Cockatiels are just small cockatoos

[Siobhan]

I'm sure you've seen the meme on Facebook with a cockatiel standing in front of a bunch of cockatoos of various species insisting, "I'm a cockatoo, too!"

Well, they are. LOL

I have both, and you know how a cockatoo, when he's relaxed, with put his face feathers up around his beak and get fluffy in general? I'd never seen my cockatiel do that before, but I've been taking Rocky into the birds' room with my tiel and Quaker and spending time with all three at once so everyone gets enough attention, and Rocky, of course, fluffs his face and stands on one foot and dozes when he's bored with whatever's on TV. Last night I saw Freddie (the tiel) doing the same thing. Freddie is fascinated with Rocky and has been trying to teach him to whistle without much success, and now he's fluffing his face like Rocky does.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

BB will poof his face after a good preen..such a fluffy little face I go ruin it by kissing it lol.




Jim

 

[SailBoat]

Hmmm, I have seen references to Cockatiels as smaller MACs. Especially, if you take a long look at the feather configurations (wings and especially tail feathers) of the two Species and you will be shocked at what you will see.

 

[smbrds]

Now I'll have to look at Baby's wings and tail to compare that of a small mac. Interesting.

The relations between tiels and toos are spot on. Baby will puff his face feathers and his beak will be tucked in. Some tiels don't hold food in their feet but he does sometimes. Also the hissing and threatened ''jungle dance'' they both do is really fascinating. Don't forget the head bobbing and dancing! He'll scream, but obviously much less than a too and smaller too at that! I forgot where I read on their taxonomy but I remember their DNA places them closely to the black toos!

 

[Rozalka]

I've never had any cockatoos (including 'tiels) so I can't really write about their similarities Me as "classification expert" I try to not write "cockatoos and cockatiels" because well... they both are 'toos as above
If you are curiuos how exactly it looks:


Order: Parrots
1. (Super)familly: New zealand parrots (eg. kakapos, keas)
2. (Super)familly: cockatoos

• Subfamilly: Nymphicinae - one species - cockatiel
• Subfamilly: Cacatuinae - most cockatoos
• Subfamilly: Calyptorhynchinae - black cockatoos

3. Superfamilly: true parrots (all other parrots)


I know how the last point looks funny - not each parrot is true

 

[Siobhan]

Freddie certainly does his best to mimic Rocky's screaming, but of course, it's a lot less strident coming from little Freddie. He likes to mimic everyone and everything. He can't talk well. The only words I've caught him saying are "pretty baby." But he can make a LOT of different sounds.