The Cockatiel has been well established in European Aviaries for well over 100 years and can now be found in every country where birds are bred. It is not known exactly when they were first imported but it is recorded as first being bred in captivity as long ago as 1845 and it is said that they became popular as pets about forty years later. The name Cockatiel is thought to be an English adaptation of a Dutch sailors' pronunciation of the Portugese word "cacatitho", meaning a little cockatoo. The scientific name Nymphicus hollandicus has been in general use since the 1950's. In Australia they are called Quarrion. Although the original breeding was done in Europe, at present there are a larger number of Cockatiel fanciers here in the United States. Birds from American aviaries are far superior to the European, in both size and health. The first mutations were developed in our country, so we can really take credit for the superior Cockatiel of today.
Some Orthinologists believe that the Cockatiel is really a Cockatoo which in the process of evolution remained behind in size and came to look more like a parakeet than a "true parrot." It also shows some characteristics of the Rosella species although in its living habits it more strongly resembles the Cockatoo. In Australia where these birds are very numerous they are found in almost the entire continent excepting those areas nearest the coast.
In the wild the Cockatiels usually live in pairs or in small groups of four to twelve birds. Rarely large groups of up to several hundred have been noted. They often migrate from one feeding ground to another. It is only when the ripening grasses offer them sufficient food to signal the start of their breeding season that they remain in one area for any length of time. In the arid outback of Australia the availability of water often determines their wandering pattern.
Their nest is usually found in a hole or hollow in a thick, moldy branch or trunk of a dead tree. They are clever about strategically placing their nests to provide a position with a good lookout for possible predators. They are often found nesting in the same tree as Budgies and Cockatoos. They lay their eggs on a bed of decayed wood or wood chips placed in the bottom of their saucer shaped nesting hole. In the wild they eat seeds, leaves, bark, fruits and berries.
After a rainy season the grasses in Australia grow quite tall. The movement of the grasses as the birds feed on the ground is a signal of their presence to their enemies. Because of this, as a defense, they routinely fly upward in a quick flight. They are easily the fastest flyers of the Australian parrots. Their torpedo shaped body and the long, slim. well muscled wings makes rapid flight possible. When the wild bird decides to return to the ground his descent is rapid and in a perpendicular line. He seems to fall to the ground like a stone; only a few yards from the ground does he spread his tail and wings, using them like the flaps on an airplane. We notice that in the large walk in flights where our resting birds are housed, even after many generations of domesticity, these flight habits still persist.
Courtesy and References :
http://www.bluequaker.com/Art-015.htm
Some Orthinologists believe that the Cockatiel is really a Cockatoo which in the process of evolution remained behind in size and came to look more like a parakeet than a "true parrot." It also shows some characteristics of the Rosella species although in its living habits it more strongly resembles the Cockatoo. In Australia where these birds are very numerous they are found in almost the entire continent excepting those areas nearest the coast.
In the wild the Cockatiels usually live in pairs or in small groups of four to twelve birds. Rarely large groups of up to several hundred have been noted. They often migrate from one feeding ground to another. It is only when the ripening grasses offer them sufficient food to signal the start of their breeding season that they remain in one area for any length of time. In the arid outback of Australia the availability of water often determines their wandering pattern.
Their nest is usually found in a hole or hollow in a thick, moldy branch or trunk of a dead tree. They are clever about strategically placing their nests to provide a position with a good lookout for possible predators. They are often found nesting in the same tree as Budgies and Cockatoos. They lay their eggs on a bed of decayed wood or wood chips placed in the bottom of their saucer shaped nesting hole. In the wild they eat seeds, leaves, bark, fruits and berries.
After a rainy season the grasses in Australia grow quite tall. The movement of the grasses as the birds feed on the ground is a signal of their presence to their enemies. Because of this, as a defense, they routinely fly upward in a quick flight. They are easily the fastest flyers of the Australian parrots. Their torpedo shaped body and the long, slim. well muscled wings makes rapid flight possible. When the wild bird decides to return to the ground his descent is rapid and in a perpendicular line. He seems to fall to the ground like a stone; only a few yards from the ground does he spread his tail and wings, using them like the flaps on an airplane. We notice that in the large walk in flights where our resting birds are housed, even after many generations of domesticity, these flight habits still persist.
Courtesy and References :
http://www.bluequaker.com/Art-015.htm