Cockatiel head feathers?

Question

Hi, does anyone know what the feather position on a cockatiels head means? I.e. if they-re up are they scared, etc.

Answer 1

It can mean many things, depending on how high up the crest goes and what the other feathers are doing. Also their eyes and what their beak is doing is important as well. It takes time to learn to read the signs, and even then it's hard to tell what's going on sometimes.

Generally when the crest feathers go up means they are angry, upset, startled or scared, but sometimes when they are preening their feathers, they will fluff up all the feathers on their head and the crest will go up as well.

When the crest feathers are laying relaxed on the head, and the rest of the feathers are relaxed, that's neutral - they are feeling ok. If face feathers are puffed out as well they are either sleepy or sick.

If the crest and rest of the feathers on the face are flattened down completely, that's usually a sign they are happy. Or they are attacking you without fear or begging you for some food.  

Answer 2

check out http://www.parrotcentral.net/cockatiels.... they have good tiel info and they explain the crest position

Answer 3

well i know that if the head feather is up it means it surprised or angry.if its down it means its calm.

Answer 4

If they put their head feathers up, it means they are interested. like if you make a weird noise, their feathers will pop up, showing they are insterested in what you are doing. all cockatiels do this so there is no real difference. If a male wanted to show off for a female, they would ruffel all their feathers up and strut on the bottom of the cage. if they were scared, they would freak out and start jumping and fluttering around while screaming. but do not confuse this with just flapping it's wings for excercise.

Answer 5

if the umbrella is up its to show off how big and good looking he is to impress the female  

Answer 6

Thier primary reason is mating but I am sure that you get one pissed off and it will put them up in an effort to make themselves look larger and more aggressive.

Answer 7

If it is straight up, it means they are happy or curious and if it is down then they are angry or scared