What to feed your Cockatiel: Seed Mix and Sprouting

There are several seeds in the bird market, my quest for the perfect mix for the cockatiel ended up in a simple word: "variety". The ratio and amount of which depends on the current need of your birds.

Millet: Eleven percent(11%) protein. Millets abound in B vitamins, folic acid, potassium, zinc, iron, magnesium and calcium.

Sun flower seeds: Contains essential fatty acids,great source of amino acids, dietary fiber, Vitamin E which is essential in breeding, folate, Thiamine and minerals: magnesium, copper, phosphorus, manganese, potassium, selenium, iron, calcium and zinc. For more info refer to SunFatter Seeds

Canary seeds: There is no definitive statistics on the nutrient content of the canary seed though isolated tests affirm that it may have one of the highest protein concentrations of the seed world.

Hulled Oats / Oat Groats: Hulled oats are semi-processed oats, where the shell has already been removed, oat groats, being raw and unprocessed, is said to have the most nutrients locked-in. Fortunately, the cockatiels beak can easily dehusk these seeds.

Hemp Seed: The multi-vitamins of the bird world. Said to contain the most complete of all the seeds mentioned, used to trigger breeding and well-being in the form of singing.

Sprouting
is an excellent fresh food that you can grow utilizing the seeds mentioned above. Sprouting presents an entirely new set of beneficial enzymes that is not unlocked in seed form. There are many complicated or tedious steps to sprout but it is quite easy, all that you need is a damp environment for the seed provided with proper organic antiseptic to prevent spoilage.

Step 1: Choose your seed mix.

Step 2: Wash and Rinse with water and organic vinegar(at least 20% vinegar,
apple cider can be a good choice), let the seed soak in it for at least 30
minutes.

Step 4: Place the seeds above a damp environment, preferably a foam with the same
mixture of water and vinegar. Place in a lighted place with no direct
sunlight.

Step 5: Make sure you check the moisture on the foam daily, depending on your local temperature. Expect to harvest and serve in no more than 4-5 days.

Cockatiel Breeding Step by Step: The Pair

Choosing your pair for breeding might be a daunting task. There are several purposes for this , one is to pair to obtain a certain type or breed, called selective breeding. You can obtain an "Albino" cockatiel (Technically a double mutation) by pairing a whiteface and a lutino. Many breeders believe (and with some scientific back-up) that letting the cockatiels "choose" their own mate produces stronger bonds and stronger chicks in effect, this is called natural pairing. These options are within your grasp but the basic requirements stay the same.

Age. Cockatiels are capable of breeding at 5-6 months of age but breeders are strongly against it. The parents are too young and most commonly irresponsible parents. They have little patience and readily abandon the clutch. Some suggests to breed Them at 18 months of age and there is no disputing that, but experience tells me that at just about 14 months of age, cockatiels are ready and capable parents. If you have all the time in the world, there is no reason not to stick to the 18 month rule.

Health Condition. breeding is a stressful, long term activity, you must prepare the pair for this. "Peak form" is the key. Provide eggfood, calcium in the form of eggshell and cuttle-bone, greens and the daily seed supply. Build up their health at least two months before breeding time. Cockatiels in captivity doesn't have a breeding season, you provide the triggers and they will respond.


Sexing your Male and Female: read this link Sexing your cockatiel

Cockatiel Breeding Step by Step (equipment)

A. The Breeding Cage.

The cockatiel is an eager breeder and is capable of breeding even in standard twin cages (17in. x 30in.). Now that is NOT recommended. Exercise and space for mobility is very important since a new batch is coming forth and they need space to fly about and test their wings. Bigger is better but a flight cage of 2ft. x 3ft. x 4ft. would be ideal. With this size, you can place the nest box higher giving the pair a safer ambiance, this may save you a lot of chicks that may fall victim to night frights.

