Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus Scientific name definitions

29–33 cm (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ); c. 80–100 g. Mainly brownish grey, with long tail and long wispy crest . Male paler below with forehead, chin, throat and cheeks yellow , enclosing orange ear-coverts; upperwing grey with white patch; underwing and undertail black; bill and feet grey, or legs grey-brown (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ); eye dark brown. Female has mainly grey head  with slight yellow wash on face, and dull orange ear-coverts; white wing-patch; undersurfaces faintly barred with dark grey; undersurface of tail barred yellow and dark grey; outer tail feathers mostly yellow; bare parts as in male. Juvenile like female; some males gain bright face patch at c. 6 months old.

Irregular occurrence throughout interior of mainland Australia.

Arid and semi-arid open country with water  ; savanna, open woodland, riverine forest (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ), acacia woodland (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ), spinifex (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ), grassland, orchards (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ), cultivation, and grain stubble.

Strong flier. Outside breeding season, forms large, nomadic flocks that follow the seeding of native grasses and cultivated crops, and therefore generally following rains (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ). Like most granivores, requires water, and in times of drought flocks may even reach the coast. In S of range, tends to be more regular in seasonal occurrence, arriving to breed in spring but usually departing early in the new year, but also regular movements to and around Darwin (Northern Territory) in winter (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ). Records from Tasmania and around Sydney (New South Wales) postulated to involve escapes, rather than vagrants (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ).

Wide variety of small seeds, usually gathered from the ground but also from standing crops such as sorghum and sunflower (sorghum is preferred). Where abundant, native grass seed is eaten in preference to these crops, but nonetheless regarded as an agricultural pest in some areas (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ). Feeds twice a day: shortly after sunrise, when the average weight of food eaten is 2·72 g (dry weight); and about an hour and a half before sunset, when the feed is larger 4·25g (dry weight); daily average total of 7 g. Mean size of feeding flocks in one study was 27 birds, but 100s sometimes observed, occasionally even up to 1000, often associated with Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) at waterholes, which are visited on daily basis (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ).

Plaintive “queel, queel-queel” or “weero” (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ).

Usually Aug–Dec in S Australia, more usually Apr–Jul in N of range (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ). Nests on floor of a tree-hollow  , lined with wood dust (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ), generally in a tree near or in water; birds enter hollow tail first. Clutch size 1–7 eggs  (mean c. 4) (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ); several clutches may be laid in a single season; incubation c. 20 days, by both sexes ; chick  has abundant yellow down; in captivity, nestlings remain in the hollow for c. 5 weeks, being fed mainly early and late in day (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ). Fledglings mature quickly and soon become part of large nomadic flocks, but remain as family groups for c. 1 month after leaving nest (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ). Breeds readily in aviaries.

Not globally threatened. Abundant, with overall population postulated to be in region of one million individuals (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ). Large flocks may be regarded as pests by farmers growing grain; some are destroyed under permit. On other hand, species has perhaps benefitted from provision of artificial waterholes, as consequence of spread of agriculture (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ). Unfortunately, to date no extensive field study of present species has been undertaken. Occasional escapes elsewhere in world, e.g. California (2 Mabb, K. T. (1997). Roosting behavior of naturalized parrots in the San Gabriel Valley, California. Western Birds 28(4):202–208. Close ) and New York (USA), Puerto Rico, and Spain (Valencia) (3 Murgui, E. and Valentín, A. (2003). Relacion entre las caracteristicas del paisaje urbano y la comunidad de aves introducidas en la ciudad de Valencia (España) [Relationships between the characteristics of the urban landscape and the introduced bird community in the city of Valencia (Spain)]. Ardeola. 50(2): 201–214. Close ) appear to have failed to become established (1 Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). Parrots: A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ).