Cockatiels are native to Australia and are considered the smallest of the cockatoo species. These sweet-tempered birds are valued throughout the world as pets due to their gentle and sociable nature. The cockatiel's distinctive pointed yellow crest is held erect when startled or excited, while a crest slightly tilted indicates a relaxed state of mind. If hand-fed as chicks with cockatiel food, cockatiels can form strong bonds with their owners. The cockatiel can, in fact, grow so attached to its owner that it will try to 'protect' the owner from anyone that tries to come near it by biting or hissing. Their popularity as pets is in part because of their calm and timid temperament, to the point that they can even be bullied by smaller but more confident birds. Great care and supervision should be provided when mixing cockatiels with other birds. It is not uncommon at all for a larger or smaller bird to maim the cockatiel, creating life-long disabilities and potentially life threatening injuries. Although cockatiels are part of the parrot order, they are better at imitating whistles than speech. Some do learn to repeat phrases, and the males are generally better at mimicry than the females. Cockatiels can mimic many sounds, for example the sound of a car alarm, a ringing telephone, or the calls of other bird species such as blue jays or chickadees and loud weather like thunder. Cockatiels eat a variety of cockatiel foods, including any pelleted food, and variety of seeds, like millet. Give the Millet choice free until your tiel is about 12 weeks old, after the 12 weeks limit your bird to a 2-3 inch piece. You can also try washed vegetables. (This list may include Romaine lettuce, fresh peas, etc.) Always try new veggies, if your cockatiel does not eat it right away, give them a chance they might be in a different mood depending on the time of the year. Also try feeding it from your mouth because to him your the Parent, and in the wild when the parent does that it tells the bird that the food is safe to eat. NEVER GIVE YOUR TIEL SUGAR INCLUDED PRODUCTS OR FATTY PRODUCTS, (Chocolate, for example) Nutra-Scarlett cockatiel food is an extemely popular seed mix containing grains, seeds and fortified nuggets coated with an orange extract that your tiel will love.