Corellas. Irina Nikolaevna Nekrasova

Introduction
Corellas are cute, attractive, very sociable parrots. They are great for keeping and breeding at home, as they are trusting, easy to train and very quickly become tame. They can live alone or with other parrots.

Perhaps these beautiful parrots have only one significant drawback: an unpleasant, harsh, shrill voice. However, birds make unpleasant sounds quite rarely, only when they are alarmed or frightened, so this should not prevent those who wish to acquire a bird from opting for cockatiels.

Despite the fact that cockatiels are quite widespread in Russia, many have never heard of them, and this is not surprising, since they are better known under a different name - "nymphs". In the past, they were mistakenly considered to be cockatoo parrots, but research in recent decades has shown that cockatiels, or nymphs, are an independent species. Despite this, they look like a cockatoo in body structure, and first of all in a large beautiful crest.

Keeping cockatiels at home is not very difficult. The main recommendations for the care of these parrots are outlined in this book.

1. Basic information about cockatiels
Cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) are a fairly common species of parrots kept in captivity.

For the first time these birds were brought to Europe in 1837, and 8 years later they began to be bred in captivity. The first city in which they began to keep cockatiels in cages as poultry was Paris, from there they spread throughout Western Europe, and then throughout the world. Cockatiels were brought to Russia in 1960, and they very quickly won the love of many domestic bird lovers.

Corellas in nature
The homeland of cockatiels is the Australian continent. They were first described by the naturalist I. Gmelin in 1788 in his work “The Systematization of Nature”.

Only half a century later, in 1837, another scientist, D. Gould, began a detailed study of the life of these parrots. Traveling around the mainland, he found a lot of parrots of this breed on the plateaus in the depths of the mainland. On the coast, however, they almost never met.

The scientist noted that under natural conditions, cockatiels live on plateaus. On the coast, these parrots are quite rare.

According to those who managed to observe flights cockatiel, flocks of these birds are a very colorful sight. Several hundred cockatiels are arranged in rows on trees, straightening their tufts and sitting completely still.

They make their nests mostly in hollow trees. After hatching the chicks, the parrots gather in large flocks and fly to another place in search of food. Thus they roam the mainland.

In nature, cockatiels feed on the seeds of various herbs. It is noted that they cannot do without water for a long time, therefore, they always stop for nesting near water bodies - rivers or lakes.

Corellas are very mobile parrots: they not only fly, but can also run quite quickly on the ground and climb tree trunks and branches. Cockatiels fly not particularly fast, but quite easily and are capable of making long flights.

They are not at all afraid of people. If you scare the cockatiel, she will just fly from the ground to a tree, sit there and observe the situation. As soon as the danger has passed, the cockatiel will again descend to the ground.

As a result, parrots in nature often become the prey of hunters: they are caught and eaten (corell meat is quite tasty) or sold to be kept in cages. Corellas are very popular due to their sociability and kind nature.

As a rule, cockatiel chicks hatch twice a year. The first time they lay eggs in October, the second - in early January. Usually cockatiel clutch consists of 6-8 eggs. Birds feed the chicks for quite a long time, even after they have already learned to fly and left the nest.

Corellas are great for breeding at home.
Appearance and colors of cockatiels
Corella is a parrot with a body length of 310–330 mm. The length of its wing is 170–180 mm, the tail is 165–175 mm. Approximate body weight - 110-120 g.

Corells have a large beak, in appearance resembling a cockatoo's beak. It is weaker than that of this bird, but still strong enough: cockatiels are able to crack nuts and various fruits.

The wings of cockatiels are long, pointed, with long primary feathers (the second feather is the longest). The tail is also long, shaped like a wedge, the tail feathers being the longest. The paws of the bird are rather weak, with short metatarsus.

A distinctive feature of cockatiels are protruding head feathers, forming a small pointed crest.

In addition to the tuft, these parrots are distinguished by beautiful plumage. In nature, gray-brown birds with pure gray feathers on the abdomen are most common.

Corell's appearance
The feathers of the crest, upper head, cheeks and lore are yellowish-straw, and there are bright pinkish-red spots around the ears. The tips of the tuft are greyish. Flight feathers are velvety gray, with dark brown webs. The underside of the wing is painted black. The tail feathers are black underneath, fading to ash gray on the inner edges. The tail coverts are also ash-gray above, which is somewhat darker below.

The beak of parrots is grayish-black, painted brown at the base, the cere is gray. The iris of the eyes is dark brown.

The skin of the legs of the bird has a brownish-gray tint.

In order to distinguish a female from a male, you need to take a closer look at the shade of plumage. The female has a lighter plumage in the upper part of the body and with a reddish tinge in the lower part. The spots on the head are less bright, reddish-brown in color, and the head itself and the crest are not straw, but dirty yellow.

In addition, there is an even more significant difference: 4–5 yellow round spots can be found on the inner webs of the flight feathers. The tail feathers are pale yellow, with black transverse stripes, the rest of the feathers have transverse spots, but not so pronounced.

Young birds, even males, are more similar in color to females, but the spots on their heads are not red, but brownish and brighter.

Corell color may vary
Young males acquire the permanent color of adult birds at the age of 10–12 months.

However, the color described, although the most common, is not necessary. So, white cockatiels are known, which were born as a result of a mutation. In addition, birds with the so-called necklace around their necks were bred in the Czech Republic.

2. Choice of corella
Before acquiring a parrot, you need to think about whether you can give him enough attention every day, whether you have the patience to take care of the bird every day. It is also advisable to think in advance what will happen to the parrot if you get sick or leave home for a while. Will your family members or friends be able to take care of the cockatiel, because you can’t leave the bird alone for longer than 1 day.

Even before you bring the bird home, you need to study special literature on keeping and breeding cockatiels. In addition, you need to buy a cage (or aviary) and the necessary equipment in advance.

The first question that usually arises before the future owner of pet birds is where to buy a parrot. It is generally more reliable to purchase it from a specialty store or breeder.

It is advisable to buy young birds
It is recommended to purchase a cockatiel at the age of 5-6 weeks, since such a bird will quickly get used to its owner and habitat. It is advisable to purchase a chick that has already spent several days in a cage with other parrots, not necessarily cockatiels. This will significantly speed up the process of getting used to the birds to the new conditions of keeping and feeding.

Many novice hobbyists can’t decide how many parrots to get: one, two or more. It all depends on the purpose for which you buy a bird.

If you spend a lot of time at home and intend to have a pet that entertains you with cheerful chirping, it is best to get one bird. And if you spend most of your time at work, and the cockatiel will be bored alone, if you are going to breed birds, it is best to buy a pair, male and female. It should be remembered that birds must be taken from different parents in order to avoid inbreeding (inbreeding).

cockatiel health status
When choosing a cockatiel, pay attention to the state of health of the bird. It is not recommended to buy a parrot that sits in a cage ruffled, with its eyes closed, and does not respond to external stimuli. A sleeping bird should sit on only one leg, tightly clasping the perch with it.

See what position the bird is sitting on the perch
Parrot feathers should not be ruffled, broken and soiled with droppings, especially around the cloaca. Be sure to pay attention to the presence of all fly and long tail feathers.

When choosing a parrot, carefully inspect it
On the wax, beak and other parts of the body there should be no damage, crusts and tumors. The color of the cere must be typical of the mutation. If the male has a brownish wax, and the female has a bluish one, this indicates hormonal disorders in the body.

The eyes should be clear and shiny.

Take the bird in your hands and carefully examine its breast. If the sternum protrudes at an acute angle, this may be a sign of a disease.

If you blow on the plumage around the anus of a parrot, you can see the skin. Reddened skin may be the