Cockatiel wants a girlfriend

Paulie the cockatiel may be on the rebound … whether he likes it or not! That’s if Lemonade has anything to say about the matter.

Depressed cockatiel

Paulie was living in a home with his mate, another cockatiel. But she passed away and he became depressed. The family was moving cross-country and didn’t want to risk taking a depressed bird on a long road trip. They were afraid he wouldn’t make it, so he came to Best Friends.

A new life for a bird

The minute he arrived, his life took on a new sparkle. He’s in the cockatiel room, where birds fly free in the sunlight, but since he’s new, he’s staying in a cage until he gets adjusted enough to mingle.

Bird love

What a perfect time for Lemonade to make her move! To say she’s got an eye for Paulie would be an understatement. This pretty yellow cockatiel has decided he’s nothing short of the love of her life … albeit rather cooped up at the moment. She perches on his cage, grooms his head feathers, gives nudges with her beak to tease him, then flies away so he can’t nudge her back! What a flirt!

And Paulie can’t pretend he doesn’t like her. Anytime she runs off to socialize with another bird, he starts bouncing from one side of his cage to the other, yelling things in cockatiel-language. Maybe, "Has anyone seen her? Where did she go?" But he doesn’t have to worry; she always comes back.

Life looking brighter for cockatiel

We can hardly wait for the dramatic moment when his cage door is opened for good! Will it be true love? Or will he work the room to check out his other options? (And make Lemonade give him a good, hard peck for real!) One thing’s for sure. His days of mourning over losing his mate are about to be over! Watch out, ladies, he’s back!

Browse the adoptable birds at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Photo by Troy Snow