Variety Overview
English Name:Nymphicus hollandicus
Origin: Central and South America
Size: Small
Feather Length: Short feathers
Also Known As: Cockatiel, Kamei Parrot, High-Crested Parrot
Care Level: Easy to maintain
Morphological Features and Identification
Cockatiels, belonging to the Cacatuidae family, are small parrots characterized by an upright crest on their heads. Their facial yellow feathers extend to cover the sides of their beaks. These birds also possess long tail feathers, approximately half the length of their bodies. Female cockatiels can be identified by a row of small yellow spots under their wings, a trait absent in males. Additionally, female cockatiels have yellow feathers around their beaks and eyes, whereas male cockatiels exhibit predominantly yellow heads and crests.
Breeding Information
Cockatiels reach sexual maturity at around eight months old and are ready to breed by then. Their breeding season typically starts in August and lasts until December; however, they can breed at almost any time of year if climate conditions are favorable. Continuous breeding cycles are also possible.
In the wild, cockatiels prefer nesting in high dead tree hollows and display territorial behavior during breeding periods. Each nest usually contains two to five eggs with an incubation period of about nineteen days. Both parents share duties in incubating and feeding their young. Chicks leave the nest when they are approximately five weeks old, with egg diameters averaging around 24.5 by 19 millimeters.
In larger aviaries, cockatiels can easily initiate breeding on their own when a suitable nesting site is found. Female cockatiels lay between four to seven eggs that hatch after twenty days of incubation. Typically, males incubate during daylight hours while females take over at night.
Chicks begin leaving the nest when they are about thirty days old but continue receiving parental care for several more days afterward. Nest boxes should be constructed with dimensions roughly measuring 35 by 20 by 45 centimeters and an entrance hole diameter of about six centimeters.
Domesticated cockatiels do not adhere to a strict breeding schedule but show unique behaviors before mating such as distinctive singing patterns and impressive flight maneuvers where they turn sharply mid-flight to display their skills.
Male cockatiels search for suitable nesting sites while females lay one egg every two days until they have laid between four to five eggs per clutch—occasionally up to eight eggs.
After eighteen or nineteen days of incubation, these eggs hatch into chicks who enter a preliminary growth phase lasting about thirty-three days before becoming fledglings; these fledglings still require parental feeding for approximately three more weeks thereafter.