my 11 week old cockatiel

Question
My baby, Lilly, is 11 weeks old and she seems to be really afraid of me.  She seems like she really enjoys being on my shoulder but she'll make this weird low squaking noise.  She puts her crest all the way back.  Is she scared or just talking to me?  Am I doing something wrong?

Answer
Hello Lauryn.  Thank you for your post.
Lilly is just practicing her vocals, and it's not uncommon for a baby to flatten it's crest down to it's head.  She is learning to do different thing with her feathers, and this will pass.
One of my females was like that when I got her, and she was 3 months old when I got her.
It sounds like Lilly is enjoying your company, but she has to experiment with different sounds and expressions.  This is much like a baby human experimenting with different things.  I don't think you're doing anything wrong, and if Lilly was afraid of you, you wouldn't be able to get her to sit on your shoulder.

Good luck and God Bless.
Dianna