Is your cockatiel making weird noises, and you don’t know why? From contact calls to squeaking, warbling, muttering, chirping, and more – I will cover all sorts of sounds your feathered friend might make in the article below.
Any sort of strange behavior from your feathered friend can easily arouse curiosity or fear.
You might be worried that something is wrong or just wondering why your cockatiel is making a certain noise.
Either way, I’m sure you’ll find this article helpful.
Being highly communicative, cockatiels love talking to their human friends and expressing themselves in several ways.
If yours has been making unusual noises and you’re not sure why I will try to cover all the possibilities.
Cockatiel Making Little Noises
Common cockatiels are highly vocal and make a wide variety of sounds to communicate.
If yours is making little noises, it could mean different things based on the kind of noise.
For instance, a low purring or rumbling noise is usually a good sign – it means the bird is content and happy.
Chirping, on the other hand, can either be a happy expression or a warning sound. If the chirping is incessant, it is usually the latter.
Have a look around and see what is making your bird anxious or scared. It might be another bird, a pet, or even someone in the house.
Cockatiel Making Sound With Beak
It’s quite common for cockatiels to make a rough noise by grinding their beaks, and it’s nothing to worry about.
It indicates that they are happy, content, and relaxed.
Apart from making the noise, cockatiels also fluff up their body feathers and fan their facial feathers over the mouth when they are pleased.
You’ll typically find your cockatiel doing this right before it goes to sleep. By grinding their beaks, they soothe themselves.
A cockatiel might also make this grinding noise when you pet it, and once again, it’s a good sign.
Cockatiel Making Squeaking Noises
If it’s a baby cockatiel, the bird probably just wants some attention.
Cockatiels are always needy in that sense and love spending time with their human friends.
Baby cockatiels squeak to call their “parents” when they want some petting.
They also hiss a lot, especially when they want food.
Cockatiel Making Contact Calls
This is an interesting communicative behavior that cockatiels developed in the wild but continue to retain even in domestic environments.
Wild cockatiels usually fly around in large flocks and often get spread out over large areas.
When they can no longer see their friends, these cockatiels let out shrill contact calls to check on them.
Your cockatiel might have a habit of letting out contact calls every time you leave the room or stay out of sight for a while
It is likely concerned about your safety and well-being.
The good news is cockatiels do this only for their loved ones.
The bad news is if your bird keeps making this noise frequently, it might be getting stressed due to separation anxiety.
You should respond with a similar whistle or just call the bird’s name in a high-pitched voice to let it know that you’re fine.
Cockatiel Warbling
Warbling is yet another sound a happy cockatiel is likely to make.
A warble is a kind of birdsong too, but it’s slightly different from the usual singing of a cockatiel.
To put it more clearly, warbling sounds like singing with various other noises mixed in the melody.
Warbling usually isn’t as loud as the regular singing of a cockatiel and may also include off-key notes and the name of a person.
Male cockatiels warble to woo female cockatiels and stimulate egg production.
When in the presence of other cockatiels, these birds may also warble to socialize with them.
Cockatiel Muttering
While a cockatiel’s muttering may sound similar to warbling, it’s nowhere as pronounced and much quieter.
A sleepy cockatiel mutters by repeating soft and monosyllabic noises.
It’s much like a sleepy human child trying to chat with you.
A muttering cockatiel is a relaxed and contented cockatiel. It means the bird is comfortable and likely to fall asleep very soon.
Why Is My Cockatiel Chirping So Much?
Cockatiels may chirp for different reasons, both positive and negative.
You’d have to carefully listen to the nature and pitch of the chirping noise to determine.
A soft chirp is generally a sign that your cockatiel is happy and comfortable.
Wild cockatiels chirp a lot while communicating with each other. If your pet chirps at you, it considers you a member of its flock.
You should even consider chirping back at the cockatiel to show it some attention.
On the other hand, a shrill and high-pitched chirp means the bird feels distressed or annoyed.
Cockatiels make these noises to warn their friends of danger or tell other cockatiels to back off.
Why Is My Cockatiel Squawking?
This harsh screech sounds like something between a scream and a whistle.
It’s a very frequent noise made by cockatiels and might mean a variety of things, although it’s usually a bad sign.
