Tool Use in Parrots

[Saerphe]

As much as I hate to agree with CheekyandMalolo, beautiful though they may be, if people feed them they will make pests of themselves. It happens up here all the time to raccoons. One of our campers thinks 'Oh, they're so cute!' feeds them regularly and then they start knocking over garbage cans, ravaging gardens, etc. Then we either have to trap it or kill it.

What many might see as an act of kindness can ultimately result in a death sentence for the animal.

I'd love to see cockatiels, budgies etc. out on the plains, rather than in the cities.

[liz]

As much as I hate to agree with CheekyandMalolo, beautiful though they may be, if people feed them they will make pests of themselves. It happens up here all the time to raccoons. One of our campers thinks 'Oh, they're so cute!' feeds them regularly and then they start knocking over garbage cans, ravaging gardens, etc. Then we either have to trap it or kill it.

What many might see as an act of kindness can ultimately result in a death sentence for the animal.

I'd love to see cockatiels, budgies etc. out on the plains, rather than in the cities.

I guess you are right. Here the only things that cause trouble are the Blue Jays that poop on the back deck and the Mocking Birds (Cat Birds) that swoop down and pick fur out of my pets. The Starlings are here at nesting time and chatter all night but they leave when their babies fledge.

We live in the city limits but the back yard is a natural area with trees and shrubs.

[zazanomore]

People who feed the wild cockies are EVIL!! They come and shred the window archetraves and the decking and ravish the fruit trees. We have a flock of about 150 in our valley and dad's considering buying an air rifle to keep them away. They're PESTS!

To run into a flock of over a hundred cockatiels, seems like a dream!

[CheekyandMalolo]

I've had a few Tiels, and yes I see the beauty in them, I also see the beauty in pet Cockies, but wild ones are a pest here (Melbourne, Australia), they have a lot to answer for

[CheekyandMalolo]

Next time I see them down at the shops I'll take some pics for you Zaza. They are quite a sight to behold. They were once an aviary of tame Cockies, when we had some brushfires come thru the area in 97 the aviary was opened so they could escape and not be burned and since then they've bred and bred and bred!! What started off as probably 20-30 birds is now around 150 and all varying ages and levels of tameness.

[TheNzJessie]

Next time I see them down at the shops I'll take some pics for you Zaza. They are quite a sight to behold. They were once an aviary of tame Cockies, when we had some brushfires come thru the area in 97 the aviary was opened so they could escape and not be burned and since then they've bred and bred and bred!! What started off as probably 20-30 birds is now around 150 and all varying ages and levels of tameness.

cockatiel are the Australian version of a sparrow in my opinion, i was having a hot chocolate outside a cafe and they kept landing on the table, oh and the flocks of hundreds of green budgies very beautiful for the first 5 times then annoying after that =p

[CheekyandMalolo]

I have only ever seen one Cockatiel in the wild, and since it was by itself I assume it was a pet that escaped.

[Mum2rory]

Like CheekyandMalolu, I also live in Melbourne, Australia and in our area we also have a big problem with the wild cockys and galahs (each flock is in the hundreds, multiple flocks) They cause untold damage to homes with their chewing, pooping, noise levels, damage to crops etc. To me it is like comparing having a pet dog or cat, I have both, but having hundreds of wild dog/cats in my backyard terrorising my family, pets, home, etc. But in fairness to the wild birds, we took over their habitat, so where does that leave them? But it is an amazing sight when they take flight, just breathtaking.

and Lynne

[CheekyandMalolo]

Just to specify, these are flocks of Cockatoos I'm talking about, not Tiels.

[Mum2rory]

Yep, definitely cockatoos. Saw a large flock driving home from picking son up from school. Must have been a 100 of them.