B. The Nest Box.

The standard nest box is 1ft. x 1ft. x 1ft made of wood(preferably light and durable like "Palo Chino", used on crate boxes). The hole should have a diameter of 2.5-3 inches. The nestbox floor can be lined with nesting material usually hay, shaved wood or shredded paper to contain heat on the eggs and avoid rolling. The nest box size is large enough to accommodate both parents as they usually tend to the young simultaneously. It is also capable of holding 4-5 chicks. Once set-up it is best to leave the nest untouched unless emergencies(like mite infestation, chick death) call for major attention, thus it is a must to have a side door to peek on a daily basis.

c. Perches.

Provide enough perches near the nestbox hole as wandering chicks will jump out and need some branches to hold on to. Extra precaution must be made as common injuries occur on direct fall the first time they jump out of the hole, also provide some cushioning on the floor like hay directly beneath the nest box.

Choosing a Healthy Cockatiel

So you want to buy your first cockatiel, here is a guide.

Plumage. The plumage should have some sheen on them, overly fluffed-up birds indicates that it is probably ill, this may be common though during cold weather. The plumage should be smooth and arranged. Falling feathers may be a sign of molting, this is a extremely stressful stage to any bird and their immune system is weak during this period.

Vent. The feathers on the vent area should be devoid of dirt, it is an indication that the bird is suffering from diarrhea or sits on the floor too often.

Posture. A healthy cockatiel will have an alert posture, drooping heads and arched backs are indicators of health problems.

Eyes and skin. Eyes should be wide, full circle and alert, avoid watery or half closed, glassy eyes. Check exposed skins to avoid warts, scaling, boils and the like. These maybe an indication of mites and other bacterial or fungal infections.

Behavior. A healthy cockatiel is alert and inquisitive, the male sings when in the pink of health. Though cockatiels would rather sit and stare, it is agile when in motion, flight is also a good indicator.If you prefer a more domesticated bird, try to hand over a sunflower seed and see if its reaction.

Symmetry. Visually divide the bird vertically in halfand compare one side from the other, the better the similarities of the left to the right side, or vice versa, the better. The cockatiel should walk with complete balance, obese and ill birds would lumber about.

Age. Ask about the age of your cockatiel, purchase a bird not less than three months old. They are able to breed at the age of six(6) months but it is suggested to pair them at one(1) year of age. Cockatiels' average life span is 15-20 years.

Inspect the neighbors, aviary. Observe all the birds in the aviary. A visually healthy bird may show symptoms of illness days after they are broght home due to illness acquired from sick cage mates. Most bacterial diseases are air born so check the whole flock.

Cockatiel Care - Sour Crop on Chicks

Sour crop is quite common to cockatiel chicks, and is one of the main casuses of death to handfed cockatiel chicks. The crop isa a bird's food storage, it provides them with constant supply of energy for long flights. Sour crop is when the contents of the crop is not able to push through the digestive system and gets stuck in the crop. There may be many causes of sour crop; bacterial, yeast infection and impaction being the most common.

Impaction can be caused by irregular sized foods causing blockage in the crop. Handfed chicks rarely encounter this. It still occurs on at timeswhen the chicks ingested its nesting material. Breeders usually try the following:

- Feed a more diluted formula followed by a light crop massage
- Provide mineral oil in the food to loosen the contents and slowly massage the crop
- Saline solution to the bird and massage.

The following procedures must be done by your vet.

- Flushing the crop. A last resort, involves extracting the contents of the crop forcibly in to the mouth of the chick. Survival rate is not guaranteed, the smaller the chick, the riskier the attempt.

- Operation. cutting up the outer skin in to the crop, emptying it and sewing them back on. Depending on the size and age of the chick this should absolutely be done by your veterinarian.

Sour crop due to bacterial infection can be easily cured by administering antibiotics but can backfire to the chicks health, antibiotics kills all the bacteria in its apth, including the good ones, probiotics are applied after medication to replenish the good bacteria. Laboratory culture is used to determine sour crop due to bacterial infection. Fungi will not react on rash antibiotic treatment causing only the good bacteria to be eradicated. Unless in an emergency situation, antibiotics should be administered only by your veterinarian.