If your cockatiel is squawking, it might be excited, lonely, upset, or scared.
As prey animals, cockatiels are easily frightened by sudden noises and might begin squawking.
They also squawk to demand things, particularly food. You can determine the reason based on the timing and circumstances.
Why Is My Cockatiel Trilling?
This vocalization is similar to a chirp, except it’s far more long-drawn.
It might even have a few melodious notes mixed in it. However, a trill isn’t as long as the usual whistling song that cockatiels sing.
A cockatiel trills when it’s happy, so there’s nothing to worry about.
Your feathered friend will likely trill while/before playing or eating and while listening to music.
You could think of trilling as a more enthusiastic version of chirping that cockatiels make when they’re excited.
Do Cockatiels Cry?
Yes, cockatiels indeed make crying noises, and a variety of factors might be responsible.
Potential reasons why your cockatiel might be crying include hunger, fear, injuries, boredom, loneliness, or the mere need for attention.
This behavior is especially common among baby cockatiels, just like human babies.
If your cockatiel is crying and it hasn’t eaten in a while, feeding it some seed mix or pellet mix might solve the problem.
In case you feel that the bird is crying out of fear for something, cover the cage and play soothing music to calm it down.
If your cockatiel regularly cries when it’s alone, start spending more time with the bird. Cockatiels are highly social, and loneliness can make them depressed.
Why Is My Cockatiel Acting Weird?
Honestly, this depends on exactly what kind of behavior you are referring to as “weird.”
It could be due to an illness, nutritional problems, or even because the bird feels uneasy about its surroundings.
If you find your cockatiel acting unusually, try to gauge the bird’s mood.
If the cockatiel’s movements are unusual and it seems to struggle to stand or walk, take it to a vet.
Like humans, birds may suffer from vertigo and loss of balance too.
For a panicking cockatiel, you need to figure out how to calm it down and make it feel safe. An aggressive cockatiel, on the other hand, is often best left alone.
If unsure, just get a vet to check your pet for infections or other health issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calm down a cockatiel?
To calm down a cockatiel, you need to identify its cause of distress and act accordingly.
If it’s being aggressive or fearful towards a person or another pet, get him/her out of sight.
If the bird needs some food or attention, that’s what you should give it.
Here are a few more things you can do:
Talk or sing quietly to your bird in a calm, soothing voice.
Offer treats for the bird to eat.
Spend some time gently stroking their feathers and offer them love.
Move slowly around the room so that your bird does not become startled by your presence.
Why is my cockatiel screaming for no reason?
While cockatiels can scream and be noisy for no reason, that doesn’t happen a lot.
If your cockatiel is screaming, the chances are high that the bird feels afraid, uncomfortable, or upset about something. Here are a few things, in particular, you can look for:
It may be feeling overwhelmed or sensitive to loud noises.
It may be bored or lack exercise.
Its cage may be too small or unexpectedly moved.
Observe and inspect the bird carefully for signs of illness or infection if it keeps screaming for no apparent reason.
What does a stressed cockatiel look like?
A stressed cockatiel might have fluffed up feathers.
Its crest would be either pressed down flat backward or raised in a curved fashion, depending on whether it’s angry or scared.
You should look out for behavioral cues like biting, screaming and lunging. They may be agitated, flapping their wings, or pacing around the cage.
What is the fastest way to tame a cockatiel?
Firstly, do not rush when trying to tame a cockatiel. You need to be patient with your feathered friend to earn its trust.
Talking to the bird gently and giving it treats and toys will help it see you as a friend and enable you to tame it faster.
Here are a few things you can do:
Get familiar with the bird by sitting close to the cage in a calm, quiet environment.
Offer a treat from your hand whenever possible.
Take short, incremental steps while trying to build trust.
Speak softly and gently interact with the bird.
Wrap up
As you can now understand, strange noises from a cockatiel can be due to various reasons, from happiness and excitement to fear and annoyance.
You can usually determine whether it’s a good sign or a bad one by observing the tiel feathers and behavior, together with the nature of the noise.
Whatever the case, the best thing to do is to understand the causes before jumping the gun and rushing off to the vet.
I hope this article has answered some of your queries.
