Cockatiels

(Nymphicus Hollandicus)

Common Names: Cockatiels, Tiels, Quarrions

Description: Cockatiels are about 11-13 inches long including their tail which measures around 6 inches. The wild colored bird is mostly a slate gray color with a lemon yellow forehead, throat, and face (more subdued in hens than males). Both sexes have white shoulder patches & orange check patches but the males are much brighter than the hens. The hens seem to have a light gray wash over their face & checks. Light yellow and gray horizontal barring can be seen on the hen's outermost tail feathers and a dilute barring can be seen on the lower part of the hens chest. A males wings are a solid gray color while the hens has yellow-white spots. The beaks are dark gray and the feet are light gray.

Size: These birds on average are 12 inches (30cm) including their tail which measures around 6 inches (15cm).

Origin: Cockatiels originated from Australia. Most Cockatiels live in small colonies of about 12 or more birds. They can be seen throughout Australian woodlands and open terrain. The correct scientific name for Cockatiels is still under much debate as some feel they should be classified as a subspecies of Cockatoos. A ban was placed in 1894 to stop the exportation of Australian birds since then Cockatiels in the United States are a domestic breed.

Sexing Cockatiels: Sexing Cockatiels is a fairly easy task. Some mutations are a bit harder to sex but I will explain certain ways to tell the difference in the normal and most common mutations. ONLY the male Cockatiel sings!! Young male birds will attempt to sing at about 2-3 months after they fledge. In order to hear the bird sing you can separate them from all other birds. If the bird in question is a male it will start to sing after about a week of solitude. If you have a flight full of Cockatiels it will be easier to pick out males because they sing a lot more in a flight or you can try introducing a new Cockatiel into the flight to entice the males. The problem with spotting them in the flight is catching the same bird that was singing!! To solve this you can put a different color aluminum band on all your Cockatiels & when you hear one singing notice it's band color. You can write this down in your records, catch the birds up later and band all the hens one color and the males another. I chose to band all my males Red and females Purple. If you are unsure how to band birds or do not know where to get bird bands you can click on the following link for all the information ->BIRD BANDING-CLICK THIS! Female Cockatiels do make a repedative high pitch call but they DO NOT sing! If you hear singing ...IT'S A MALE! The second way to sex Cockatiels is to look at their markings. If you look at the face (near the cheek patches) of the tiels you will notice that males have a much brighter yellow face than the hens & their cheek patches are a brighter orange. The hens seem to have a gray wash over their face which makes the yellow on the face and orange cheek patches much duller than the males. Whiteface cockatiels lack the orange cheek patches but the males cheeks are brighter white than the hens. The Whiteface hens retain the gray wash over the white cheeks. In some cases as with Lutinos you must look at the tail feathers. In normal cockatiels the underside of a males tail feathers are a solid dark gray color while the hens have a light gray tail with yellow-white barring. This method can be seen in Lutinos as a brighter yellow barring on dull yellow if you hold the feathers up to a light. Another way to sex Cockatiels is by taking a look at the wing feathers. Spread the wings out completely and if you see yellow-white dots on the underside of the wings it is a hen. The males wings are solid gray underneath. Below are some photos to illustrate what I am talking about. Cockatiels must be 6 months and molted at least once to use these methods as most young cockatiels resemble hens and later molt into sexually dimorphic plumage. The third and hardest method of sexing Cockatiels is by feeling of the pelvic region. The hens pelvic bones will move slightly and be further apart than the males. This is much harder to do in finches than in parrots because of the size difference. I would definitely not rely on this method alone because young hens which have never laid eggs before will have the same pelvic width as males. If your bird lays eggs well you already know it's a hen.

