Our Grey Cockatiel [nymphus hollandicus] at BWF. This bird has very attractive colours.

 

FACT FILE

The cockatiel can be found in much of inland Australia, especially in open or lightly timbered country. The cockatiel is more numerous in the mid North, where it is said to be nomadic. It is a migratory bird, flying to Victoria, New South Wales and the southern regions of Australia in spring and returning North in the late summer, early autumn.

The normal cockatiel is sexually dimorphic once adulthood is reached. The yound cockatiel resembles the female. It usually takes two months for adult plumage to finalise.

Outside the breeding season cockatiels are communal birds congregating in flocks of several hundreds. They roost together in trees, and can often be seen in their scores perching on telephone wires. They are mainly seed eaters in their habitat and can often be seen foraging on the ground for seeds and grasses. They have gained enmity with the farmes because they tend to steal and destroy the crops.

Cockatiels can be identified in different plumages such as silver cinnamon, white faced and others.