That's his name for now anyway. I didn't plan to buy a bird at today's bird mart, and in fact I did NOT buy one (although I spent a few minutes lusting over a gorgeous yellowcheek male). But I came home with a new bird anyway, because someone that I barely know unexpectedly gave me a freaking show bird as a gift.

The guy that gave him to me is a cockatiel show judge as well as a cockatiel show breeder, and he's downsizing his flock to make room for new birds. When show breeders downsize they obviously keep the best birds for themselves, but this is a very decent quality bird. The qualities that distinguish a show quality bird from an ordinary one are hard for people outside the show world to see. I know very little about it myself, but even I can see some of it. Particularly in the way he stands. He's not showing it in these pictures because the camera made him nervous. But when he's just sitting around on a perch he looks like the standard of perfection that the shows use.

He's reportedly a pearl split to lutino and pied. I can see the ghost pearls on his wings (which don't show up in the picture) and he's got a small pied tickmark on the back of his head. It all seems a little too good to be true, being given a show bird out of the blue, so time will tell whether there's some kind of major flaw in him (like not being able to breed). But I would like very much for him to get together with Mims and make some nice babies for me. I've always thought that she was the closest thing to a show bird that I had, and if Ernie is split to lutino I can get lutino chicks of both sexes.

He was a handfed baby, but he's seven years old now and hasn't been handled recently. So I wouldn't describe him as tame, but he's already done some sitting on my hand and shoulder, and even let me pet his head.

Wow, he really is pretty! He does look to have the standard proportions for a show cockatiel, but I think the cheeks are supposed to be rounder.

Ive noticed that Lucy looked surprisingly close to a show bird. When she's on a regular perch she seems to stand like one too (Or close at least). But her head and crest appear to be a little too small. I think her tail might be too small too.

Alex is even less show standard, being more round, having a big bald spot on her head and crossed wings.

Chances are the American cockatiel society might be able to tell if there's any flaws in his appearance.

Overall, he's very pretty. if I remember correctly, you originally had more hens than cocks right? Does this even out the population now?

I had seven cocks and six hens, so this makes the imbalance worse. But there's room for a new male to find a mate in the flock, because half my males are ignoring available hens while they pursue a hopeless romance with a hen that already has a mate. Priscilla is more or less single although love is trying to bloom between her and Elvis, with very limited success so far. Vlad has two hens and doesn't know what to do with either one of them. He seems to like Snowy better than Mims anyway, so he'll be OK if Mims deserts him for a more competent male.

Wow congratulations Carolyn! Now you have 14 cockatiels.

Stunning tiel.....

He's a beauty. Congrats!

The guy that gave Ernie to me had bought him to use in his breeding program a few months ago and was getting ready to pair him with a hen, but apparently found some birds he liked better. So Ernie has enough show quality that a show breeder thought he was desirable.

He is a nice looking fella!

Now get him to like Mims and hope Vlad doesn't drink his blood for it!

He may have the fanciest crest I have ever seen He is just beautiful, congratulations!

Ernie has a nice crest, but I think Azazel's crest might be considered to be more desirable for a show bird. It's as long or longer than Ernie's, and it's a lot more "ferny". Show breeders like a ferny crest.