# There's a cockatiel in my lilac bush **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 15, 2007, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084 "2007-06-15T02:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/21 "2007-06-16T15:56:44Z")
Whatever you do, don’t keep him. Cockatiels are the messiest birds in existence. It was a mixed blessing when ours escaped. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/22 "2007-06-16T15:57:32Z")
Oh cute! He looks just like our Oliver. (We use Oliver’s distinctive whistle to call to each other in stores, etc. Works like a charm!) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/23 "2007-06-16T18:15:38Z")
Name him Count Dooku. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/24 "2007-06-16T18:26:18Z")
Does he have a leg band? That might help with the ID? Our parrot is microchipped, but is also not an especially common species and it wouldn’t be hard to pick him out of a lineup (he’d also be muttering “Murphy! Damn it!”); I can’t imagine trying to tell one cockatiel from another. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/25 "2007-06-16T18:35:48Z")
He does look borderline adorable, though probably not a good fit for your biosphere. But I must admit that the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the thread title was that it must have come from a [Hungarian Phrasebook](http://orangecow.org/pythonet/sketches/hungry.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/26 "2007-06-16T18:39:19Z")
[QUOTE=Hal Briston] We can fix that for you… Here we go, new title: **There’s a cock…in my…bush** [/QUOTE] **Hal** and animal sex threads… ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/27 "2007-06-16T18:49:03Z")
[QUOTE=capybara] Does he have a leg band? … I can’t imagine trying to tell one cockatiel from another. [/QUOTE] No, there’s no leg band, which makes things tough. Do bords get microchips? You should have heard me trying to describe him to Animal Control and the Humane Society. “Well, he’s mostly gray, with a yellow crest and orange circles on his cheeks. And, uh… there’s white at the base of each wing… he looks like every other cockatiel ever.” ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/28 "2007-06-16T18:52:53Z")
Wow, he’s gorgeous! My mother has a female cockatiel with a lot of the same markings. Sigh… they’d make such a lovely couple! **Beadalin** I’m so glad hubby was able to get him safely inside. Any updates on the owner yet? ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/29 "2007-06-16T18:56:38Z")
Some birds get microchips-- not many, and it’s probably more common with bigger/ more expensive birds. If you took him to a vet they should have a scanner that can tell if there is one. Well, they’re probably not good eatin’,and they’re only about 40 bucks or something, so your respondents who seem to be owners might very well be the owners-- who would lie for a cockatiel? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/30 "2007-06-16T19:58:49Z")
[QUOTE=Beadalin] You should have heard me trying to describe him to Animal Control and the Humane Society. “Well, he’s mostly gray, with a yellow crest and orange circles on his cheeks. And, uh… there’s white at the base of each wing… he looks like every other cockatiel ever.” [/QUOTE] Er, um, yeah, this thread got me thinking about how we would identify Oliver if he came up missing – the answer being that we’d probably have to go by behavior, songs, etc. He’s very shy and afraid of handses, so it’s not like we could call him to us by name. And who knows if he’d exhibit his usual behavior in an unfamiliar environment like, oh, I don’t know, **Beadalin’s** house? ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/31 "2007-06-18T03:12:49Z")
[QUOTE=Beadalin] You should have heard me trying to describe him to Animal Control and the Humane Society. “Well, he’s mostly gray, with a yellow crest and orange circles on his cheeks. And, uh… there’s white at the base of each wing… he looks like every other cockatiel ever.” [/QUOTE] It’s surprisingly easy to tell if a cockatiel is yours if you lose him. They all have individual personalities, and it comes out in the way they walk, they way they cock their head, how they respond to voices, words, hands, their name, etc., and even the way they preen, how well-kept their plumage is, and the colour of their toenails. Man, if my tiel was ever lost, I’d be able to pick him out in a heartbeat. That goes for every tiel I’ve ever owned, from standard greys to the more exotic cinnamon pearls and whitefaces. ---
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/32 "2007-06-18T03:24:06Z")
Oh I am so glad that you got her out of the bush and inside! From the photos my guess would be that it is a she, standard grey. Pretty tiel! Too bad she is a seed eater, a fresher diet is much more healthy, but sometimes they can be difficult to convert. You might want to try some pasta, either cooked or uncooked. Corn is a favorite, too. Please do not feed her grit, she doesn’t need it and it can harm her. Make certain that the empty seed hulls aren’t covering up the uneaten seeds. Other than that, enjoy her while you have her, and bonus points for being such good willed people! ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/33 "2007-06-18T03:26:38Z")
