Cockatiels

Cockatiels are from the very large and brightly coloured parrot order Psittaciformes, consisting of 2 similar families: the parrots and the cockatoos.

From this family of birds the budgerigar rivals the goldfish as the most popular pet animal in the world. They were known as pets in ancient Egypt and were probably first introduced into Europe by Alexander the Great in about 335BC.

Now parrots are kept as pets all over the world, renowned for their entertaining ways of climbing, mimicking speech or just being companionable and looking beautiful.

The Cockatiel is sometimes known as the swift parrot as it's wings are narrow and pointed.

It would be nice to release them back into the wild, to see them flying fast again, but unfortunately they would die in this country.