upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

Hello everybirdie,

I'm a new member here and thought I'd introduce myself. I'm owned by Pizzicato:



He's a cinnamon and about six months old, and has been molting, and the new feathers are coming back still with bars on the tail and the crest feathers are not bright yellow. Does that mean he's really a she?

Also, he's got very cute yellow spots on his primary wing feathers, and a friend said she thought it might mean he's split to pied. He has about three bright yellow feathers on his head which she thought might also be an indication. I have no intention of breeding him, I just want to know everything about him!

Welcome FluteFish......your little Pizzicato is adorable especially the way he tilts his head...so cute!

Now I must ask as I am a curious person....LOL!

How did you get the name flutefish.....You play the flute and own fish?

Since your birdie is named Pizzacato even though it refers to violin string plucking....does your bird play the violin...hehe!

I hope you share the rest of the story...please!

Flutefish, if the bars on the tail are on the bottom of the feathers, you most likely have a little girl. At least that is what my vet indicated about my girl Ginger. Still she has not gone through her first molt yet, but supposedly the barring at her age is a good indicator. Oh yeah, she does not whistle or act like a boy either, but is approaching 6 months..

chibi-tori, there is barring on the top and bottom of the tail, with the barring on some of the bottom feathers VERY pronounced. In fact, pretty much everything behind the feet is barred. S/he can be quite vocal, but I don't think I've heard anything I would describe as "whistling."

HarpSpirit, you're close! I do play flute, and I'm a marine scientist hence the "fish." I've had fish in the past, but not at the moment. There is such a thing as a flutefish--it's a long skinny thing, also often called a pipefish--so I thought it was a cute way of melding my interests. Pizzicato does not play violin, though I am sure he would enjoy destroying one. I just really wanted to give him a musical name since I love music so much, and it seemed like a good description for a plucky little cockatiel personality! Actually, when I am scratching his head he sometimes makes little "chip" noises that are a lot like the pizzicato sound. You must play the harp!

If the barring is on the bottom of the tail, there is an extremely good chance your baby is a girl. At 6 months of age, if she were a he, I think you'd already have some pronounced whistling, especially a wolf whistle, and start seeing the heart shaped wing spread. Some females can be quite vocal, but as a general rule, most are not. Always exceptions to everything from what I'm told. In a male, the tail feathers would be a solid color.

First I just wanted to say that your Pizzicato may possibly be a girl.....usually if it is a boy....at about 4 months of age he will show male attributes like....tapping on things to show ownership....and whistling and talking especially if he is in front of a mirror and he will do the heart shaped wing pose like Mr. Lou is doing here......




I also wanted to ask you about your flute. What kind do you play? I am currently looking at buying a Native American Flute to play with my harp. I think they are just beautiful sounding especially in the lower tones. I am looking at the low D flute....for therapy purposes to compliment my harp playing at the hospital for patients. Her is a picture of my three harps I own....and Mr. Lou's too...LOL!

Well, Pizzicato was completely uninterested in the mirror when just taken into the bathroom... so I'm thinking I'll have to retrain myself to say "she"! (A girl not interested in mirrors?! ) There hasn't been any tapping, either. Thanks for the info!

HarpSpirit, I pretty much just play the standard western orchestral flute, but I do have a small collection of ethnic flutes, including a Native American one. I'm not sure what size it is--I received it as a gift, but they really do have a beautiful sound. I say go for it! Your harps are lovely (especially the feathered one ). I've always really liked the sound of the harp (and putting it with flute is great!). And how wonderful that you play at hospitals! I've been thinking about trying to find some more opportunities like that to play for people.

Hi Flutefish - It is kind of amazing that girls aren't interested in mirrors!! My Casper uses hers as a perch and even leaves presents on the glass for me to clean. No interest in looking in the mirror at all. It is hard to tell from the pic, but is his/her orange dot dark or light? My vet said that a lighter orange dot will most likely be a female. Darker, male.

That couldn't be a better picture of Mr. Lou and the heart wings!! Boy was he posing!! That is too adorable!

The dot isn't terribly bright--the face has a lot of gray in it. I'd say it's darker than Mr. Lou's, though!

Well, I just tried the mirror thing with Tiki, who could have cared less, and Loki, who spoke/whistled a lot. Neither did the harp shaped thing and both are suppose to be boys. So, what do you all mean by barring? Tiki has already been through the first molt and his tail feathers are all yellow. He doesn't say a lot. He does the wolf whistle and has said momma once. He makes his usual sounds. I got him from a breeder. I got Loki at Petsmart and he came talking, and talks all the time. He makes a laughing sound, wolf whistle, cardinal call, and the come dog whistle. They've only been across the room from each other for about 2 weeks. I thought Tiki would have learned something from Loki, but not yet.

I've got Tiki and Loki together for the second time. Loki is tapping the floor all over the place and Tiki could care less he's even in the same area. Tiki continues chewing on everything he can find. Loki is younger and is the approacher definately. Oh, Tiki just went over and chewed Loki's tail! I got Tiki at 8 weeks and Loki is suppose to be about 6 months. Tiki is currently about 7-8 months old. Loki still has his soft baby feathers, where as Tiki's are rough and coming in still. Oh, Tiki is plucking my daughter's play guitar on the floor. This play by play, I hope, is not boring you! I have to try the mirror thing again...no, nothing from Tiki and Loki started talking immediately to his reflection. You know, I was told not to put mirrors in their cages. Supposedly, they'd fall in loves with themselves and not pay attention to humans,

Here is a (somewhat fuzzy) picture of what the underside of Pizz's tail looks like. This is a difficult picture to get, as the bird leaning forward to try and nibble on the camera causes the tail to move out of the picture frame!



I love cockatiel play-by-plays--I've spent my morning trying to keep mine from (a) destroying the pincushion and (b) take all the pins out of my sewing project.

Ok, thanks. Tiki definately has none. Yet, he's the quieter of the 2. Loki does have some, but hasn't molted yet. His are mostly yellow. So, how DO you get your pictures into your posts?

The play by play...Tiki is grooming Loki! Pinching at his tail and wings! Loki moves away. Turn about is fair play, Loki. You started hopping closer first!