# male cockatiel almost always has his crest up



## magic2man (Nov 26, 2017)

i'm pretty new with birds and dont really understand all of their body language, but i understand that if they are grinding their beak and puff up their feathers they are calm, but he still has his crest up when he is relaxed, only time he doesnt have it up is when he is nibbling my fingers and my face or is getting petted. is this normal and if it isnt how should i fix it


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

It's normal. Being a prey animal, they are usually on alert even when calm.


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## Burgundy (Nov 23, 2017)

It's all good! A high crest doesn't mean he's stressed, only aware and alert. Usually when he'll be stressed or scared the crest is gonna be so far up that it's gonna lean forward over your bird's head.


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