Fungus is the most common cause of sour crop in handfed chicks, the candida sp. strain is a fast growing fungus that developes a clay-like indigestible ball in the crop. It grows each feeding and your best and probably only option is to cure it through medication. feeding Nystatin ( brand name mycostatine)solution will immediately eliminate the clay ball.

Chicks fed by their parents have lesser risk of acquiring sour crop. Prevention is still the best cure.

Charcoal - Cockatiel First Aid - Cure Against Toxins

One of the most frustrating thing a cockatiel owner might encounter is an ill bird. Diagnosis is extremely difficult as symptoms are at best hidden by the bird instinctively. Administering unnecessary medication might be even more detrimental to their health.

In cases of poisoning, ingestion of toxic chemicals, plants and the like, there is one safe and natural remedy that is a miracle cure, immediately available and extremely cheap. Charcoal. This organic fuel has long been used by mankind as fuel in heating and cooking. It is also used to aid in various ailments, most commonly stomach discomforts. So powerful it can clean up cyanide poisoning as long as the chemical is still in the digestive tract. For medicinal and cleansing purposes such as water filtration, a more powerful form of charcoal is created, dubbed as "activated" charcoal or carbon. It is more efficient but any household charcoal will do, considering its a first aid solution.

Always remember that charcoal is a cure for chemical poisoning and other toxins, e.g. those which some plants produce. Ailments caused by viruses and bacteria will not have any improvement upon charcoal consumption.

The procedure is quite simple, crush the charcoal and serve it mixed with a favorite dry dish like eggfood. Also leave a solid piece inside the cage as cockatiels have a habit of nibbling through it like Cuttlebone.

Next step. Contact your veterinarian.

Charcoal indeed is a life saver, it can save your pet in emergency situations and it can also be supplied in their daily diet as it is known to have no side effect to the birds' health. It is suggested to always leave a piece of charcoal for them to nibble on.

This article is made after an in-depth research that goes beyond cockatiel sites who have only one similar solution, 'bring the bird to the vet' which can be miles or days away to some frustrated pet lovers. We cannot argue with that, but in emergency situations like poisoning, your vet is not in the house, your charcoal is.

Cockatiel Egg Fostering Basics

Abandonment of the clutch, death of a parent or both and other emergency situations will push you to save the eggs and fostering is a luxury not all of us have. But if you are one of the lucky few, read on.

You have two options to save the brood. One is to incubate them artificially then hand feed, a rewarding but expensive and sometimes heart breaking experience as chicks which are hand fed from day one are prone to most diseases, lacking the immunity usually provided by the parents.

your next option is fostering. Fostering has been used to allow some species escape extinction. Society Finches are famous foster parents , when they see a clutch, the whole "society" will usually adopt and raise them. The world of the cockatiels aren't as lucky as the finches though, fostering is only possible to those who, at the same period, are also nesting.

So option one. Foster the abandoned clutch to another nesting pair of cockatiels. Make sure the difference in age between the original clutch and the one to be fostered is no more than three(3) days old. This is to avoid any great disparity in size of the chicks. The larger ones will out compete the late comers in food and when the difference is too big the parents will most likely shift to survival mode and sacrifice the smaller clutch.

Option number two. Foster the eggs to another close, similar sized parrot specie, most commonly the Budgerigar. Same as rule number one, observe the disparity in the age of the eggs. Remember that the count starts when the incubation starts. The cockatiel and the budgerigar has the same average period of incubation, eighteen to twenty one(18-21) days.

Option three. Fostering under the African lovebirds. They are so popular and although being smaller, they are excellent foster parents. Take note though that the chicks will be larger than their foster parents in two weeks so be ready to proceed with hand feeding after this period. They will be easier to hand raise at this stage with less feeding interval and better immune system.

Fostering under species of different sized parrots such as the parakeet; No breeder reported of any luck so better proceed with hand feeding.

Fostering will save you lots of time, money and most importantly, your clutch.

