Ask Lafeber

Birthday of My Cockatiel

I have a cockatiel which I got May 9, 2020. I was never told his birthday or how old he was by the animal shelter I got him from. Is there anyway I can find out?

Hi Emily,

If the bird has a metal band on the leg from the breeder, then it might have a year stamped on the band. Otherwise, once a cockatiel has his adult feathers, there is no way to know how old he is. Cockatiels have female colors until they are 6-8 month old. Then they go through their first adult molt, and if it’s a male, he will generally have different markings on his adult feathers. So if he has not changed appearances since you got him, then he was already an adult and he could be 2 years or 20 years and still look the same.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda