the.com/cockatiel
a pocket-sized cockatoo that whistles your ringtone back at you for spite
means A small Australian parrot with a distinctive head crest and orange cheek patches, popular as a pet and known for whistling and mimicry.
from Comes from the Dutch 'kaketielje,' a diminutive of 'kaketoe' (cockatoo), itself borrowed from Malay 'kakatua.' So the name literally carries the sense of 'little cockatoo' — the Dutch tacking on an affectionate ending, the way you'd add '-ling' or '-ette' in English. The Malay root may echo the bird's own call or possibly 'kakak tua,' meaning 'old sister/elder,' though that reading is debated.
- native range
- Wild only in Australia's arid outback
- mimicry
- Males out-sing females, copying tunes and alarms
- crest tells
- Crest position broadcasts their exact mood
- lifespan
- Can live 15 to 25 years
- size
- Smallest of the entire cockatoo family