10 Best Cockatiel Books in 2024: Reviews & Top Picks

Cockatiels are a lovely pet for new and advanced bird owners.

If you’re considering adopting one, you need to research how to care for it before you bring it home properly. Pet birds require particular care and are prone to hidden household dangers, so you shouldn’t adopt one on a whim. Do yourself a favor by researching these beautiful birds so you can not only provide them with a happy home but one that’s healthy and enriching, too.

There are many cockatiel books out there, but some are outdated or full of dangerous advice. Our list of reviews below provides you with the accurate information you need to give your cockatiel the life it deserves.

Whether you need a basic introduction to bird ownership or wish to delve deeper into training and breeding your cockatiel, these 10 titles below should have everything you need.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		The Ultimate Guide to Cockatiels	Comprehensive and easy to read Full of beautiful illustrations and helpful diagrams Recently published and up-to-date	Check Price
Best Value		Cockatiels for Dummies	Fun to read Written by an expert Easy to digest material	Check Price
Premium Choice		The Cockatiel Handbook	Beautiful color photos Great for beginner owners Advice on choosing a breeder	Check Price
		Complete Care Made Easy – Cockatiels	Great for beginner bird owners Well-rounded and informational Accurate diet advice	Check Price
		Cockatiels as Pets	Easy to read Prompt delivery Great jumping-off point	Check Price

The 10 Best Cockatiel Books

Our pick for the best overall cockatiel book is The Ultimate Guide to Cockatiels, by David Alderton. This detailed guide covers everything from selecting a cockatiel to feeding, housing, health care, breeding, and more. We love the beautiful illustrations and helpful maps, charts, and diagrams. In short, this comprehensive book does a great job of walking you through the ins and outs of cockatiel ownership, helping you provide your bird with the best possible life. Plus, it’s a brand-new book, so you know the information is up-to-date and accurate!

All in all, we think The Ultimate Guide to Cockatiels is the best cockatiel book you can buy this year. It’s conveniently available in paperback and Kindle formats and a great place to start for any cockatiel owner.

Cockatiels for Dummies provides prospective cockatiel owners with a fabulous introduction to bird ownership. It comes at a very affordable price, making it the best cockatiel book for the money.

An expert on companion birds writes this thorough book, so you know you’re getting high-quality and accurate information, even though Grindol wrote it over 20 years ago.

This book touches on topics such as caring for your bird, forming a relationship, selecting the perfect bird, and how to train them. There is even a section on night frights, an issue common amongst cockatiels. Grindol writes in an easy-to-follow way and provides many practical tips and trivia so reading her book is both informative and fun.

Though The Cockatiel Handbook by Mary Gorman is a bit pricier than others in our guide, its comprehensiveness makes it a must-have for all bird fanciers.

This handbook covers essential topics such as dietary needs, housing, and healthcare. There’s an entire section on how to find a reputable and reliable breeder or seller and a section dedicated to the origin and typical traits of cockatiels. It’s also full of high-quality photos to accompany its chapters.

The author provides practical advice on how to spend quality time with your new pet and how to read its body language, an essential skill all bird owners need to master.

Though this is the oldest book we’re reviewing today, it’s still full of relevant and accurate information.

Another good cockatiel book is Angela Davids’ Complete Care Made Easy guide. This is a must-have book for first-time bird owners looking to welcome a cockatiel into their lives. The book offers advice on choosing the perfect bird, how to care for it, and how to keep it healthy. In addition, it can help you select the best cage for your new cockatiel, where to place it in your home, and what types of accessories and toys you need to splurge on for your new pet.

There is an entire section devoted to the perfect cockatiel diet. The last two chapters of the guide discuss the genetics of this tropical bird, breeding, and the different color variations you can expect.

This short, to-the-point paperback from Louis Vine is broken down into four easy-to-digest chapters. The first chapter focuses on the need-to-know information for first-time cockatiel owners. The second provides advice on the various supplies and accessories you’ll need to keep your new pet happy and healthy. The third chapter is devoted to grooming your cockatiel and the general upkeep you should be prepared to do. The final chapter delves deep into the common health problems of cockatiels and what you need to do to keep yours as healthy as possible.

This book is a great starting point for first-time bird owners, so it’s not a great option for people that have owned birds in the past.

The easy-to-digest book, Cockatiels As Pets, has eight chapters that cover topics like sourcing a cockatiel, caring for and bonding with your new pet, the cost of bird ownership, and even breeding. It’s an excellent resource for prospective bird owners and can even provide helpful information for people who have experience with cockatiels. We appreciated that the author doesn’t just talk about the positives of cockatiel ownership but also speaks about how demanding they can be and the behavioral issues they can develop.

