lirralirra

Australia has many truly amazing birds and the Cockatiel is definitely one of them.

I have been lucky enough to see Cockatiels in the wild but I was too far away to get close-ups (one wild Cockatiel image shared below). The Cockatiels in the first two images are captive birds living in a large flight aviary.

Cockatiels are the smallest cockatoo species. They are predominantly grey, which looks warmer in the late afternoon light in the shots below. They have dark eyes, flushes of yellow and orange cheeks. I love the detail of its raised crest.

Pairs of Cockatiels share the incubation of their eggs which are laid in tree hollows. Many birds have pair-bonding rituals, especially birds that share raising their nestlings. The Cockatiels above are grooming and preening each other, this pair-bonding ritual is called allopreening.

This is one of the wild Cockatiels I saw when I was on the Tanami Track out of Alice Springs. It was amazing to see them fly in to bathe and drink. I was a long way from the far side of the dam and was using my first Canon gear – I’d love to have this opportunity again with my new gear and a few more years of experience.

Happy birding, stay safe, Kim

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