A 33-year-old cockatiel belonging to an Illinois family was officially certified as the oldest in the world. Photo courtesy of Guinness World Records
Feb. 11 (UPI) — An Illinois family’s 33-year-old pet cockatiel, named Sonny, was officially named the oldest bird of his species by Guinness World Records.
Sonny officially earned the record for oldest cockatiel living at the age of 32 years and 292 days old in October 2025, and he celebrated his 33rd birthday on January 10.
The bird’s owner, Northbrook resident Janet Reicher, said Sonny came to live with her family when he was just a few weeks old in 1993. She said he quickly showed an aptitude for music and learned to whistle songs from Bridge over the River Kwai and the theme from the Andy Griffith Show.
“We used to do duets while I showered, and he sat on the vanity,” Reicher told Guinness World Records. “He used to have a large vocabulary, but now it is just a few words with lots of baby babble.”
She credited Sonny’s good health and long life to a healthy diet and plenty of social engagement.
“He is a great companion to me,” Reicher said. “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.”
She said Sonny is paper trained, so he only has to go into his cage to eat seed, drink water and take naps.
“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,” she said.
