The Cockatiel Socity (UK & Ireland) Visual 'Type' Show Standards

 

A maximum of four points are awarded for each attribute as follows, with a maximum total score of 28 points:

 

Attribute 1. Deportment

A healthy cage-trained bird should be alert, lively and use both perches. Should not remain on the floor in the corner. Perch with an upright stance: 70 degrees from horizontal so that legs and feet can be clearly seen.

 

Attribute 2. Plumage & General Condition

Clean, expecially the vent.

Tight feathering with good flight and tail feathers. Broken, frayed or split flights denote a poor quality bird as it obviously does not preen itself properly. Should not be exhibited during it's moult. Tail should never be fanned.

Crest should be approximately 4cm long with a full and proud gentle upcurving line.

Juveniles are judged in a seperate class as their dense soft buff feathering can create the illusion of a larger bird.

 

Attribute 3. Body & Size

The body should be large in proportion to the head. A pronounced, deep chest and wide shoulders. If large due to obesity, the bird will be lethargic with a haunched and hump-backed stance. A sleek lively bird is prefered.

 

Attribute 4. Head

A large rounded head, resembling a golf ball and large expressive eyes are favoured. The latter is difficult to breed as most birds have small narrow square flat heads.

Neck should be strong. There should never be any discharge or damage to the nares, cere, beak or eyes.

 

Attribute 5. Legs, Feet & Claws

Long, strong legs and feet are desired - most birds have short legs which don't compliment a large body. Should be no extra long, short or missing toes or claws.

 

Attribute 6. Colour Prominence

Colour should be well defined, whatever mutation, especially in colour classes. Although each entry is judged on type primarily and then colour. In Pieds, the dark colour should be symmetrical with no blotchiness on clear plumage. No 'dirty' coloured faces i.e. blemished.

 

Attribute 7. Wing Deportment

The bird should have no difficulty in carrying it's wings, no drooping shoulders or crossed wing tips.

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The Cockatiel Socity (UK & Ireland) Show Classifications & Standards

 

Class 1. Grey Cock

Remains the primary class.

True charcoal grey colour, yellow face, prominant red-orange cheek patches, white wing coverts. Addtional white feathers are not desired. Dark grey beak, legs, feet & claws. Black eyes.

 

Class 2. Grey Hen

Alteration of colour from one moult to the next is absolutely minimal or non-existant. Barred tail.

 

Class 3. Whitefaced Grey Cock

Distinct resemblance to the wild-type Grey cock, except for the full white facial colour, which should begin at the base of the cere, curve down the neck and envelop underneath the chin. Dark legs, feet, claws and black eyes.

 

Class 4. Whitefaced Grey Hen

Light grey face remains thoughout life, otherwise similar to the wild-type Grey hen.

The Pied form is placed into Class 12. Cheekpatched Splits, due to the distortion of melanins in the beak, legs, feet and claws.

 

Class 5. Albino (Cock or Hen) [Whitefaced Lutino]

Pure white plumage with no overlay or wash, which would be seen as a fault. Beak, legs, feet and claws are skin-white. Eyes pink-red: changes with age - juveniles have pink eyes and adults must have red eyes. Dark eyed birds are Clear Pieds, not Albinos.

 

Class 6. Pied (Cock or Hen)

75% to 80% clear colour to 20/25% solid colour is preferred. The darker the solid colour, the more desirable the Pied. Should be as symmetrical as possible i.e. the shape and balance of the solid patches on the back or wings.

Blotchiness and blemishes are defects.

Dark eyes. Beak, legs, feet and claws most usually pink or skin white. Mottled extremites are judged as blemishes.

 

Class 7. Lutino (Cock or Hen)

Often referred to as 'White'. Similar appearence to the Albino as has red eyes and skin-white extremites. Despite the white plumage, the head and crest should retain yellow colouring silimar to the Grey. Yellow may spread throughout the plumage, being particularly obvious in the Lutino Pearled, which deepens the effect. Though a Lutino should be white to pale yellow only. Pearled should be placed into Class 9. Pearl.

Lutinos are renowned for nervous, sensitive behaviour. Also, the bald patch on the top head is a common Lutino trait. The latter traits exclude an affected Lutino from exhibition.

 

Class 8. Cinnamon (Cock or Hen)

Brownish-yellow plumage, though the class favours darker deeper brown colouring. Hens are usually darker. Pale beak, legs, feet and claws. Deep red/plum eyes in adults, lighter in juveniles.

 

Class 9. Pearled (Cock or Hen)

Pearling disrupts the solid base colour by forming marks or various shapes: lines, dots, curves or droplets. The marks can also be either excessively rounded or elongated (sometimes termed 'lacewing').

A balanced, symmetrical pattern is favoured. A 50% patterning is ideal. A blanket of Pearling is termed as blemishing.

Eye, beak, leg, feet and claw colour is not important. Neither is gender.

 

Class 10. Silver (Cock or Hen) [British]

Grey skullcap. Jet black eyes, beak, legs, feet and claws.

Those birds which are neither Grey or Silver are Dilutes and should be placed into Class 12. Cheekpatched Splits.

 

Class 11. Current Year Bred Entries (Cock or Hen)

Bird must be wearing a closed alluminium adonised year colour ring, to proove age.

 

Class 12. Cheekpatched Splits (Cock or Hen)

Any birds with a mottled or blemished appearence to the base plumage colour. In particular, split Pieds possess a clear patch at the rear of the head and nape.

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USA Visual Show Standard

A long, graceful, sleek, stream-lined bird, yet full-bodied, showing good body substance and equal proportions (conformation). Scored out of a total of 100 points as follows:

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Idealisms of the Show Cockatiel

Length

Should measure 14 inches in length from the top of the crown to the tip of the tail.

Width

When viewed from the front (or back), a generous width across the chest and shoulders in adults (particularly hens) should be evident.

Proportion

Should measure equally in length from: the top of the crown to the vent, the top of the shoulder to the tip of wing, and from the vent to the tip of the tail.

Crest

As the cockatiel's chief physical trademark, should be near to 3 inches in length, full and showy, curving back gracefully, with the longer filaments graduating evenly down towards the shorter ones at the rear of the skull.

Head

Large and well-rounded without evidence of a "flat top" either behind the crest or at the back of the skull.

Eyes

Large and bright, situated at mid-point between the front and vack of the skull (with good width between) and sheltered by a pronounced frontal brow-line, creating a proud, 'hawk-like' appearance when viewed from the front.

Cheek Patches

Bright orange, round, well colored and free of "bleeding" extraneous orange feathers elsewhere on the face.

Beak

Clean, tucked in and of normal length. The lower mandible should be only partly visible.

Yellow Face

Adult cock- brightly colored and without extraneous grey or orange feathers (except for young males going through the moult) and clearly contrast where it meets the main body feathers.

Bib

Deep.

Neck

Adding grace to the form, should be neither too long nor too short and particularly evident when the bird is in an alert stance.

Back

Straight, blending with the slender, tapering abdomen.

Wings

Large and wide, held tightly, hugging the body with tips close to the tail, without crossing or drooping. All flight feathers should be present.

Wing Patch

Should be near to 3/4 of an inch in width and be clear of extraneous dark feathers.

Legs & Feet

Clean, strong and firmly grasp the perch. All toes and claws should be present and nails should not be overgrown.

Tail

Long, clean and straight (lacking frayed, damaged or soiled feathers) and tightly whipped together, adding to the cockatiel's elegant and graceful appearance.