How Does A Cockatiel Differ From A Cockatoo?

Cockatoo and cockatiel are similar yet different birds; cockatoos have 21 species within the bird family Cacatuidae and cockatiels are the only members of the of the genus Nymphicus. Both cockatoos and cockatiels are members of the order Psittaciformes (parrots).

Important differences between a cockatoo and cockatiel:

• The first significant difference between a cockatoo and a cockatiel is that cockatiels are about 10 to 13 inches long, while cockatoos are 20 inches. Cockatiels have much smaller beaks than cockatoos that are shaped like that of a parrot.

• Cockatiels that are native to the wild in Australia are mostly gray, with yellow face and distinctive cheek patches; there could be some color changes when they are kept in captivity. Some mutations of this gray bird include lutino, pearl, cinnamon and silver cockatiels.  Cockatoos, native to Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia boast of a single color plumage of either black or white, with some species having pink, red and yellow colors. Palm, galah, corella, sulphur-crested, and black cockatoo are some of the species.

• Black cockatoo males have black beaks, while females have light colored beaks; dark brown or black irises indicate a mature male bird, while brown or burgundy indicates mature females. Male cockatiels boast of brighter orange cheek patches and yellow crests, while females have duller cheek patches and gray crests. Also male cockatiles sing a lot and behave more aggressively than the females.  

• Next both cockatiels and cockatoos can be trained to mimic human voice when adopted as a young pet; however cockatiels may prefer to mimic non-verbal sounds like melodies and whistles only.  

• Cockatiels are quieter, and calmer than the loud and socially demanding cockatoos. A cockatoo requires more of interaction with birds and human, bigger cages with plenty of time outside the cage. Also an under-stimulated cockatoos could develop destructive behavioral patterns like screeching and plucking; this is not the case with cockatiels that can be left alone for periods of time. Next  cockatoos are not an ideal pet for children or beginners because they could get jealous and cause injury with their powerful beak.

• Both cockatoos and cockatiels are available as pets, though cockatiels are more popular. Besides cockatiels the other popular cockatoo species that are kept as pets are Moluccan, umbrella, and Sulphur-crested cockatoos. These pet birds are mainly available from special breeders in USA and are pretty costly.

• Lastly cockatoos are one of the longest lived parrots and live up to an age of 100 years, while cockatiels tend to live upto an age of 12 to 14 years as pets and 25 years in the wild. It is however significant to notice that a pet cockatiel if given excellent care could also live into their 20’s.

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