Face Markings

Tail & Wing Feathers

Mutations/Sub-species: In Domestic breeds their are quite a few mutations some of which are available only in Australia. The "wild type" is the most common color in Cockatiels. The others include Yellow (Dk. eyed Lutino), Lutino (red-eyes), Pied (light, heavy & reverse), Cinnamon, Pearl, Whiteface, Pastelface, Silver, Spangled, & Platinum. Many people prefer to combine different mutations together to create birds such as Whiteface-Lutino(Albinos), Platino, Whiteface Pearl Pied, Platinum Pearl, or Cinnamon Pearl. My favorite mutations happen to be the Whiteface-Lutinos , Yellowface Cinnaman Pearls and Platinum Cockatiels. Click the button below to go to Herschel & Esie Burgin's Cockatiel Mutations Page. It has wonderful photos.

Diet: A good Cockatiel diet must include Sunflower, Safflower, mixed millets, canary grass seeds, greenfood, and fruit. Fresh water, cuttlebone and grit should also be supplied at all times. Lettuce, spinach, chickweed, spray millet, eggfood, broccoli tops, carrot tops, apples and nonpoisonous berries can also be offered on a regular basis.

General Care: These birds can demand attention if they are hand tame pets. If they do not get attention they will revert back to a wild state like many ignored pet birds. They are curious and amusing birds so be careful to keep them out of harm's way. Cockatiels tend to trim their own nails but they do require water changes frequently.

Compatibility: Cockatiels can be kept in same species colonies or as separate pairs. A lot of people place them in mixed aviaries with finches but I prefer not to. Cockatiels though mainly friendly birds do have a strong beak and one bite of a finches leg could be devastating. Male cockatiels do on occasion bicker over nest boxes or hens but I have seen no fatal aggression among them.

Housing: Pet Cockatiels can be kept in store bought medium parrot cages if they are allowed to be outside of the cage for the majority of the day. If they are not allowed to be outside the cage (as with untamed or breeder birds) they will require more space so they can fly and get needed exercise. If you are planing on breeding Cockatiels they will breed in a same species colony or in individual pair cages. It is my opinion that they breed best in pair cages vs. colony. Most people however attempt to colony breed them because it is cheaper and easier. I would suggest a minimum breeding cage space of 48 inches long x 24 inches high x 24 inches wide with a 1/2-3/4 inch bar spacing if you use wire cages. Do not house them in round cages. If you plan to put your Cockatiels in a same species planted aviary it will not require heating as long as it stays above freezing in winter.

Song: The female is not mute-she makes loud calls & a repetitive tone while breeding but only the male cockatiel sings! If your Cockatiel sings it's a male- NO QUESTION ABOUT IT!! Click the buttons below to hear a breeding hen and a talking male.

Breeding: Cockatiels can be colony bred but you will get best results if pairs are housed in individual flight cages. They seem to prefer a nestbox size of 12x12x12 or 15x12x12. Most Cockatiels do not use any nesting material so the box should have a beveled bottom to hold the eggs in the center. You can place a light layer of aspen shavings in the bottom of the box to help keep the eggs from rolling around. Cockatiels can start breeding at 1 year old and normally lay a clutch of 4-6 eggs. The parents take turns incubating and incubate the eggs together at times for a period of 18-20 days. Do not interfere with the pairs while they are nesting, incubating or taking care of young babies. We all love to peek and hold those cuddly little Cockatiel babies but chances are they will abandon the eggs or babies if you do so. Young Cockatiels can be pulled at 3 weeks of age for handfeeding. I see no reason why they need to be pulled before 3 weeks unless the parents are not caring for them correctly. If not pulled from the nest young birds will fledge at five weeks old and become independently weaned at 7-8 weeks of age.

Price List: *Prices Listed below are for Parent Raised Cockatiels.

SPECIES/MUTATION
Price Each
Price Per Pair
$35.00 Each (Male or Female)
$ 60.00 Pair
$40.00 Each (Male or Female)
$ 70.00 Pair
$40.00 Each (Male or Female)
$ 70.00 Pair
* Normal Pied
$45.00 Each (Male or Female)
$ 80.00 Pair
$50.00 Each (Male or Female)
$ 90.00 Pair
$55.00 Each (Male or Female)
$100.00 Pair

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