# How tiels see



## willowsalbus

This might be a stupid question, but how do cockatiels see? Is it one thing on each side like a reptile (I think) or is it like us?

Also I have read that their eyes are bad at night, is that true? (or in general, really).


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## tielfan

Cockatiels have their eyes on the head so they can see almost everything in a complete circle around them. They also can see more colors than we can.

Birds generally have poor night vision except for a few night birds like owls. They aren't active at night so mother nature hasn't equipped them to see things then.

Here are some articles on bird vision, from the simple to the complicated:
Birds | Causes of Color
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_vision


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## lordsnipe

yep .. their eyes are quite bad at night, which is why they are prone to night frights. Even with a night light, they will hiss at you if you mess with their cage at night.. well Nibbler does .. until you speak to him and he knows who it is.


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## HAJiME

Monocular and binocular vision isn't confined to different groups of animals. All predators have binocular vision (like us) whilst all prey species have monocular (like cockatiels). See diagram!

The avian eye is physically like a reptile eye (because birds _are_ a type of reptile), in that it is flatter than mammal eyes, but they see in a way more comparable to us because they have developed extraordinary eyesight required for flying. They need to take in a lot of images and process them very quickly so that they do not collide with objects. They can detect movement far better than we can.

Birds have insanely good eyesight. In the case of the cockatiel, night vision is non-essential to it's niche. Only a few types of birds have developed good night vision and, you'll notice, live their entire life by it - like the owl.

Birds can see ultraviolet light and some species can see polarised light and even magnetic fields!

A cockatiel would see something similar to how a pigeon sees, because both species are prey species for other animals, being able to see all around you is necessary for spotting predators.









Whilst I don't know specifically for cockatiels, most animals with monocular vision have compromised focusing skills because there eyes are good at seeing a lot very quickly, not concentrating on something specific (like prey). This is probably why they can't see windows.


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## Duckybird

I also think that the crazy flying associated with a night fright is instinctual. It's almost like they are trying to fly away from whatever is scaring them. It reminds me of baby sea turtles swimming even if put in a tank.


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## willowsalbus

That makes sense. Thank you all for the info!


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## Abby

I'm actually learning about binocular and monocular view in Psychology. And just today, I was reading about birds' eyesight. They can easily see in front of them but also movement behind them to be able to know when predators are around. I'm sure someone already provided this info, but there it is anyway.


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