Cockatiel Mutation: PIED

The pied cockatiel has an irregular color pattern in comparison to the normal gray. The ratio and distribution of the colors defines if it is a Light pied, Heavy Pied or Clear pied.

Light Pied. The dark and gray hues dominate the yellow shades in the body. A gray cockatiel with some white markings at the back of the forehead is considered a "light pied".

Heavy Pied. This is a more favored mutation since the yellow color is proportionally more distributed than the gray, a specific balance of pattern is what breeders usually look for. The yellow will be replaced by white plumage if the bird is a white face.

Clear Pied. The absence of all the gray colors doesn't necessarily mean the bird is a lutino. A pied bird with no gray or dark color is called a clear pied. Dark eyes will reveal this phenomenon unlike the lutino which has red or pink. The entire bird will also be white if it is a whiteface mutation.

The Pied mutation is a recessive gene, if bred with a pure normal gray will produce one hundred percent (100%) normal gray chicks.

Red, White, Black and Yellow Millet

Which one to feed your bird? Which is more nutritious? Can they be mixed together? If then on what ratio. These questions lingered long on my mind as I am in the continous quest to find the best seedmix diet for my birds and here is what I uncovered: Millets contain at least 11% protein in weight, a vital ingredient in feather prodution as feathers are mostly protein in the form of keratin. Other nutrients include various types of vitamin B, folic acid and carbohydrates. Having no gluten, millets are known to have no allergic effect. Millet, aside from the canary seed should comprise at least 30% of your seedmix. You go to a super birdstore and suddenly found a variety of colors, with a price difference t almost 50%, white, also known as "pearl" being teh cheapest.
The fact is, laboratory nutrient tests on the millet is the same to all its colored varieties, thus, it oil boils down to choice. Your birds' choice.
I have honestly given them all those four types in one mix and one color stands out: The black millet. Stands out in the sense that it is the only think left in the plate, as much as possible, cockatiels or finches, they dont want to do anything with it unless starvation moves in. Given its relatively high price, my birds are giving me a great favor. The others are consumed fairly but not until the white "pearls" have pretty much ran out.
So there you have it: Winner of the royal rumble. Nutritious, cheap, readily available and very much popular to your cockatiels, the white aka "pearl" millet.

Visually Sexing Your Cockatiel

Visually Sexing Your Cockatiel is possible to most mutations except two, the Whiteface Lutino aka "Albino" and the Pied. These two radically eliminates the color markings to identify the female (albino) or mixes up all the color pattern (Pied) to provide proper identification.
Visually sexing your cockatiel is reliable after the completion of the first molt, which takes about 6-8 months of age. Before the first molt all of them look like girls.
The cock will have a bright yellow face mask with prominent cheek patches (except the whiteface). The hen will have a yellow face but of little surface area with the body color(usually gray) interloping parts of it including the cheek patch making it look duller than the male.

Barrings remain underneath the tail of the hen while they are absent after the first molt of the male.

Like the barrings, female cockatiels retain their spots under their wing where they are shed off by the male during maturity.

These spots and barrings are present even in the lutino. A bright light source will be necessary to visually identify the yellow/white barrings.

The Pearl's scalloped design while slowly shed off by the male during its first year while it will remain prominent in the female.

Combine these visual tips with your cockatiel's behavior and you have a relatively high chance of identifying the sexual orientation of your cockatiel.

Egg Binding, A Breeder's Approach

Egg Binding is a serious problem attributed to the inability of a bird to lay or expel its egg/s from its body.
It is observed that smaller birds including cockatiels are more susceptible to egg binding.
The usual cause of such inability is an abnormality in the egg's structure. Either soft shelled or abnormally larger in size, the stuck egg may kill your bird within seconds.
Lovely, my first cockatiel to succumb to egg binding, was all playful and active minutes before egg binding struck and killed her immediately.
The following are major causes of egg binding:

Lack of Calcium. Eggs are made of calcium. Being depleted of this element will cause hens to produce soft shelled eggs that are hard to expel. This happens when there is little or no calcium source within their diet, and even if there is a source, too many clutches laid within a small period of time will be too much for any small bird.

