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| Lutino Cockatiel |
The gorgeous Lutino Cockatiel was the second cockatiel mutation to be established, with the first being the Pied Cockatiel. Unlike the Pied however, the Lutino Cockatiel took the aviculture world by storm. It became an immediate hit because it was so like a miniature white Cockatoo with a pale yellow breast and almost white body, tail, and wings.The head and crest are a primrose yellow and both sexes have bright orange cheek patches and red eyes. This was like the story of the ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan.
All Lutino Cockatiels are descended from one single male cockatiel. This bird was owned by a Mr. Cliff Barringer of Florida, USA. Mr. Barringer had bred 14 normal offspring from his pair of what appeared to be normal Grey Cockatiels. It was in a nest of two of these youngsters, in 1958, that he was surprised with a baby with pink eyes. It did take another two years for Mr. Barringer to mate a female lutino daughter back to the father to produce the first male lutino. Shortly after, much of Mr Barringer's stock was purchased by Mrs. E. L. Moon, once a curator of the Florida Parrot Jungle. She subsequently named her lutino offspring 'Moonbeams', and from here Lutino Cockatiel's spread throughout the world.
Cockatiels are probably the most popular of the parrot family with their main competition being the Budgerigar (referred to as the Parakeet in the United States). They are hardy, easily handle changes in their home, and are easy to breed. On top of that, keeping a cockatiel as a pet is easy because they are not noisy parrots and they are comfortable when left alone for long periods of time.
Cockatiel's evolved as nomadic creatures, surviving in a variety of diverse and rugged habitats. They are constantly on the move, changing locations with the seasonal fluctuations of food and water supplies. This native habitat and their adaptive behavior has made them well suited as pets.
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