Taxonomy/Origins: Cockatiels originate in Australia where they are nomadic and mainly seen in the inland arid areas. Usually they are found congregating near water where they ground-feed on seeding grasses and plants. They nest in hollow tree trunks.

Subspecies: There are two different types of cockatiel. One has red cheek patches while the other has white cheek patches but all sport the distinctive crest on the head

Plumage Colouration: There is one "normal" colour for cockatiels but there are quite a few mutations.
NORMAL - Grey body with white flashes on the wing. The cocks have a yellow head while the hen is plain grey but both have red patches on their cheeks.
LUTINO - Varying shades of yellow with red cheek patches.
PEARL - These can be either yellow or grey with red cheek patches but they have a lace effect on the wings.
CINNAMON - These are the same as the Normals but are silver to tan in colour instead of grey.
PIED - A combination of grey and white with either r4ed or white cheeks.
WHITE CHEEK - Grey bodies with white flashes on the wings. Cocks have white cheek patches but hens are grey.
Juvenile birds resemble the colouring of hens until they are about 6 months old or, in some cases, up until the first moult.

Sexing: Cockatiels can be difficult to sex until they are older in some cases but careful observation can help to make an educated guess.
In normal and cinnamon the cocks have a yellow head and plain colour inside the tail feathers while the hens have grey heads and yellow barring inside the tail feathers.
In lutinos the same barring on the tail applies but this may be difficult to see even under a good light. Generally hens are darker yellow than cocks.
In pearls the cocks lose their markings and by the first moult they are the same as normals.
In white cheeks the hens have no white mask but look a grey golour.
In pieds the cocks lose the under-wing markings after the first moult.
Generally the actions of the bird can be a help in sexing. Cocks whistle and have an almost tuneful sound while hens only have a one note song. Probably the most evident sign is the cocks strutting walk which develops fairly quickly.

Feeding: Feeding a cockatiel is not difficult as, like us, they like a varied diet and have a natural curiosity to try new things.
I feed my birds a basic diet of cockatiel seed mixture (with not too many sunflower seeds) millet spray, cuttlefish bone,oystershell grit, mineral blocks and fresh water. I also add to it a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, hard boiled and well cooked scrambled eggs, and egg food.Some other treats are toast,cooked rice and pasta and hard cheese, There aare a few items which should NEVER be fed to cockatiels and they are,chocolate,avocado and milk. Cockatiels on their own sometimes take longer to try new foods but groups seem to try thing quickly. The motto is keep trying new foods to give them a bit of variety

Housing: Your lifestyle will dictate whether you keep your bird or birds in a cage or in an aviary.
A single bird kept in a cage must have one big enough to stretch its wings out fully and it is recommended to have different thicknesses of perches to exercise their feet.It is important that you are able to give the bird time outside the cage to both exercise and socialise.
An aviary is a lovely option for cockatiels and so long as they have room to fly and a shelter able to be closed off from the elements, their needs are not great.
It must be pointed out that a planted aviary is not a good idea as cockatiels will systematically destroy any and all living vegetation they can get ther beaks to.
My aviary is 6 feet wide and 12 feet long with a 3 feet by 6 feet shelter at one end and I have four pairs living in it.
They can be mixed with other birds quite happily and the only time a problem might arise is during breeding because cockatiels are nosy and may inadvertantly interfere.

Breeding: Myself, I breed my cockatiels on a colony basis in an outside aviary. I find that this works well for me as my birds are paired up and they do not interfere with each other.I have wooden nestboxes 30cm x 30cm x 40cm roughly with a hole of about 9cm but the birds modify it to suit themselves.There is a flap on one side to allow access to check the progress and, as cockatiels make no attempt to nest, I put a layer of sawdust in the bottom to save the eggs being laid on bare wood. There is a perch placed underneath the hole going right through to the inside to make it easier for them to get in and out.
Breeding in a normal cage would be difficult but if a nestbox was mounted outside the cage it could be used by the birds.
The first signs of readiness for breeding are the cocks whistling loudly and holding their wings away from their bodies as they strut around and the hens crouching on the perch with their tails up. In generan the become more active around this time.
1 - 2 weeks after the initial mating the hen should lay the first of a clutch of normally 4-6 white eggs and they will be laid on alternate days. When the clutch is complete both parents sit on the eggs for about 18-21 days until they begin to hatch. At this time a container of water to bathe in is vital as the moisture helps to soften the shell for hatching.Because the chicks hatch at two day intervals it is important to watch the youngest chicks as they will be much smaller than the first born.At this time it is possible to tell the colouration of the chicks although they have only down. A white fluffy ckick will be white cheeked and a yellow fluffy chick will be red cheeked. If the eyes through the skin are dark then the bird will be grey but if they are red then it will be lutino.
At this time egg food is a useful extra to help feed the chicks. both parents feed the chicks and the noise of a begging chick once heard is never mistaken! After about 12 days the eyes start to open and the full crop is visible through the skin. I can't honestly say that they are cute chicks, they resemble dinosaurs to me.
They leave the nest after around 4-5 weeks but are still fed by the parents for a further 2 weeks or so until at about 8 weeks they are independent.

Hints/tips: A potential keeper should consider how much time it will take to entertain and train a cockatiel as freedom is important to exercise the bird. Talking to it should become a habit and some keepers even leave a radio on if they go out. The only way they learn is by mimicry so they need attention.
Decide if your bird will be cage or aviary based and always buy direct from a breeder if you acn as they will tell you the diet and, if you are lucky, an idea of its sex.

Unique Characteristics: For beginners a cockatiel is a perfect choice as they are easy to tame and can become wonderful companions. They mimic many things but the telephone noise is a favourite and can be taught to talk with patience but if a talking bird is what you want then a budgerigar is probably a better choice. One down side to cockatiels is that they are messy eaters and can make a bit of a mess so, not for the house-proud really!! All a cockatiel asks is food, water and attention from it's owner, not a lot to ask really, is it.

I can be contacted for more information by email at maureen@flockintiels.co.uk or via my website at flockintiels.co.uk.