A small (around 320mm long)
Australian bird. Their
scientific name is Leptolophus hollandicus. The
males have a
yellow face with
orange spots over the ears. The
females have a dull orange spot over the ears, and yellow bars under their tail. Cockatiels nest in the hollow limbs of trees. They make good pets, and can live to be 20-25 years old.
There are special names for them depending on how they are colored:
- Cinnamon: They have a uniform cinnamon color.
- Fallow: Similiar to a cinnamon, with a more yellow face, and red eyes.
- Lutino: Yellow/white with pink feet and red eyes. They tend to be bald behind their crest.
- Normal: They are a uniform grey, with white on the edge of their wings. They have grey feet and dark brown eyes.
- Pearl: They have white pearl lacings.
- Pied: Part yellow, part grey.
- Silver: A silverish grey color. Some have black eyes, and some have red eyes.
A bird can also be from more than one category, for example a Cinnamon Pearl Pied.
[Editor's note: Leptolophus is a genus of extinct horses from the early Cenozoic. The scientific classification of the cockatiel is Nymphicus hollandicus.]