How can I tell the age of my cockatiel?

How could you tell of the age of a cockatiel bird?

• Answer:

  It can be very difficult to determine the age of a cockatiel. It used to be thought that feet and beaks were pink at young ages, and got darker with age, but this isn't true. A cockatiel that has yellow banding on the tail is probably a baby, before its first molt. Female cockatiels have some of this banding but the coloring is more subdued (and females in general have much duller colors than males) A vet might be able to give you a better idea, if you can find one who is an avian specialist. My cockatiel is 23 (we've had him all his life), and he's a bit more scraggly looking in his old age than he used to be. He still preens but not as obsessively, and his head feathers have a scruffier look to them.