So I've noticed something Lucy and Alex have in common, and it's that at some point, they've started "chattering".

Lucy went through a time where she started "chattering" as I'd call it, since it doesn't sound exactly like a cockatiel's singing. It had no pattern, and didn't even sound remotely like a whistle. She started around 6 months, and since then she appears to have grown out of it, aside from the occasional peeping-like sounds she'll make when seeing wild birds, which is a much quieter version of the chatter she used to make.

Alex on the other hand sounds slightly more whistley, though she lacks a pattern. She would've grown out of it by now, although she has noticed that people pay attention to her when she "sings". Alex loves attention of all forms and will do anything to get it.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had young female cockatiels that chatter. Is it a stage they go through perhaps? Female cockatiels aren't known for singing, so I find it interesting that these two unrelated female cockatiels have both tried to "sing" around the same age.

Granted, Lucy was alone when she tried "singing" (with the exception of Dudley, but he isn't a very social bird), so it's possible she was vocalizing for the sake of flock members, which could also be why she's started peeping at wild birds, given that one incident where she was outside for about 3 days.

Any thoughts?

Never had a female always boys.....
All the tiels I've had talked.... Obi is very chatty....
Zippi was the one who spoke the best, you could hold a
conversation with him....he was the one who loved to
Chat to the cold callers..... he got them in a real pickle.....
Use to say Hello my babes how can I help you.....
Was very strange everything he said came out in the correct
way and in the right context....

My first cockatiel, Spike, would sing regularly. It sounded so bad that the first time she did it I thought she was in pain! It was a monotonous "urk urk urk" sort of sound that didn't sound anything like a typical cockatiel song.

Mims is the best singing female that I've ever had. She does it rarely - I hear it maybe once a year - and it's a squawky sort of singing, not the nice clear whistling tones of a male. But she sings long multi-note songs, and it's pretty impressive for a hen.

Jan, Zippi sounds adorable. It's funny how they understand context sometimes. Though Lucy doesn't talk, she responds with actions. Not exactly sure if Alex can understand context. I think she probably does because she tends to do the exact opposite of what I say. Though she tends to be clumsy and her actions a little questionable, she's smarter than the impression she gives off. She's a fast learner and very observant, which can be troublesome given how stubborn she is.

Alex sounds almost like she's whistling. Which is weird because I didn't think female cockatiels were actually capable of whistling after hearing Lucy's "singing". She does it mainly while in the cage. I once got her to sing while outside of the cage, but at the time I was trying to get her to fly to the table rather than bringing her to it (so she could get more practice and stop relying on me to get there). What she did instead of just flying, is climb on top of Joey and the finch's cage, run around on the top while spreading her wings, and "singing".

So I wonder if it's not actually singing, but just her yelling at me to come get her. In that case, it would baffle me why she wouldn't just make the normal cockatiel scream, given that she does that too. The funny thing is that she'll get quiet when I whistle.
So it's honestly hard to tell. Maybe it's her version of Lucy's quiet chatter. Alex doesn't really know how to make quiet vocalizations at all.

Lucy has always made her quieter peeping chatter. She even made it on the way home from the bird show. It was as if she was trying to "talk" to me. She also did this during the first few weeks here. Then when she finally warmed up to me, I started letting her look out the windows (which is now one of her favorite activities it seems). One time a bug landed on the window, which made her decide to chatter. I don't know if she was talking to the bug, or just telling me about it.

It's funny how I've ended up with two female, opinionated cockatiels. Alex is a loudmouth who isn't afraid to scream her opinion, and Lucy will tell me all about how she thinks (especially during this time of year, when she's laying eggs and is prone to temper tantrums).

It sounds to me like Alex might be a boy after all. Whistling with the wings lifted sounds like "heart wings", which is male courtship behavior.

Alex has several mutations if I remember right. Is pied one of them? Pied interferes with the normal transition to adult male coloring.

Oh no, it's not heart wings. They were completely spread out, as if she were to take off, much like how Lucy does in this picture.

(Although Alex's wings were a spread a little further apart)

Alex has Pearl and fallow mutations, but no pied. There's no signs of her being split pied either.

That move is often called "bat wings" (when the bird does it upside down) or some variation of 'eagle wings'. It's a more female type of behavior, although it's not limited to girls.

I don't know about chattering. The 3 tiels i had were all quiet.
Zorro on other hand likes to let us know his lungs are in working order every morning lol.

What does Zorro even sound like Mel?

Zorro is noisy?
People tell my when entering my home its like being in the rain forest.. LOL the noise....