HOW LONG WILL MY COCKATIEL LIVE?



A cockatiel, Cobber, a thirty-seven-year old holds the longevity record for Telegraph cockatiels. The other record holder, now sadly no longer with us, is Peter, who died aged 35. "He used to enjoy flying round the room destroying plaster walls and picture frames," recall his bereaved owners. "We miss his unmusical song very much." There are many cockatiels in their twenties. When I last wrote about cockatiel age, there was Costello who flourished despite refusing to eat fruit, Jasper who sung the Womble song, Twit who was going strong at 23, Buttons who was coming up 30 on a diet of seed, digestive biscuits and lettuce, and Fred whose proper name is Lord Fred Gray of Lakeside.