Not new, just unintroduced!

[Whiskers]

Hi everyone! I've been posting around BirdBoard for a while now, but lawks and deary me I only just noticed this forum!

I'm a music student in Perth, Australia, and I share an apartment with my three 'little men' - Nic the design student, Chen and Sakai the cockatiels. Sakai is around ten months old and of native colouring, Chen is around two months old and a lutino - we only got him two days ago!

So to anyone I haven't seen around the forums yet, hello! I'm more often seeking advice than giving it, but I'll try to help out where I can.

PS: On a side-note, the common slang for cockatiels here is 'weiro'. Is this restricted to Western Australia/Australia or has anyone else heard it?

[Kiwi1224]

Welcome! Your tiels are beautiful. I had never heard weiro but thanks for the background.

[Kevin]

Welcome to BirdBoard! Aussie Aussie Aussie!

[Monica]

I've heard the term weiro before!!! Although I forgot it and couldn't remember it... and I know there's another term too, used to call cockatiels, but I forgot that one, too!

It's an Australian thing...

[Whiskers]

I guess that would make sense - I'm used to using cockatiel/tiel, but most people here don't even know what I mean until I say weiro!

[Monica]

LOL! It's like here (in the USA), calling a budgie a budgie! A lot of people don't know what you mean until you say a "parakeet", no matter how incorrect (in it's own way) to call a budgie a parakeet! (incorrect in the fact that parakeet means any small parrot with a long tapering tail, from budgies and cockatiels up to conures and ringnecks!).

[Whiskers]

Oh is THAT what they mean when they say parakeets? I've been wondering this whole time!

No, budgerigar is definitely the correct term here. Parakeet just doesn't fit into our Aussie slang at all. I've heard of a budgie-smuggler, but a ringneck-smuggler is just a little bit disturbing!

(Note to the unaware: 'budgie-smuggler' is what we call guys in Speedos here...)

[ROYJOY]

THANX MONICA! i had heard that long tail = parakeet, and short square tail = parrot, so i assumed macaws were parakeets. i didnt realize it stoped with conures.

oh!, and welcome newbee.