Nymphicus hollandicus
COCKATIEL CHARACTERISTICS
Length: Anywhere from 13" to 17" long.
Weight: Anywhere from 85 grams to 130 grams or more.
Young: In the grey and whiteface normal mutation, like the female, but with the tail shorter. The cere is pinkish. Other mutation colours like the parents, but with shorter tail feathers.
Greys and whiteface can be sexed at their 1st molt which occurs anywhere from 5 to 7 months of age. Young males usually warble around the age of 3 months. Sometimes the females will warble too. So the best indication of a male before the molt is to watch, if the bird warbles as he spreads his shoulders out wide and sways back and forth. Young males will also do beak drumming on perches, cages, trays, toys, etc.
Adults: The natural colour of the male cockatiel is a greyish-blue with a yellow and grey crest, yellow head and orange ear coverts. The female does not have a yellow head and has paler orange ear coverts. A wide band of white or yellow wing coverts. The body is grey and in the female, a slightly duller grey. Under the tail of the male, a very dark grey and the female is barred with grey and yellow. The beak and cere is grey. On the lores are black hairs. Eyes are brown. The legs are a dark grey.
Origin: Throughout Australia, rare along the coastal area. Introduced in Tasmania.
Habitat: On the savannah and the grasslands; also common in urban areas. They are a nomadic species. They are groundfeeding birds which exist mostly on seeds of grasses. They are a graceful and peaceful species which live in large flocks. They breed during the rainy season when food is the most plentiful.
Captivity: Sexual maturity is around 10 months of age. Recommended breeding anytime after 14 months of age. The female can lay anywhere from 4 to 7 eggs per clutch. The male usually incubates the eggs during the day and the hen at night. They can double clutch and even triple clutch. But for the health and longevity of the birds, only double clutching is recommended, with a rest period of at least 6 months, before breeding is started again. Breeding success can easily be achieved in either a colony situation or 1 pair per cage. Lineage can be better traced when cage breeding individual pairs. The nest box can be 12" x 12" x 17" long. With an entrance of 3.5" in diameter. Incubation usually starts when the second egg is laid. Incubation time is 18 days. Some pairs of birds cease to brood the chicks after 2 weeks. After 4.5 weeks of age, the young leave the nest and will be continued to be fed by both parents. At this time, usually a second clutch is laid.
Mutations: Some mutations are lutino, pearl, pied, cinnamon, whiteface, pastelface, silver, fallow, yellowcheek and emerald.
Then they can come in combinations of the above for example: lutino pearl, lutino pearl pied, lutino pied, pearl pied, cinnamon pearl, cinnamon pearl pied, cinnamon pied, whiteface lutino ( albino ), whiteface lutino pearl ( cannot see the pearls ), whiteface lutino pied ( cannot see the pied ), whiteface lutino pearl pied ( cannot see the pearls or pied ),
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" KIKO " WELCOMES YOU
WITH OPEN WINGS
" CHIQUITA " Whiteface Cinnamon Pied Hen out of
" CHARMING " & " KRISTA "
SHOW QUALITY STOCK
Weaned weight 104 grams
2000 Hatch Pictured here @ 7 months
Bred/Photo Darlene & Kevin Johnson
Owner Champagne Aviaries in Ontario
" ESTEE " Cinnamon Pearl Pied Hen
out of " JUNIPER " & " KATLIN "
SHOW QUALITY STOCK
Weaned weight 124 grams