Overbreeding. More than two clutches a year places your bird at a high risk to encounter egg binding. Calcium and nutrient intake will not be able to catch up with the fast depletion of these nutrients due to excessive egg production.

Lack of Essential vitamins. Producing and laying eggs are stressful activities and Calcium is but a small portion of what a hen needs. Lack of other vitamins will lead to abnormally shaped egg that the cloaca is not designed to handle.

Age. A young bird, in the case of a cockatiel, below a year old, have a higher risk of egg binding due to the underdeveloped reproductive systems.

Prevention.

Apparently, given the list of causes, a responsible breeder can take steps to minimize it. Cuttlebone is the best and most trusted calcium source as it is natural, it also supplies necessary amount of iodine and most importantly, your cockatiels are more than willing to take them. They should always be available even when not breeding. Two or three times a week, soluble vitamins can be added to their water source. It is said that adding drops of vegetable oil to their seed dish can lessen the risk dramatically. For the overzealous breeders, remove the nest box after the second clutch to discourage further breeding until the next season.

Cure

Unfortunately, your veterinary is the only possible cure for your bird. Operation may be necessary and you don't have the tools for it nor the knowledge. The bird may be injected with calcium for cloacal contraction helping to expel the egg. With all these possible solutions the risk of losing your bird is still very high.

Always remember that breeding and egg laying is always an emergency situation. Do your best to stop egg binding before it happens.

Mutations: The "Albino"

The Albino Cockatiel is a misnomer, it doesn't exist. Rather, it is a combination of two mutations, the lutino and the whiteface. The combination resulted in a bird with no dark/gray plumage and no cheekpatch, creating the "albino" cockatiel. Due to this mix of two mutations, the albino cockatiel is priced above the normal or average mutation. The whiteface removes all the white in the bird, the lutino mutation removes all of the gray/black coloration, you end up with a white bird. The genetically correct name for it would be a "Whiteface lutino". The Whiteface Lutino or "Albino" cannot be visually sexed.

Mutations: The Silver Cockatiel

The Silver Cockatiel is a normal gray in dilute form. This mutation has distinct red eyes, a pink beak and pink feet. Male Silvers commonly have a yellow face and orange cheek patches after its first molt. Female Silvers will retain most of the patterns and features of a gray except that it is diluted presenting a silver color.

That is for the general description, a more in depth explanation needs more of your attention.

There are two known types of 'silver' cockatiels. This type of mutation can be acquired from one parent or both, making the single and double factor types. There is also a dominant silver and a recessive silver. The recessive mutation displays a light silvery color, they have red eyes like that of lutinos.

The double factors have lighter plumage than the single factor.

A dark gray cap on a silver bird shows that it is a dominant silver, the only prominent visual difference to a recessive silver aside from the fact that all dominant silvers have dark eyes.

Sexing the silver cockatiel is same as the normal, look for markings under the wing and tail, spots and barring represents a female on mature species.

SunFATTER seeds

You place a mixture of seeds in a bowl, millet, canary seeds, rape, oat groat and sunflower seeds. The next minute the sunflower seeds are chowed down like there is no tomorrow while the others (except the oat groat)are ignored until the next hungry season. The sunflower seeds are technically labeled as the "Junk Food" of the bird world, the preference of most birds to this seed has triggered an obesity malady in the species. To set the record straight it is unfair to label it as junk as it is known that oil(which is mostly what it is made of) is a major necessity in a bird's diet(even in yours). The key element is "moderation". The feathers need oil for their health, utilization and water proofing. Too much of it though will fatten your bird which will trigger a lot of other internal problems in due time. So the bottom line is, use sunflower seeds as a treat. Do not mix it up in your daily servings, give it two or three times a weeks while regulating the obesity of your pets. Sunflower seeds have large amounts of vitamin E that is essential in breeding and nurturing birds, so you may double your serving during these periods.

