Cockatiels are eating on TikTok and leaving no crumbs

Cockatiels are unapologetically serving on TikTok, in probably the most adorable trend I’ve seen on the platform for an age.

The small parrots and other birds who enjoy sitting on their owners’ shoulders are all over my FYP right now, vibing to rapper Lola Brooke’s track “Don’t Play With It”.

Reader, it’s so damn cute.

The trend appears to be started by TikTokker @queenbee576, whose video posted last week has 17.7 million views, and has prompted numerous interpretations from fellow bird parents. Each video sees TikTokkers lip synching to Brooke’s track and moving the camera swiftly to catch their bird reacting to these lyrics (the bird does the bit in brackets):

Gimme beso (muah), extendo (grrah)

I carry bitches like I’m prego (bop-bop, bop-bop)

And honestly, it’s all about the grraah.

“Who is this DIVA 💜” wrote @isabellacarrasqui5 on the original video.

“it’s the grraaaahhh for me!!🤣🤣😭😭👏👏❤️” wrote @DatBishMELLY.

“He ate and left no crumbs!😂” wrote @noemi.rangel.

Fellow TikTokker @kiki.tiel posted a version that has 15.5 million views and it’s outrageously cute. There are also great posts by bird owners @a.ngelie, @unnysony, @monicaeerie, @thenewkentuckian, @trityca, @a.danilove, @brenmakesthings and so many more, every single one of them is aggressively adorable. Look at their little beaks! The wings serving!

There’s no big discourse to unpack here about this TikTok trend. It’s not that deep, it’s just delightful. Enjoy.