WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY TRICIA BELCHER

I have kept and bred the Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus for over 20 years—and have handraised probably thousands of these wonderful little parrots. In my experience, Cockatiels usually mate for life, forming a very strong bond with their ‘mate’, be it another bird or a human member of the household. ‘Mating for life’ means just that—‘for the life of the mate’.

Separation

If a Cockatiel is separated from its mate, eg if it escapes and flies away, the remaining partner may pine for its mate for the rest of its life. Initially, to my regret, I did not understand this extraordinary bond between a pair of Cockatiels.

As an example, Cheeky, a Pied pet hen of mine bonded and mated at an early age with a beautiful young Pied male. Unfortunately, Cheeky always laid infertile eggs. After a veterinarian test confirmed that the male was infertile I gave him away, not realising the consequences. Poor Cheeky has pined for his return for over 20 years now, never taking another mate and ignoring the flirtations of other suitors.

I have found this to be a common result of separation. How do you explain to a Cockatiel that its mate is never going to return, if it has flown away, for example? A male will scream out in distress at being separated from his mate—this behaviour sometimes continuing for days. A hen, however, will usually sit quietly waiting for her mate to return. They will hopefully accept that their ‘mate’ may never return.

Cockatiels are more likely to adjust to changing circumstances if they become accustomed to it when they are young.

Three’s not a Crowd!

Cockatiels will also form a ménage à trois. Some males will happily co-habit with two hens, the two girls usually sharing the same nestbox and rearing the babies together. They also preen each other without any signs of jealousy.

I have rarely seen an unfaithful female, but the male will sometimes mate with a spare female in the aviary while the ‘wife’ is in the nextbox! Very naughty.

The ‘Playboy’ Cockatiel

Sexy boy, one of our pet Cockatiels, has certainly lived up to his name! He had at least six ‘henfriends’ at last count and none of the females were jealous of the others. He has even tried to add our Sulphur-crested Cockatoo to his ‘harem’. Every chance he gets he tries to woo her through the bars of her cage with his best performances. She seems very impressed, dancing and calling him. Because of the size difference, I don’t think that the ‘friendship’ will go any further—a cockatoo could easily kill a Cockatiel with one bite.

Despite Sexy Boy’s ‘playboy’ image, he has formed a strong bond with his ‘human’ flock, particularly with my husband. Sexy Boy loves to sit on my husband’s shoulder singing, whistling various tunes and talking.

Human ‘Flock’ Bonds

It is very important for the owners of pet Cockatiels to understand to understand the strength of this bond as most pet Cockatiels will form a relationship with one particular member of the household—with no preference for a particular gender. It is advisable for the person who really wants the Cockatiel to be their pet to handle it the most during the first few months in its new home, so that the bird can focus on this person. The ‘human’ flock needs to accept that in all probability the bird will bond with just this person and may become aggressive towards other members of the household.

Cockatiel females will usually accept being handled by a number of people but males can be territorial, becoming very protective of its ‘human mate’. For this reason females are more suitable as companion pets. They are usually much more affectionate and loving and will allow you to scratch and cuddle them for hours  and sit contentedly on your shoulder. Males do not usually crave this affection. However, they can be much more entertaining and usually talk a lot more.

One or Two Birds?

For people who are not at home during the day, I highly recommend that you have two Cockatiels. A single Cockatiel will fret being left alone—a totally intolerable situation for such a gregarious species. The best choice is two of the same sex. This way they will not become totally bonded to each other and both should interact more with their ‘human’ flock.

About 30 pet Cockatiels share our house. Although some are paired with the opposite sex they also have a bond with us. However, some of the ‘girls’ that are particularly bonded to us are kept separated from the ‘boys’ most of the time.

Special Bonds

My husband has a special bond with his ‘girls’—Danielle, Happy and Sally Ann. I believe that Danielle has ESP! She starts a mad callout a few minutes before he gets home—no matter wfemale it is—although she cannot possibly hear or see his car. She doesn’t stop until he walks through the door!

My girls Candice, Angelina and Brandy Ann (amongst others) are particularly bonded to me. They ‘tolerate’ my husband wfemale I am not around but will immediately ‘desert ship’ if I appear. They sit where they can on me, bickering over who will get the favourite spot pressed up under my chin hoping for a scratch.

Conclusion