This is what a cockatiel looks like while tail bobbing:

You can see that with each breath taken, the tail makes a jolting up and down motion. This tail bobbing behaviour can vary from slight bobbing to very intense bobbing. 

This article explains why cockatiels bob their tails and whether or not you should be concerned.

What Does Tail Bobbing Mean In Cockatiels?

Unfortunately, tail bobbing is often a sign of specific illnesses.

According to lafeber, excessive tail bobbing can indicate laboured breathing, which is a sign of other illnesses. This is backed up further by Dr Michael Salkin, who says an exaggerated up-and-down motion of the tail feathers can indicate respiratory illness, among other things.

This sounds very similar to how the cockatiel in the video above appears.

Pay attention and you’ll see that the poor cockatiel is tail bobbing with every breath.

There’s no mistaking it, the cockatiel in the video is struggling to breathe, despite preening and appearing normal.

As well as tail bobbing, cockatiels with breathing problems may also display the following behaviours:

• Scratching at the mouth, nose, or throat

• Making breathing squeaking sounds

• Open-mouth breathing

But this is all for excessive tail bobbing, so what if it happens only slightly?

Is Slight Tail Bobbing Normal Or Unhealthy?

Slight tail bobbing should not worry you as much as excessive tail bobbing.

If you notice tail bobbing while your cockatiel is going about its daily activities, it’s likely just natural body movement. When my cockatiel is biting and chewing his toys, he’s moving around a lot, including his tail feathers.

Birds bob their tails to regain balance as well.

So after your cockatiel lands from a flight, don’t be alarmed if you see some tail bobbing.

Singing, talking, and vocalising can also cause some slight tail movement.

You should only be concerned with excessive tail bobbing during breathing, but slight bobbing every now and then is perfectly normal.

Observe closely, is your cockatiel tail bobbing a lot or just slightly?

Causes Of Laboured Breathing & Breathing Issues

Since tail bobbing is often a symptom of laboured breathing, it’s worth mentioning a few reasons why cockatiels can develop breathing issues:

• Viral or bacterial infections – Psittacosis, chlamydia, etc

• Any type of poisoning

• Egg binding

• Various other sicknesses

Any illnesses that affect the respiratory system will cause laboured breathing in birds.

Foreign materials obstructing the airways will also make breathing difficult for your cockatiel.

And when a parrot has difficulty breathing, it’ll likely start tail bobbing with each breath.

Source: Dr Ross Perry On Tail Bobbing

What Should You Do? (Solutions)

The first thing you should do when you notice exaggerated tail bobbing is schedule a vet visit.

It’s important to get signs of illnesses checked by a vet quickly because they’ve been sick well before showing symptoms. Birds and especially cockatiels are very good at hiding their symptoms, so by the time you notice something is wrong, they’ve likely been sick for a while already.

An avian vet will be able to tell you exactly why your cockatiel is tail bobbing and what you can do.

In the meantime, there are things you can do to help prevent illnesses in the future:

• Feed a nutritionally balanced diet at all times

• Keep your bird’s environment as clean as possible (perches, cages, feeding dishes, toys, etc)

• Ensure everything they chew & eat is 100% bird-safe and non-toxic

• Prevent exposure to wild birds (they carry diseases)

• Don’t release toxic odours inside the house (smoke, aerosol sprays, disinfectant odours)

Of course, these things won’t guarantee your bird’s long-term health, but NOT doing these things can make them sick.

Short Summary | Conclusion

Here’s a quick summary of what has been covered in this article:

• Excessive/exaggerated tail bobbing with each breath is normally a sign of laboured breathing

• Tail bobbing is not an issue itself, it’s a symptom of another illness

• Slight tail bobbing is normal in most cases as it happens during natural movements

• Cockatiels move their tails naturally while playing, singing, or landing from a flight, but this doesn’t indicate excessive tail bobbing or sicknesses

• A vet visit is highly recommended if you notice excessive tail bobbing

Hopefully, you now understand what you need to know about tail bobbing in pet birds.

Thank you for reading!

Sources:

• https://lafeber.com/vet/respiratory-emergencies/
• https://www.justanswer.com/bird-vet/fy5j5
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4gYeHnzErw&t=259s – Ross perry on tail bobbing
• https://mickaboo.org/resources/reading-bird-body-language
• https://www.wikihow.com/Understand-Cockatiel-Gestures
• https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/recognizing-the-signs-of-illness-in-pet-birds