# Fallow — Cockatiel Variety Guide

> The Fallow cockatiel is a rarer recessive mutation that dilutes the grey to a warm yellowish-brown and gives red or plum eyes. It looks similar to cinnamon but is genetically distinct and often paler.

**URL:** https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/cockatiel/fallow/

## What are the key facts about a Fallow?
The Fallow is a cockatiel variety from Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia): small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g), gentle, calm, affectionate. A rarer mutation giving diluted, warm brown plumage and distinctive red eyes.

| Fact | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Origin | Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia) |
| Size | Small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g) |
| Size & weight | 80–120 g |
| Lifespan | 15–25 years with good care |
| Plumage | Diluted warm brown plumage with red or plum eyes |
| Temperament | Gentle, calm, affectionate |
| Best suited to | Patient owners and families; needs daily interaction and out-of-cage time |

## Is a Fallow a good pet bird?
A Fallow can be a rewarding companion bird if you can offer daily out-of-cage time, a varied diet, and an avian vet. This Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia) variety is small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g) and gentle, calm, affectionate, often living 15–25 years with good care.

Seed-only diets, tiny cages and isolation make Fallows sick. They are flock animals. Plan for noise, mess, and a lifespan that can exceed a decade.

Buy from a rescue or a documented breeder, never a wild-caught parrot. If you want a quiet, cageless pet, this is the wrong animal.

## What is a Fallow?
The Fallow is a cockatiel variety from Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia): small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g), gentle, calm, affectionate. A rarer mutation giving diluted, warm brown plumage and distinctive red eyes.

A rarer mutation giving diluted, warm brown plumage and distinctive red eyes. Origin is Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia); coat or markings are described as Diluted warm brown plumage with red or plum eyes.

Kennel and registry labels describe a type. Individual Fallows still vary, and rescue animals may be mixes.

## Where does the Fallow come from?
Fallows come from Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia). Fallow is an autosomal recessive mutation that reduces melanin and leaves red-toned eyes, unlike the sex-linked cinnamon it resembles.

It is less common in the pet trade. Like all light-eyed mutations, fallows can be slightly more sensitive to bright light.

That origin still shows. A Fallow is small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g) and gentle, calm, affectionate, typically living 15–25 years with good care. Use the history as context for care and conservation, not as folklore to repeat without sources.

## How do you care for a Fallow?
A Fallow needs a wide cage or aviary, daily flight time, and a pellet-and-vegetable diet — for 15–25 years with good care. This Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia) bird is small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g) and gentle, calm, affectionate.

Seed-only feeding causes liver and vitamin A problems. Pair or flock housing beats a solitary bird on a round stand. Expect noise and mess.

Find an avian vet before an emergency. Coat and colour (Diluted warm brown plumage with red or plum eyes) are variety labels, not a reason to buy a bird you cannot house.

## What surprises people about the Fallow?
- Fallow is a recessive mutation, unlike sex-linked cinnamon.
- Its eyes stay red or plum-coloured into adulthood.
- It is less common than the other main mutations.
- Fallows are sometimes confused with cinnamons but are genetically different.

## What health issues should you know about in a Fallow?
_General guidance, not veterinary advice — always speak to your vet._

- **Vitamin A deficiency** — Seed-heavy diets lack vitamin A, leading to respiratory infections, poor feather quality and mouth lesions. _Care:_ Offer orange and dark-green vegetables and a vet-approved pellet diet; an avian vet can advise on supplementation.
- **Fatty liver disease** — All-seed diets high in fat lead to hepatic lipidosis, causing an overgrown beak, poor feathering and lethargy. _Care:_ Switch gradually to a formulated pellet base with vegetables under avian-vet guidance and limit fatty seeds.
- **Night frights** — Cockatiels are prone to thrashing panic in the dark, injuring wings and breaking flight feathers against cage bars. _Care:_ Use a dim night light, keep the cage away from sudden noises, and provide a calm, predictable sleeping spot.

## Who should skip a Fallow?
Skip a Fallow if you are homes that cannot match a gentle, calm, affectionate small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g) cockatiel from Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia). This Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia) cockatiel is small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g) and gentle, calm, affectionate — the mismatch is usually lifestyle, not a missing accessory.

