THE NYMPH COCKATOO

Also called ocotillo or Carolina it is one of the most popular pet birds. This bird belongs to the order Psittaciformes, the same order as parrots, cockatoos, parakeets, etc. This popularity is mainly due to her personality and beauty. They are very sociable birds among their species.
nymph cockatoo

When raised by humans from an early age, they are very docile and perfect companion animals. They are quite active birds, whistling, screaming and can even imitate various sounds they hear often, such as the doorbell at home or even some names.

Physical appearance
Nymph cockatoos generally measure between 30 and 32 centimetres. They are long, long-tailed birds with a characteristic crest. Its original colour is grey, which is the predominant colour in the wild. In captivity, different mutations have emerged in recent years, some of which are the most common:

Grey or normal (wild): Same coloring found in the wild, being the original variety. The body is grey, with the edges of the wings white. In males, the head is yellow with rounded orange-red spots. In females, the head is predominantly grey with some yellow feathers and the rounded spots on the face have a softer shade of orange than in males. The tail of males is completely grey while females have yellow stripes interspersed with black or grey. Both sexes have dark eyes, mouthpieces and feet.

nymph cockatooOne of the varieties of this bird is characterized by its absence of melanin, which makes its beak, feet and eyes pink. Its color is usually white and may be yellow. There are many combinations of this mutation.

Cinnamon: The feathers on the body of these birds have a cinnamon tone, hence the name of this mutation. The beak, legs and eyes are lighter than the wild variety. Males are slightly darker than females.

Pearl: This mutation affects each feather individually, that is, there is a melanin fault in each feather, giving the appearance of “pints” characteristic of this mutation. The head is generally yellow with grey spots and the ridge is also predominantly yellow. The feathers on the wings are grey with some yellow stripes and the tail is yellow. Adult males can completely lose this aspect of the pearl, while females always keep the pearl.

Behavior
Cockatoos, like most psittacids, live in flocks with large numbers of birds.

They are very sociable and enjoy interacting with other members.
Most of his time – about 70% of his active day – is spent looking for food. They spend the rest of their time interacting socially, playing and taking care of their feathers (called preening) or their companions (allopreening). The day of a nymph cockatoo is quite routine, starting after sunrise to go in flocks for food, returning a few hours later to their perches and nests where they care for their young and interact with their companions. At the end of the day, they flock back out to get food. The nymph cockatoos live in dry areas and, unlike other psittacids, they feed almost exclusively on seeds found in the soil.

Care
The conditions in captivity should be as similar as possible to those the bird would have in the wild.

In spite of the cockatoos, mainly the most docile, they love to be loose so they can follow humans everywhere, but it is important to have a cage when we are not around to watch them. The cage or the nursery are the safest options to protect the nymph cockatoos from dangers, such as other flying animals against the window, electric cable shocks and other dangers in our home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCcOjLuZ7cw

The cage should be large enough to open the wings and not touch the tail on the ground… but the bigger the cage, the better… the better for them, the wings. The feeding of the nymph cockatoo is very important not only to prevent the emergence of disease, but also to contribute to its well-being.

nymph cockatooA suitable seed mixture or, preferably, a special preparation for this species, preventing it from selecting the seeds that it likes best and may suffer from a nutritional imbalance. Social interaction is a very important component in the behavior of these birds.

Thus, it is important that the nymph cockatoo has at least one companion of the same species. If you have a nymph cockatoo alone you must interact with it daily to meet its social needs.