Myths and Legends of Chick Mortality

There have been undocumented reports, agreements between experienced breeders that were never put to the test, never written in paper and to most of these breeders they really wished they never will be.
Cockatiels are relatively easy to breed. When a good pair starts breeding, one might have to intervene or they may never stop laying to the detriment of the hen's health. Per clutch you may find about four to seven or eight eggs but some might get discarded or destroyed before hatching or abandoned by the parents leaving only one or two to survive. Breeders believe this is a psychological instinctive trigger built in to the parent's system to provide better surviving results for the remaining chicks.
Now what are the triggers.

Food and Water

This is the most important trigger. Never let the dishes empty, there should always be an EXCESS of food. Like summer season in the wild, food is abundunt as seeds and fruits produces more than enough to support a big family. The parents upon seeing this will continue to provide for the chicks without the need to manage each meal. Once the parents notice that the food is scarce, (though you know you will provide it if need be) they will abandon the weakest, usually the smallest of the chicks and increase the survival rate of its siblings by reserving the meager available food for them.

Temperature and Humidity

Imitating the summer season would be the best approach, thus an indoor cage where temperature can be managed is a more appropriate location. Dampness of the nest box is a major factor for complete abandonment of the clutch. Provide proper cover from drafts, sudden temperature changes and rain if the cage is outdoors.


Pests/Predators

Make sure no pests like mites, ants and the like will enter the nestbox, precautionary steps should be taken before breeding, taking into account the sanitary steps for your nest site. If infested during the nesting process there is no other choice but to remove the parents temporarily, pull out the eggs/chicks and sanitize the site before returning them together.

Predators are common to an outdoor setup, make sure your perimeter is secure from cats, snakes etc. The railings of your cage can be more secure by doubling it up with chicken wires. Indoor setup is not devoid of predators. Inside, YOU are the predator. Do not startle the nesting family or it may destroy the clutch or abandon them completely. Cockatiels though are known to be one of the most tolerant pet birds during its breeding season just make sure you make slow, expected movements. When checking the nestbox it is customary to "knock" three times to let them know you are coming, this simple respectful act can save you lots of cheeky lives.

Handfeeding cockatiels

Things to remember

When to Pullout

If you have a choice, chicks should be pulled out at 2 weeks of age. During this period the chick should be stronger, its eyes open, it would be easier to feed, domesticate and its immune system more complete.
Pulling out a chick younger than 2 weeks old is possible though not recommended. Uno, our first handfed bird was pulled out from the nest when he was 2 days old, he is a sour crop survivor. During this period until the second week you have to feed it once every two hours constantly with a watery solution of your handfeed mix with a rubber tube and syringe.

Brooding materials and sterilization

Others use an enclosed small glass aquarium, bottom lined with wood shavings then covered with newspaper. What works best for me though is a fruit basket more like of a wicker nest. bottom covered with newspaper and another layer of crumpled paper. This makes it easier(and cheaper) for me to clean up. the crumpled paper had to be replaced when soiled before the next feeding time.

Temperature Control

The younger the chick's age the more important this is. Young chicks don't have enough feathers to regulate heat properly, they still depend on their parents for their heat source, especially in colder places. If purchasing a heater is easy in your location, lucky you. The most commonly used improvisation though is the use of a lamplight. The distance of the bulb from the brooders' floor can be adjusted to properly meet the desired temperature which should be as warm(not hot) as a humans' breadth.

Handfeeding formula/mix

There are lots of available hand feeding formulas in the market. In our locale though, it is not that easily available. And yes there are proven options if you have a similar situation as mine. Baby foods specifically those which are made of fruits, cereals and the like are possible and sometimes, specially at chicks a week old or younger, safer. I purchased a handfeeding formula that is really good except that it is still grainy (not powdery like baby's food which is finer) and I'm not sure if my formula is not watery enough, choked one of my 4 day old chicks to death. Since then I only use Cerelac (Fruits and soya) for week old or younger chicks. Upon reaching the first week though, it is better to use the more balanced specifically formulated handfeeding solutions. You can notice that they grow much faster and fatter.

