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Distribution & Habitat
Cockatiels are native to Australia, where they are found largely in arid or semi-arid country but always close to water. Largely nomadic, the species will move to where food and water is available.[8] They are typically seen in pairs or small flocks.[8] Sometimes, hundreds will flock around a single body of water. Wild cockatiels typically eat seeds, particularly Acacia, wheat, sunflower and Sorghum.[18] To many farmers' dismay, they often eat cultivated crops. They are absent from the most fertile southwest and southeast corners of the country, the deepest Western Australian deserts, and Cape York Peninsula. They are the only cockatoo species which can sometimes reproduce in the end of their first year.
Breeding
Breeding is triggered by seasonal rainfall. Cockatiels nest in tree hollows near a source of fresh water, often in eucalyptus trees. The hen lays 4-7 eggs - one every other day, which she incubates for 17–23 days. The chicks fledge after 5 weeks.
Lifespan
The cockatiel's life span in captivity is generally given as 16 to 25 years,[20] though it is sometimes given as short as 10 to 15 years, and there are reports of cockatiels living as long as 32 years, the oldest confirmed specimen reported being 36 years old.