This page is allowed to say no. Skip if you are homes that cannot match a gentle, calm, affectionate small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g) cockatiel from Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia).

A different cockatiel variety on this site may fit. Wanting “a Fallow” after a film or a colour photo is not a reason to ignore the skip list.

## What are the hidden catches with a Fallow?
The hidden cost of a Fallow is usually not the purchase price. It is years of care, the health list on this page, and the mismatch between a gentle, calm, affectionate animal and a busy home.

### The impulse-buy catch
A Fallow from Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia) is often sold on looks. Coat, colour and size are not a temperament test. Meet the adult animal, ask about health screening, and walk away from pressure sales.

### The vitamin a deficiency catch
Seed-heavy diets lack vitamin A, leading to respiratory infections, poor feather quality and mouth lesions. Offer orange and dark-green vegetables and a vet-approved pellet diet; an avian vet can advise on supplementation.

### The fatty liver disease catch
All-seed diets high in fat lead to hepatic lipidosis, causing an overgrown beak, poor feathering and lethargy. Switch gradually to a formulated pellet base with vegetables under avian-vet guidance and limit fatty seeds.

## How does a Fallow compare with Normal Grey and Lutino?
A Fallow is not interchangeable with Normal Grey and Lutino. Compare origin, size, lifespan and temperament before you choose — those four lines prevent most regret.

| Cockatiel fact | Fallow | Normal Grey | Lutino |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Origin | Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia) | Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia) | Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia) |
| Size | Small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g) | Small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g) | Small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g) |
| Lifespan | 15–25 years with good care | 15–25 years with good care | 15–25 years with good care |
| Temperament | Gentle, calm, affectionate | Gentle, affectionate, whistly | Gentle, affectionate, sometimes shy |

## What is the verdict on the Fallow?
Choose a Fallow only if the care, skip-if and health sections still look like your life after a week of thinking. Otherwise pick a different cockatiel or wait. Rescue is usually the better first door than a waiting-list puppy or kitten.

If the match is real, budget for 15–25 years with good care of vet care and do not skip health screening. If it is not, walking away is the kind choice — for you and for the animal.

## What do people ask about this variety?
### What is a Fallow cockatiel?
The Fallow cockatiel is a rarer recessive mutation that dilutes the grey to a warm yellowish-brown and gives red or plum eyes. It looks similar to cinnamon but is genetically distinct and often paler.

### Is the Fallow cockatiel a good pet?
Yes. Colour does not change temperament — all cockatiels are gentle, sociable birds that need a large cage, daily out-of-cage time, a varied pellet-and-vegetable diet and company. The Fallow suits patient owners who can give it attention every day.

### How can you tell the sex of a Fallow cockatiel?
In wild-type and lightly marked birds, mature males usually show a brighter yellow face and lose the barred tail. In heavily patterned or pale mutations like this one, visual sexing is unreliable, so DNA testing is the surest method.

### When is a Fallow the wrong choice?
When your home cannot match a gentle, calm, affectionate small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g) cockatiel for 15–25 years with good care. The skip-if section on this page is the short version; impulse buying is how Fallows are dumped.

### How is a Fallow different from a Normal Grey?
The Fallow is small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g) from Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia) with a gentle, calm, affectionate temperament and a usual lifespan of 15–25 years with good care. The Normal Grey is small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g) from Domestic colour mutation (wild type native to Australia) (gentle, affectionate, whistly, 15–25 years with good care). Those lines are the comparison; marketing copy is not.

### What should you know before getting a Fallow?
You need a plan for 15–25 years with good care of care, money for the conditions listed under health, and a home that fits patient owners and families; needs daily interaction and out-of-cage time. Coat and grooming: Diluted warm brown plumage with red or plum eyes. Meet adults, not only babies.

### How long does a Fallow live?
Typical lifespan on this guide is 15–25 years with good care. That is a range, not a promise — diet, weight, accident risk and the health issues named for this variety all move the outcome. Giant types often live shorter lives than small ones.

### How big does a Fallow get?
This guide lists size as Small (30–33 cm including tail; 80–120 g) and Size & weight as 80–120 g. Individuals vary; do not buy a “teacup” or “micro” marketing claim that contradicts those figures.

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*World Animal Rescue Network publishes these variety guides for owners and researchers. Learn more at https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/cockatiel/.*