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Cockatiels
our signature bird...
We consider our cockatiels to be our signature bird because we have consistently had cockatiels for 25 years. Their character, adaptability, and the fairly simple task of hand feeding, without incident 99% of the time, has been equally consistent. We've had several generation as pets, and I suspect that if we came to a place where we no longer bred and sold birds, we would continue to have cockatiels.
Since we have several generation of unrelated biological lines, we can state without hestitation that our birds are healthy and that we have not seen any genetic problems.
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Nymphicus hollandicus (Kerr 1792)
In general, sweet-tempered, a tame cockatiel will often love to do things like: take showers in the sink, whistle the Andy Griffith song, eat off your plate, hold his head in position for headscratches, ride on your shoulder, and in general do everything he can to get your attention and to be picked up and played with. If they learn to associate snacks with the sound of microwaves, crinkling bags, you'll have a cockatiel wanting whatever snacks it is you're eating. Cockatiels are generally quiet and clean, but they produce lots of "cockatiel dust," which is a fine powdery dust and quill dust when molting.
Cockatiels are more content to just generally hang out with their person than some other small birds.
Cockatiels do have some minimum maintenance requirements. They want nice big cages (big enough for them to stretch their wings). They should have a balanced diet. This means does not mean a seed mix. A good choice is to feed them a diet of pet bird pellets and seed, fresh veggies and fruits, and treats like whole-grain bread, bits of cracker and nuts. If your bird refuses to eat new foods, work with patience, he'll come around. It's the owner's job to get to know the pet and its needs, and to help introduce it to healthy foods safely.
A cockatiel also needs companionship. If you can't devote at least a half an hour per day of intensive company to your bird, either don't get it in the first place, or buy it a cockatiel companion (make sure to quarantine the new bird for at least a month first if you have other birds, though).
Color Mutations
The Normal Cockatiel
The normal grey is a consistent solid color of dark grey when fully matured..The adult male will have a bright yellow head, orange cheek patches, and a white bar along their wings.
The female will be a duller version of the male and will not have as much, if any, yellow on their heads. The underside of their tail and legs will be dabbled. We have Normal Greys.
Cinnamons:
The Cinnamon tiel is a a light-brownish to gray color when fully matured..The adult male will have a bright yellow head, orange cheek patches, and a white bar along their wings. Some cinnamon tiels have quite a bit of yellow.
The female will be a duller version of the male and will not have as much, if any, yellow on their heads. The underside of their tail and legs will be dabbled.
We have cinnamons and cinnamon/pearls, and yellow/pearl
my personal favorite........................
Pearls:
Cinnamon Pearl, Cinnamon Pearl Pied,Cinnamon Pearl Yellowface, Lutino Pearl, Fallow Pearl,Whiteface Pearl, Yellowface Cinnamon, Yellowface Cinnamon Pearl Pied, Yellowface Pearl, Whiteface Cinnamon Pearl
Pearl tiels have a lacings" pattern. Hens should carry the pearl lacings over the back, wings, mantle and nape, with a heavier concentration on the shoulder. Yellow or white flecking on the breast is not unusual on heavier marked pearls. Adult pearl males lose their lacing, but those who retain some degree of their lacings are common.
Lutinos:
We have Lutino
Lutino, Lutino pearlThe lutino is a white bird with an orange cheek patch, some yellow pigment, pink feet and red eyes. Some individuals vary with a light to heavy yellow wash over part or most of the body. Baldness occurring behind the crest, as an inherited trait, will be penalized in accordance to its degree (or rewarded for its absence). Ideally, there should be no bald spot.
Pied:
Whiteface PiedA Piel tiel will have " patches" of varrying color. Some Pieds can have lots of white or yellow while others look like a normal grey with a few patches here and there. Ideally, a desirable pied will carry a clear mask, free from extraneous grey feathers or "bleeding" from the orange cheek patch, clear tail and wing flights and a perfect balance of markings. All things being equal, a light pied with perfect symmetry of markings would be preferred to a heavier pied with more irregular markings.
A mature female will have the dabbling on the underside of their tail and legs.
We have variations of PiedAlbino (Lutino Whiteface):
A completely white bird with red eyes and pink feet, lacking the orange cheek patch and devoid of all pigment.
Silver:
Whiteface, Dominant Silver Double Factor, Recessive Silver Whiteface SilverA "silvery grey" to brownish bird with black eyes on dominant and red eyes on the recessive silver.
Whiteface:
Whiteface Silver/Whiteface, Dominant Silver Double Factor, Whiteface Cinnamon Pearl, Whiteface Pearl, Whiteface Pearl Pied"Charcoal grey" in color, lacking the orange cheek patch and yellow pigment. Mature adult males will carry a white face as opposed to the yellow mask worn by other varieties. A mature female will have the dabbling on the underside of their tail and legs
Fallow:
Fallow Pearl Pied, FallowA brownish (tan) appearance resembling the cinnamon, but with a more pronounced yellow suffusion and red eyes.
A mature female will have the dabbling on the underside of their tail and legs.
Cross and Splits Mutations:
You will see various mutation combinations especially in a colony situation where specific colors are not segregated for breeding. They are all beautiful, but these would be solely a pet quality bird.
We'll be adding other color mutations to our flock soon.....If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us...
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