Cockatiels are popular pets. Still, despite medical and surgical relevance, the radiographic anatomy of the cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) skeleton, like that of different wild and exotic bird species, has seldom been described. This study set out to describe the radiographic anatomy of the cockatiel skeleton. Twelve adult male and nine adult female specimens were radiographed using a digital X‐ray system and different views. The radiographic anatomy of these birds was similar to that of other Psittacidae. However, some particularities inherent to the target species were detected, such as the presence of four flexion zones in the skull (craniofacial, nasal, jugal arch and palatine), complete bony orbit comprising a suborbital arch, 34–38 vertebrae (10 or 11 cervical, 8 or 9 thoracic, 9 or 10 lumbosacral, 5 or 6 caudal vertebrae and a pygostyle comprising 2 fused vertebrae), eight or nine pairs of ribs and a notarium made up of fused T2–T6 vertebrae. Poor radiopacity of the notarium, ribs and respective uncinate processes, and synsacral vertebrae made demarcation of these structures difficult. The appendicular skeleton of the cockatiel was very similar to that of other Psittacidae, and there were no gender‐related differences.

Pet birds have gained increasing popularity over the last decades, and the avian caseload has increased in veterinary practices worldwide (Veladiano et al., 2016b). This phenomenon is thought to reflect the strong emotional bond between pet birds and their owners and the high economic value of some bird species (Freitas et al., 2015). Psittacines are among the most popular pet birds (Veladiano et al., 2016b) and form the second largest group of birds admitted to Brazilian Wildlife Conservation Centers, after passerines (Freitas et al., 2015; Vilela, 2012). According to Fernandes et al. (2019), the blue-fronted Amazon parrot (Amazona aestiva) remains one of the most common captive birds to date due to their beauty, sociability and ability to mimic human speech.

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