Preparing chick for handfeeding

Handfeeding Schedule

Wing clipping

I will make a stand on this as others try to play safe in the middle others oppose it, but one can say that when one is handfeeding chicks, this is almost a necessity.

Sour Crop on Handfed Chicks

This is said to be typically common on cockatiel chicks. One of the common culprits is cold food. This induces the fungi Candida to grow which is one its main causes, it can also be caused by bacterial growth. It can also be due to impaction, solid foods blocking the passage, though it should be a rare cause for handfed chicks since they are fed plain handfeeding formulas. This is a RED ALERT, time is definitely against you, our first handfed chick Uno survived it.

Kinds and Mutations of Cockatiels

NORMAL GRAY:

This is the natural color of a wild cockatiel often referred to as “Wild type”. Every other color that deviates from this is a mutation. An adult gray is primarily gray in body color with white markings at the end of each wing. The gray body should be devoid of any other markings and/or coloration or it will be considered a pied, this can be seen on some markings/patches at the back of the head. They are dimorphic ( can be visually sexed). The face of the male is yellow extending up to its crest. Due to this base color, the cheek patch is often more prominent on the male specie. The female has a primarily gray face with some muted yellow and barrings apparent at the underside of its tail. The male has the same visual characteristics as the female before its first molt.
Eyes: Dark or black.

*** It is always assumed that the wild type is genetically the strongest of the species and has the near perfect immune system, with better breeding/parenting instincts. Thus to strengthen other mutations most are paired back to these original grays.


PEARL:

This is a case when the central gray pigment of the feathers is muted and the yellow/white pigment (psittacin) is replaced, resulting in a scalloped-patterned feather. Gradually, the male loses much of this pattern after its final molt which will take about a year, while the female retains them. Due to this it is easier to sex this mutation through behavior. Pearl chicks two weeks of age can be identified with spots and specks visible through its pin feathers.
Pied
The pied has lost its general pattern of color. Any spot of yellow, white or gray that shouldn’t be placed in a wild-type (or any other mutation) pattern is a pied. Due to this, it is unreliable to trust sexing through vision as the rules of pattern for dimorphism are erased. The distribution of these colors can be classified as light pied, heavy pied, reverse pied and clear pied.
Eyes: Dark

LUTINO

Identified with its missing Dark and Gray pigments allover its body.
This makes a stunning Cockatiel, made up of yellow/white body and a yellow face, the white face mutation combined with the lutino make up the commonly known "Albino" type, though it is merely a combination of two types of mutation, Albinos don't really exist in the Cockatiel.

PIED

The pied cockatiel has an irregular pattern of colors in its plumage, any dark blot, spot in a lutino cockatiel makes it PIED. There are two common forms: the regular pied and the heavy pied. The regular or normal pied has more dark feathers in its body while a heavy pied has more lighter( yellow or white) in its feathers. The prized standard is that of a balanced pattern of dark feathers between the back of the wing in a heavy pied bird.
There is absolutely no reliable sexing that can be done on a pied bird by simply looking at its plumage.

WHITEFACE

A mutation that can coexist with all other mutations except the pied. Resembles a missing cheek patch and a white face instead of yellow. When in visual existence with the Lutino, generates the pseudo Albino type.



Other High and rare mutations will be discussed individually during updates of this blogsite like the
Silver,Cinnamon& fallow, Pastelface, Platinum, olive, yellow cheek, Sable.

Nymphicus Hollandicus

KINGDOM  :  ANIMALIA
PHYLUM   :  CHORDATA
CLASS    :  AVES
ORDER    :  PSITTACIFORMES
FAMILY   :  CACATUIDAE
SUBFAMILY:  CALYPTORHYNCHINAE
GENUS    :  NYMPHICUS

SPECIES  :  NYMPHICUS HOLLANDICUS

Cockatiels are Parrots under the Cockatoo family, the smallest of these crested kind.