrooms, tomato leaves, caffeine, or uncooked beans, as these are toxic. Very sugary or fatty foods such as candy bars are also not healthy for Cockatiels.
Features
Small parrots with a variety of color patterns and a crest, they are attractive as well as friendly and easy to tame.
Because of their small size, cockatiel care and taming is easier than some other parrot species.
Cockatiels are capable of mimicking speech, although they can be difficult to understand.
They are quite good at whistling and can often be taught to whistle tunes.
Breeding
Cockatiel is one of the easiest of the parrots to breed in captivity. In the wild, cockatiels will often pair for life, building their nests in tree hollows about 6 or more feet above the ground. For cockatiel breeding, a good size breeding cage is 48" wide by 48" long by 24"-36" high (120x120x60-90 cm high). The recommended nest box size is 12" wide by 16" long by 12" high (30x40x30 cm high) with a 3" hole. The box should have an inch or two of wood shavings or pine bedding in the bottom.
Birds should be 18 months to two years old to begin cockatiel breeding. Keep in mind that pet cockatiels can often become aggressive toward you during breeding. Mating can be immediate or may take up to 4 to 6 weeks, during which time there will be a lot of mutual preening.
The female will lay an egg every other day for a clutch of between 3 to 9 eggs. The incubation period is 18 - 20 days. The chicks will begin to leave the nest at about 5 - 6 weeks and will be totally independent about 2 weeks after leaving the nest.
Diseases
Proper hygiene would avert common diseases like runny nose, gout or E-coli from your Cockatiel pet. Although hardy birds, but the Budgies are prone to accidents owing to their small size. They are also very sensitive to their environment; therefore, hygiene and cleanliness must be maintained. Water should be changed everyday and food should not be kept over 3 hours in the cage. Clean their cage with anti-bacterial solutions from time to time.
Usually active, energetic and healthy, Budgie can suffer from common diseases like any other Budgies. These health issues are: loss of appetite, diarrhea, Anorexia, lethargy, weight loss, feather plucking, beak swelling, wheezing or coughing, favoring one foot, eye or nasal discharge, red or swollen eyes.
