Now, it is relatively well-known that dogs and cats are the most popular pets around the globe.
But the lure for having pretty little birds tweeting away in your lounge holds animal lovers captive.
Hence, you see many birds, everything from budgies to macaws, being coveted by avian enthusiasts.
For first-time bird parents, you must read up about your bird as much as possible before adopting the pet.
You see, many times, the ignorance of pet parents can lead to the endangerment of the lives of the very pets that they adore.
So, if you are wondering about mating your cockatiel and budgie, you may want to think again.
Firstly, budgies and cockatiel aren’t aggressive birds.
But they can become aggressive during mating season.
Female budgies can be broody during the nesting phase and become very dominant and pushy.
So, it’s not a very safe bet to have the two species mate.
Why Can’t Budgies And Cockatiels Breed?
Budgies and cockatiel belong to different genera, that is, the biological classification ranking between family and species.
Budgies belong to the genus Melopsittacus and cockatiel belong to Nymphicus.
Both the birds come from the same order of Psittaciformes.
But cockatiels belong to the subfamily of Cacatuidae.
So it may be that your cockatiel and budgie may mate.
But these birds are not genetically compatible.
So, most of the time, they either never breed.
And, even if they do, the hybrid dies young.
And if the hybrid does reach adulthood, it is sterile.
More often than not, these hybrids have a difficult time attracting mates.
Can Cockatiel Mate With Other Birds?
It isn’t a question about whether your cockatiel can mate with other birds or not.
Birds, like humans, have sexual needs.
So, if you have a cockatiel male and a female budgie, or the other way around, in a cage for long enough, they will, in all likelihood, start to mate.
According to Irby J. Lovette, director of the Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program at the Cornell Lab Of Ornithology, about 10% of the 10,000 bird species are known to have bred with another species.
Even if it is only once, such occurrences may happen both in the wild or in captivity.
Lovette states that the diversity in the avian world, such as colors, plumes, or bizarre mating displays, helps female birds avoid accidental mating with a male of a different species.
Cockatiels can bond with birds belonging to a different genus.
But there will be no successful breeding.
Successful breeding in cockatiels occurs only when there is a true and compatible pair.
So you may see that a same-sex cockatiel pair may mate and go through all the motions of breeding.
But, there are no eggs in the case of two male cockatiels, and there is no fertilization of eggs in a female cockatiel pair.
Can Parakeets Mate With Cockatiels?
Parakeet is another name used for the bird species Budgerigar.
Hence, your beloved budgie is also known as a parakeet.
The only difference lies in the language, as budgies are called parakeets in American English.
So, you already know the answer to the question.
Can A Budgie And Cockatiel Live Together?
There are many instances where avian lovers keep more than one bird species in their aviaries.
But the majority of times, such aviaries are large enough to house several nests at one time.
Two different genus birds can live together in peace.
Yet, they don’t share their nest or cage with their counterparts.
And when you attempt to cage them together, then a fight breaks out.
Birds coexist with other birds in relative peace.
But when it comes to their nests, they become very territorial.
At such times, you’ll witness the calmest and passive birds become aggressive.
Similarly, cockatiels are slightly larger than a typical budgie.
And, most vets recommend placing only the same-sized birds in the same cage with each other.
You see, if one bird is smaller than the other, there is room for much bullying from the larger bird.
You may even risk the life of one bird.
Furthermore, cockatiel and budgies have different nutritional needs.
In short, the cockatiel needs a higher caloric diet than a budgie.
You’ll notice that your cockatiel seed mix has more sunflower seeds.
But, sunflower seeds aren’t good for budgies as sunflower seeds cause obesity and cardiac conditions in budgies.
Related article – Can budgies eat sunflower seeds?
In short, it’s best to avoid bringing in two adult birds and placing them in the same cage.
Under normal circumstances, it presents complications such as egg-binding or hybridization, which is never good for the health of the budgie or cockatiel.
But when you place two stranger birds into a cage and expect them to be civil to each other, you are asking for trouble.
Wrapping Up
Good parenting requires diligence, care, attention, and tons of love.
The same holds when it comes to the parenting of your pet.
It would help if you considered what is good and beneficial for your pet rather than what you like.
And, trying to mate cockatiels with other breeds of birds is not deemed prudent to your bird’s well-being.
