cockatiel pecks himself

Question
hi i have a cockatiel that pecks himself around the neck and i'm not sure why is it an itch or what, thanks

Answer
hi. thanks for your question.
it is hard to answer that question without further information and without being able to visibly inspect the cockatiel.
birds do appear to be "pecking" themselves while they are preening (cleaning) their feathers. solitary birds have a difficult time cleaning their neck/breast area just because it is hard for them to tilt their head down at a reasonable angle simply to reach those feathers. sometimes it appears that they are doing so in a rapid pecking or rotating motion simply because they can only bend their head at such an angle very rapidly for a short amount of time. if you only notice that he is doing so around his neck area, and while in the midst of cleaning his body, i wouldn't worry.
if you begin to notice that he is losing feathers in the area or "pecking" himself all over, this may be cause for concern. some birds who are bored because they are not handled enough or are unable to keep themselves occupied will begin feather plucking and self mutilating. thus, if you notice that he is losing a large (noticeable) amount of feathers in that area or all over his body in general, he may be feather plucking. this can often be a frustrating behavior for both birds and their owners and you can find much information about this behavior all over the internet. the following website: http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww4eii.htm  can be very helpful and even a simple Google search of "bird feather picking" can also help.
another possibility would be if he has feather mites. usually however, birds that are infested with mites will only exhibit the afflicted behavior (irritation, excessive preening, feather ruffling, restlessness) at night.  mites are only visible by magnifying glass but cause tiny holes in the feather shafts of the flight feathers. you can read more about mites at http://petcaretips.net/bird-mite.html  i would be hesitant to think this if your bird is solitary.
there can be many causes for such behavior however it is best to try and rule out the above possibilities. if you notice signs of illness (the bird is fluffed up, eyes closed, changes in appetite and behavior) your best bet is to go to a vet, preferably an avian vet, for a checkup and to rule out illness.
good luck and i hope this helps! alicia