Though this book is straightforward to read, it is a bit mundane in appearance. There aren’t many photos to look at, but many big chunks of text.

This well-written handbook, Your Dream Pet Cockatiel, from Darla Birde is a fantastic, comprehensive guide for cockatiel aficionados and first-time bird owners. It contains sections on bird-proofing your home, choosing the perfect cage, what to expect when you bring your cockatiel home, and advice on raising older or rescued cockatiels. It also provides advice on reading your pet’s body language, wing clipping, and grooming tips.

This book is easy to understand and is chock full of great advice. It even has several recipes for DIY cockatiel muffins. The downside is that it’s very plain-looking and doesn’t have any images at all.

This cockatiel guideline from Kate Pellham is the perfect companion for the beginner cockatiel owner or anyone considering adopting one as a pet. It teaches prospective owners how to select a bird, care for it once you bring it home, and form a beautiful relationship with one another. It discusses essential topics such as feeding your new pet and how to create a living area where it can thrive. There’s even information about training, breeding, and grooming. We loved the section on how to bird-proof your home to ensure your cockatiel lives in a safe environment.

There is some redundant and conflicting information throughout the guide, however. For example, the book lists tomatoes on both its Toxic Foods and Safe Foods list. As a result, this book works best as a reference guide but shouldn’t be taken entirely as fact.

This beginner cockatiel book, Preparing for My First Cockatiel, is a perfect companion for adults and their children to learn what they need to prepare to bring their cockatiel home. Unlike other books on our list that try to jampack the pages with content, this guide instead focuses on what you need to do and buy before your new bird even comes home. Topics covered include cage advice, perches, food, toys, and play spaces. There is also information on how to communicate with new or shy cockatiels, so you’ll be ready to start bonding with your bird as soon as they come home.

This cockatiel book comes from the Animal Plant library, so you know the information inside is accurate. It touches on topics such as the perfect housing environment for your cockatiel, how to feed and house it, and training tips. We loved the many beautiful, full-color photos throughout the book, too.

It has helpful tip boxes in every chapter that can be useful for getting every member of the family involved in your new cockatiel’s care. We recommend this book for families with children to read together before and after bringing your new pet home.

Though this book is informative, it doesn’t delve too deeply into any topics. It provides a fantastic introduction to all you need to know as a first-time cockatiel owner, though.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Find the Best Cockatiel Book

There are a lot of cockatiel books on the market, but many are mediocre at best. The ten books we listed above are the best options, but there are some further factors you might wish to consider before buying a cockatiel book.

Author Credibility

Since self-publishing has become so popular and anyone can publish a book, there are some poorly written options full of inaccurate information. You don’t want to buy a book about animal care from someone who has never owned that animal before.

We recommend researching the authors above before choosing the book you’ll buy. We think they know their stuff; otherwise, they wouldn’t have made our top ten list, but you might want to know more about who has written your book to see if you agree with their ideas.

Readability

If you’re looking for a book about cockatiels, chances are you’re a prospective or brand-new bird owner. You don’t want to spend money on a book full of jargon you can’t understand. The best book for you will be written in clear and easy-to-read language.

You also want something that is going to hold your attention. A book that’s been poorly written or is written in dull language won’t keep you interested in it for long.

Photographs & Format

You should also consider what the book physically looks like and the format it comes in.

While this may seem unimportant, a visually appealing book with color images and fun text boxes often holds the reader’s attention better than plain books without images. If you’re a visual learner or prefer reading books with pictures, some of the books on our list will work better for you than others. Some options are strictly text, while others have images interspersed throughout.

The books on our list come in several format options. You can choose paperback, hardcover, audiobook, or e-book options.

Hardcovers and paperbacks are nice because you’ll have a physical copy of the book that you can store on your bookshelf.

Audiobooks are great for busy people who don’t have time to sit down and read a book. You can listen to it while you commute or cook, instead.

E-books are great for people who prefer to read in digital format. It can be downloaded and read from anywhere, provided you have the right app on your phone.

Conclusion

Only you know what kind of content will be helpful to you as a prospective or new bird owner. Use our reviews as a jumping-off point so you can find the perfect book that suits your needs.

For the best overall cockatiel book, The Ultimate Guide to Cockatiels is great for its accurate information and easy-to-digest content. The best value book, Cockatiels for Dummies, not only for its affordable price but also for its clear and concise information.

• See also: The Best Bird Books – Reviews & Top Picks

Featured Image Credit: Nipa Noymol, Shutterstock