Cockatiel

This little parrot species can be found throughout most of Australia, prefering to stick to wetlands and scrubland. Even though it is much smaller than its relatives, it is still a cockatoo. Primarily gray with white wing patches, males will have brighter yellow faces with red cheeck patches and females will have dull coloring on their face and yellow striped markings on the underside of their tails. They also posses a head crest and their tails actually make up half of their total length. Being primarily nomadic, they will travel around in large flocks following available food and water sources.

While prefering to forage for seeds on the ground, their long toes are just as perfect for stable walking as they are for perching.

For nest sites, they will choose a second hand nest cavity. Inside 2 to 9 white eggs will be laid and in aproximatly 19 days they will hatch.

Also a very popular pet, only coming second after budgerigars, more than 20 different color mutations have emerged. The first color mutation seen was pied and that first apeared in California in 1949. While in the wild their typical lifespan can be around 10-15 years, in captivity the average is 16 to 25 all the way up to 32 years. Another interesting trait cockatiels have is their ability to mimic, while not the best at mimicking human speach, they are excellent at picking up tunes and melodies.

Species Overview:

Common Name: Cockatiel

Scientific Name: Nymphicus hollandicus

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Measurments: Length- 25 to 35 cm. Wingspan- 30 to 35 cm. Weight- 80 to 90 g

Distribution: Australia.

Habitat: Scrublands and bush lands

Diet: Grains, seeds and berries.

References:

Https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/nymphicus_hollandicus

Https://wikipedia.org/wiki/cockatiel