The Cockatiel
A well-known secret of every cockatiel owner is that these birds are just as companionable as dogs or cats, and have unique personalities that can be read by their expressive faces. My first experience with a cockatiel was when I was a young teenager, starting out down my neighborhood street for a walk. I was astonished to hear a unique bird call-- like a parrot, or a tropical bird, I thought-- so I followed my ears to a pigeon-sized gray bird who was pecking at gravel in the gutter. He ran towards me when I came closer. I knew he had to be someone's pet bird, as his orange blush and yellow crest set him apart from every other wild bird I knew of, and his eagerness to see me showed me that he was tame. His face was bright and intelligent. He looked me in the eye and tipped his head to figure me out.
I carried him home and put him under a large salad spinner with some seeds and apples, then led a crusade of neighborhood kids to ring doorbells and inquire until we could find the owner. Different people gave us different clues, but we were eventually led to people who knew other people who had birds, and finally we ended up at the home of the owner of "Kiwi," the name of their lost cockatiel. They were thrilled to be reunited with their chipper little bird, and they rewarded me with a twenty dollar bill and an armful of TY Beanie Babies. Kiwi was a cute little bird, and I loved how openly and winningly he interacted with his owners. Maybe, someday, I would get my own little Kiwi to have and to hold, I thought.