The cockatiel, a nice bird
I had a good friend who had a cockatiel, a bird very friendly and quite endearing. It is agreed that, like the willow parakeet, the cockatiel is a good "first" bird for those who have little experience with birds and would like to adopt one.
These very sociable little birds are easier to grow than larger ones. As an adult, it reaches an average size of 30 cm. The cockatiel has an excellent rating of popularity since it has good traits of character and a good temperament. And, bonus, she likes the company of humans. His life expectancy as a companion can exceed ten years (generally between 10 and 20 years), which is very interesting in itself.
The cockatiel (Nymphycus hollandicus), commonly called cockatiel in English, is native to Australia. There, in the wild, there are these small parrots on almost the entire continent, except for the coastal wetlands. It is a parrot of the cockatoo family. This family of parrots is recognizable by the presence of an erectile hoop, long feathers above the head, that the bird can rise straight or flatten, according to its states of mind. This is definitely part of its charm!
The standard color of the cockatiel is gray and some parts of the body (forehead, head, erectile, cheeks and throat) are yellow. The feathers near the ears are reddish orange.
It makes him feel red on his cheeks! Of course, there are a multitude of mutations available in the colors such as lutino, cinnamon and variegated.
Outstanding personality
Small psittacide par excellence, it makes an excellent bird of companion. Funny and affectionate, it is renowned for easily adapting to all lifestyles. For Johanne Vaillancourt, from the Johanne Vaillancourt Avian Center, it's a good compromise between a small bird and a larger parrot. In parrots, he is always the first to win the most funny species!
He tames himself very easily and can even learn to say a few words and whistle a few songs. It is not uncommon to see him dancing and whistling a melody that he loves and heard repeatedly!
Social animal, social need
In the wild, these birds live in very large groups. So they are social animals. Your new companion will therefore need your company and your time. You should at least spend a minimum of one hour a day with your bird doing activities with him, giving him his bath, training him or making him fly, and so on.
Many birds develop serious behavioral problems when they are left too often alone, to themselves, and do not have enough mental stimulation. If you are not often at home, it is better not to have at all or have at least two. At this point, it is preferable that they are put in the presence of both at a young age.
A responsibility
Do not succumb too quickly to the desire to get a pet bird! Ask yourself first if you will be able to meet the physical and psychological needs of this bird for the next 10 to 20 years. Also ask yourself if you will be able to pay to offer him a spacious cage, varied food and quality, toys and visits to the vet. And finally, ask yourself if you will have quality time to devote to him every day of his life and if you will devote time to inform you about all the care to make to make his life in captivity a life of quality!
