Sonny the 32-year-old bird is the oldest cockatiel in the world!

Isn’t Sonny adorable, with his yellow mohawk and bright orange cheeks?

Well, this cockatiel is not just super cute but also pretty iconic: he has witnessed 17 Olympic games, has been through the 2019 Coronavirus pandemic and was even alive during the rise of the internet!

WOW. 

In over 3 decades, one thing that has never changed is how loved Sonny is by his family, the Reichers, living in Northbrook, Illinois, USA. 

So you can imagine their joy when, after 32 years and 292 days, they obtained a world record title for their amazing pet. 

Sonny is officially the oldest cockatiel living in the world!

Here you can see him as a 6-month-old baby:

So how long do cockatiels usually live?

Their average life expectancy is roughly 10-15 years, so Sonny has more than doubled the lifespan of his fellow birds!

According to the Reichers this is all due to his social lifestyle and yummy, nutritious diet. 

“He is a great companion to me,” said Sonny’s mom, Janet Reicher. “He socializes with anyone that pays attention to him. My husband used to travel a lot, and Sonny kept me company and always made me laugh.”

Here he is at age 7:

The family started taking care of Sonny in 1993 when he was just a few weeks old, and the clever bird soon began to show off his special talents, such as whistling fun tunes.

“We used to do duets while I showered, and he sat on the vanity,” explained Janet. “He used to have a large vocabulary, but now it is just a few words with lots of baby babble.”

Sonny at age 10:

He is also very friendly and affectionate, and loves giving kisses and sitting pretty on people’s shoulders and knees.

Sonny and Sam Reicher are besties that practically grew up together. When Sonny was 11, Sam was 5:

And by the time he turned 30, Sam was 24:

“I feel that the reason that Sonny has lived a long and happy life is due to good nutrition (lots of human food), cleanliness, and lots of socialization,” said Janet.

“I bake muffins for him, and feed him vegetables, chicken, egg, bread, pasta, and potatoes.”

Do you have any pets? What do they eat?

In his free time, Sonny likes to wander around the house, searching for fun places to rest and relaxing with his family.

“He usually spends waking hours outside of his cage, sitting on various size perches. In the evenings, he often sits on my knee while watching TV,” Janet continued.

What a sweet life!

Sonny also only goes into his cage to eat seeds, slurp up some water, or get a few minutes of peaceful shut-eye, spending the rest of his time with the Reichers. 

He’s basically like any other house pet, except he’s a better singer...

Congratulations, Sonny, you are Officially Amazing – and we cannot wait to celebrate your next birthday!