- Species: Cockatiel - Normal Gray (See species list for details)
- Location: San Jose, California, United States 95123
- Date Found: May 15, 2014
- Banded: No
My husband caught this lovely male cockatiel in our neighborhood yesterday. Steve was able to call him down from a tree then cornered him when the bird flew down to a parked car nearby. The ‘tiel is not hand tame but he is calm and is obviously accustomed to being around people, so we believe he was a cage rather than aviary bird. He appears to be healthy and uninjured. Judging from his excellent feather condition and demeanor, we suspect he is on the young side, perhaps 2 or 3.
It’s very important that we find this bird’s owner soon, as we cannot keep him. We’ve both had pet birds all our lives but I was diagnosed with hypersensitivity pneumonitis (commonly known as “bird keeper’s lung”) in January. It is serious and can eventually be fatal, so I had to give up my pet birds at that time. Unfortunately, cockatiels aggravate the condition because they produce a lot of dust. We have an excellent local companion bird rescue in the Bay Area but they are usually full. We won’t take this sweet bird to the animal shelter but we will have to find other accommodations for him if his owners don’t show up soon. We posted on our NextDoor group but so far haven’t gotten a response. I’m aware that cockatiels are strong flyers and can travel great distances. We are just hoping that someone out there is looking for this little guy. He beautiful and sweet and does lots of pretty whistles.