RV>JR> Hi Rich...an interesting topic here....With the great success the
RV>JR> quakers have experienced (they are ALL over my neighborhood), why do
RV>JR> you suppose that cockatiels have such a hard time in the wild here?
RV>Prolly because this area is humid, and closer to the South American 
ungles
RV>where quakers come from than it is to the dry Australian desert that is 
he
RV>'tiel's natural habitat.
I dunno about that...my tiels seem to like humidity, and breed well in
it (Michigan can get pretty humid in July & August). I think maybe the
feral cockatiels in Florida might not be finding the right foods, or
perhaps they are unable to compete for nesting sites with all the other
birds. Tiels are also not confrontational birds. They exist in
Australia in huge flocks. They look out for each other, and seek food
together. The flock size has a lot to do with protecting them--a small
flock might not be enough to keep the members safe from predators.
Another thought just came to me--my parrots here all universally hate
the cockatiels, and would gladly do them in if given a chance. I wonder
if the wild parrots feel the same way about any cockatiels that venture
into their "territory"?
No proof of any of these theories, just random thoughts...
--Kathy
 * SLMR 2.1a * My life has a superb cast but I can't figure out the plot
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