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Turquoise parrot(Neophema pulchella)
Phylum —chordata
Class — aves
Order — psittaciformes
Family — psittaculidae
Genus – neophema
Appearance
Ranging from 20 to 22 cm long with a 32 cm wingspan, the Turquoise parrot is a small and slightly built parrot weighing around 40 g. Both sexes have predominantly green upperparts and yellow underparts. The male has a bright turquoise-blue face which is darkest on the crown and slightly paler on the lores, cheeks and ear coverts. The neck and upperparts are grass-green, and the tail is grass-green with yellow borders. The wing appears bright blue with a darker leading edge when folded, with a band of red on the shoulder. The underparts are bright yellow, slightly greenish on the breast and neck. Some males have orange patches on the belly, which may extend to the breast. When extended, the wing is dark blue with red on the trailing edge on the upper surface, and black with dark blue leading coverts underneath. The upper mandible of the bill is black and may or may not fade to grey at the base, while the lower mandible is cream with a grey border in the mouth. The cere and orbital eye-ring are grey and the iris is dark brown. The legs and feet are grey.
Generally duller and paler, the female has a more uniform and paler blue face, with highly contrasting cream bare skin around the eye. It lacks the red shoulder band, and the blue shoulder markings are darker and less distinct. The throat and chest are pale green and the belly is yellow. The upper mandible is paler brown-grey with a darker tip, and has been recorded as black while nesting. The lower mandible is pale grey to almost white. When flying, the female has a broad white bar visible on the underwing.
Habitat
It is a parrot found in eastern Australia – from the south of Queensland to the north of Victoria.
Behavior
Turquoise parrots are encountered in pairs or small groups consisting of parents and several offspring, though they may congregate into larger flocks of up to 75 predominantly juvenile birds outside the breeding season. As the breeding season nears, pairs separate out from these flocks.
Turquoise parrots roost together communally in autumn and winter. At night they roost among the foliage of trees such as gums or wattles, anywhere from 1 to 8 m (3–25 ft) above the ground. They retreat to trees near their feeding areas during the day.
Diet
In their natural surroundings, these little parrots will thrive on a balanced diet of seeds, fruits, insects and grasses.
Reproduction
The Turquoise parrot is monogamous. The male perches upright on a tree stump and extends its wings to show off its red and blue markings when courting a female. Once paired, both sexes look for a nesting site, which is ultimately chosen by the female. Birds use vertical or nearly vertical hollows of live and dead trees, generally eucalypts, as nesting sites. The tree containing the hollow is often located in open woodland, and the hollow itself is generally at least 1 m (3 ft) above the ground.
Breeding takes place over the warmer months with eggs laid from August to January. The clutch is laid on a bed of wood dust or leaves and consists of two to five (or rarely up to eight) round or oval glossy white eggs, each of which is generally 21 to 22 mm long by 18 mm (0.8 by 0.7 in) wide. Incubation takes 18 to 21 days. The female incubates the eggs and broods the young, and feeds them for their first few days before the male begins helping. She leaves to feed and drink twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Both parents take part in feeding the young, on a diet predominantly of seeds with some fruit.
The chicks are altricial and nidicolous; that is, they are born helpless and blind and remain in the nest for an extended period. Covered in silvery-white down, they have pink skin and darker blue-grey skin around the eye. By seven days they open their eyes, and are well-covered in grey down with pin feathers emerging from their wings on day six. They are almost covered in feathers by day 21, and fledge (leave the nest) at around 23 days of age in the wild and up to 30 days of age in captivity.
In captivity
Turquoise parrotscan live 15 years or longer. However, most don't survive beyond 6 to 7 years in captivity.
Turquoise parrots can be kept in a wide variety of different aviary types, including cages, traditional aviaries and suspended flights. These birds love to forage on the ground, so care should be taken to prevent parasite infection.
Turquoise parrots are immensely placid and can cohabitate with other small placid parrots, finches and quail. Do not house them with other species in the Neophema genus, as hybridization may occur.
Turquoise parrots should be provided with an adequate amount of flying space to ensure they receive sufficient exercise. Birds that do not have room to fly may suffer from stress or obesity. At least two meters of uninterrupted flying space is recommended.
Non-toxic leaves and branches should be provided for chewing. They will be destructive to foliage in a planted aviary.
The basis of the Turquoise parrot’s diet is a quality small parrot mix seed mix. It should be stored in an airtight plastic drum to prevent exposure to vermin and moisture. Dry seed mixes are most nutritious when they have been soaked or sprouted.Green seeding grasses are relished by Turquoise parrots. Unless the aviary is immensely large and grasses can grow faster than the birds can consume them, it may be necessary to plant seeding grasses into pots which can be rotated out to allow the plant to recover.
Turquoise parrots should be provided with a wide variety of fruit and vegetables. Green leafy vegetables such as kale, pak choy, and endive are especially important. Apple, pear, corn, carrot and broccoli are readily consumed. As with all birds; Avocado, chocolate, caffeine and alcohol are toxic and should not be fed.
Commercial parrot pellets can be offered as a more-nutritious alternative to seed, but they do not form a complete diet – contrary to the claims of many manufacturers. Some birds may be unwilling to eat pellet, so they should be phased into their diet slowly.