That has to be the dirtiest thread title I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/34 "2007-06-18T08:59:58Z")
There’s an easy way to “tag” your cockateil: teach him/her to say her/his name or a distinctive phrase --cockateils aren’t brilliant talkers like budgies and some big parrots, but most of 'em can learn to say three or four short, simple things. They’re _real_ good at learning to whistle little tunes, so that might work better. Thank goodness my Picklepuss never got lost, but if he had and I had had to put out a lost pet poster, I could’ve listed “He says his name, and also ‘Breakfasttime!’ and can whistle _Tequila_” as identifying characteristics. And (slight hijack) that bird certainly _did_ know what that one word, “breakfasttime!” meant., and nobody will ever be able to convince me he didn’t There’s nothing quite like having a feathered devil-baby order breakfast at quarter-past whafuck AM every morning to settle _that_ argument! ---
**Author:** ![conurepete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@conurepete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conurepete)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/35 "2007-06-18T10:29:04Z")
It could be harder to ID- I had a mitred conure. They are a big green and red conure. Every molt, the pattern of red and green feathers would change. Still, I could have picked him out of any lineup, and he could always pick me out in strange environments. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/36 "2007-06-18T16:46:11Z")
**LunaV** and **DLuxN8R-13** , I’m sure you’re right about being able to identify your own bird. I’ve never owned one before and so I don’t know what this one’s “tells” would be, but of the people who’d responded to the Craigslist ad looking for their lost pets, each one has said the one we have is not their bird after seeing the photos. **kaiwik** , thanks for letting me know it’s probably a girl! I think we defaulted to boy to restore gender equilibrium in the house – our dogs are female and the cat’s male. Hee hee. A trip to the vet is in order for this week, where we thought we’d get advice on care as well as find out the sex. One of the things I’d like to research is how (or if) we can shift its diet to fresh stuff rather than seed-only. We’ve named the birdie, which I’m sure means we’re even further down the road to keeping it. My husband is more than half in love with it, and we were standing together admiring it as it perched on his finger. It has this habit of puffing out the feathers alongside its beak, so it looks like it has muttonchops. Thus, we’ve named it **Smalls** , after the bass player in Spinal Tap. Anyone know of any good sites to research the care and feeding of cockatiels? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/37 "2007-06-18T16:48:44Z")
[QUOTE=Beadalin] When I came home, there was my husband, sitting at the computer with a pretty bird on his head. The bird is now sitting on my head as I type this. [/QUOTE] Cockatiels are known for their long and very sharp cloacal injectors, which they use to deposit perception-altering chemicals into the nervous system at the base of the skull. The typical insertion posture is as you describe it, sitting on top of the victim’s head. If you or your husband begins wondering about the taste of mealworms, you have been compromised and you must seek medical attention immediately. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/38 "2007-06-18T16:59:55Z")
My parents had a cockatiel that could wolf whistle, say ‘pretty bird’, and whistle a little tune my dad taught it. The problem was that if you got it going the damn thing wouldn’t shut it trap. Hearing it say ‘pretty bird’ once was cute, but when it was starting on half an hour with no break I just wanted run it through a fan. And it liked to start making noise on it’s own too, usually about 7 AM. And then there was the time my brother brought his wife and her 3 little girls to the house. My dad showed them the amazing talking bird, and all three of them loved it. Loved it so much they started immitating him in the loudest shrillest voices they could manage. All weekend long. It was living living with 3 fire alarms that just went off randomly every few minutes. You can have em. I’ll try and stick with pets that can’t make that much noise. Like my couch. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/39 "2007-06-18T17:23:37Z")
**There’s a cockatiel in my lilac bush** Don’t be alarmed now. It’s only a spring clean for the May Queen. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084/40 "2007-06-18T18:21:27Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Cockatiels are known for their long and very sharp cloacal injector. [/QUOTE] That’s hot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-cockatiel-in-my-lilac-bush/408084.md?page=3)