2000 Hatch Pictured here @ 11 weeks
Bred/Photo Darlene & Kevin Johnson
" SILVETTE " out of
" PATCHES " & " LACES "
SHOW QUALITY STOCK
Weaned weight 126 grams
2000 Hatch Pictured here @ 16 weeks
Bred/Photo Darlene & Kevin Johnson
Owner Tristen in British Columbia
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" HOMER " - Pearl cock after molt
TOP SHOW STOCK
Taken on July 18, 2001
Weight @ 6 months - 78 grams
Weight @ 18 months - 104.5 grams
Bred by Jane Homestead
Photo by Darlene Johnson
Owner Tristen in British Columbia
" BETTINA " Yellowcheek Heavy Lacewing Pearl out of " PEARLITA " &
" TUCKER "
Taken on November 24, 2001
Pictured here @ 49 days old
Photo/Bred by Darlene & Kevin Johnson
Owner Maddie in Ontario
" ALPINE " Cinnamon Pearl Cock
out of " KATLIN " & " JUNIPER "
TOP SHOW STOCK
Pictured here @ 10.5 weeks old
April 10, 2000
Adult weight 124.3 grams
Photo/Bred by Darlene & Kevin Johnson
Owner Homestead's Hatchery
" TEQUILA " Pied Cock out of
" SWEETPEA " & " STANLEY "
Taken on October 13, 2001
Bred by/Photo Darlene & Kevin Johnson
Owner
Champagne Aviaries in Ontario
Cockatiel Photos
Click on the thumbnails to see larger photos
" CHLOE " ( Pearl Pied Whiteface Hen ) out of " PRISTA " ( Pearl Pied/Whiteface Hen ) & " TEQUILA "
( Pied/Pearl Whiteface Cock )
Taken June 3, 2000 @ 21 days old
Owner Jan Dawson
All 3 Birds Bred by
Darlene & Kevin Johnson
Several mutation chicks
April 27, 2001
between 27 to 40 days old
( 3.5 ~ 5.5 weeks )
Can you see my 1st whiteface lutino ( albino )
Photo/Bred by
Darlene & Kevin Johnson
" MYSTIQUE " - Whiteface Cinnamon
Pearl Pied Cock out of
" KATLIN " & " JUNIPER "
TOP SHOW STOCK
July 18, 2001
Adult weight 122 grams
Photo/Bred by Darlene & Kevin Johnson
Owner Homestead's Hatchery in Ontario
"KIKO" is a pearl cockatiel. TOP SHOW QUALITY STOCK
She weighed in at 135 grams. She is the biggest cockatiel that I used to own.
Taken on November 2, 2001
Photo
Darlene & Kevin Johnson
Owner Dahlijah Rahm
" SNOW WHITE " Lutino Whiteface Hen
out of " KATLIN " & " JUNIPER "
Taken on January 2, 2001
Bred by/Photo Darlene & Kevin Johnson
Owner Pat O' Brien of Ontario
Some graphics
This page was last updated on: September 30, 2007
Copyright © October 2001 - 2007 All rights reserved.
Photographs, articles, this background are the property of LITTLE DARLINGS
Here is " KIKO " >>>
intimidating the
Maximilian Pionus
chicks
Isn't she " Gorgeous " !!!
This site & layout was designed by Darlene Johnson of LITTLE DARLINGS
" MAVERICK " Pearl Cock out of
" PEARLITA " & " TUCKER "
Taken on November 24, 2001
Photo/Bred by Darlene & Kevin Johnson
We no longer breed cockatiels, but will leave
this page up for your enjoyment! {:o)
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" SUNSHINE " - Lutino Heavy Lacewing Pearl
3 generations of Champions, Grand Champions & National Champions in USA & Holland
Carter Atwood & Brian Haslinger Lines
Taken on October 30, 2001
Photo by Darlene Johnson
Owner Dahlijah Rahm in Ontario
whiteface pearl, whiteface pied, whiteface clear pied ( dark eyes ), whiteface pearl pied, whiteface cinnamon, whiteface cinnamon pearl, whiteface cinnamon pearl pied, yellowcheek lutino, yellowcheek lutino pearl, yellowcheek lutino pearl pied, yellowcheek lutino pied, yellowcheek pearl, yellowcheek pearl pied, yellowcheek pied, yellowcheek cinnamon, yellowcheek pearl, yellowcheek cinnamon pearl pied, yellowcheek cinnamon pied, etc.
These are just some of the wonderful combinations of mutations that are available.
