Parrot breeding Part II: Aviaries and nest sites
Parrots magazine|August 2020
In my article in the last issue, I mentioned some of the factors to be considered when setting up breeding aviaries. Think carefully about the location being suitable for the species. When I was curator at Palmitos Park, Gran Canaria, in the breeding centre we had a lovely pair of the rare Purple-bellied Parrots (Triclaria malachitacea) – one of my favourite species.
Rosemary Low
Parrot breeding Part II: Aviaries and nest sites

They had never bred. They were housed in the hottest, least sheltered location there, which was more appropriate for a species from Brazil? From the hot, dry north, yes, but for a species from the cool, damp Atlantic forests of southern Brazil, whose climate is more similar to that of the UK, it was totally inappropriate. I moved the pair to a cooler, shadier aviary in a covered block and had the aviary walls painted pale green. These lovely birds bred successfully in the following year and produced chicks in all subsequent years.

Parrots from forested areas generally do better where there is tree cover near the aviaries. Conversely, many Australian parakeets and others from desert areas, feel uneasy in a wooded area. Overhanging trees indicate threats from snakes and other predators.

Natural nest sites

Knowledge of the type of nest used by the species in the wild is very helpful. Some large macaws nest in holes in tree trunks, others in open-topped palms and Lear’s and Red-fronted nest inside cliffs, as do Patagonian Conures. Cliff-nesting species sometimes try to nest on the ground, or prefer a horizontal nest-box to a vertical one. Widespread and successful species tend to be less fussy about their nesting sites than more localised and specialised species. The Blue and Yellow is perhaps the most successful of the large macaws in the wild. Although it invariably nests in open-topped dead palms, in captivity it is not at all choosy about its nest.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2020 من Parrots magazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2020 من Parrots magazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من PARROTS MAGAZINE مشاهدة الكل
Parrot language issue
Parrots magazine

Parrot language issue

Puerto Rico’s endangered parrots are facing a new threat to their survival – their strange squawks. In a phenomenon never seen before, Puerto Rican parrots bred in captivity, with a view to being released into the wild, were communicating with a different dialect to the wild populations.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2020
Regent parrots thriving in SA wetland
Parrots magazine

Regent parrots thriving in SA wetland

Passion drips from Tim Field’s every word when he speaks about eastern Regent Parrots. The wetland manager at Banrock Station in South Australia is, it’s fair to say, smitten with these striking birds. “September and October is Regent Parrot survey time,” Tim says, “So we’re up well before dawn to make sure we’re at the wetland’s to track the fly-in, fly-out breeding population.”

time-read
1 min  |
November 2020
Landmark event for Philippine Cockatoo
Parrots magazine

Landmark event for Philippine Cockatoo

Exciting news has recently arrived of a landmark event in the Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Program (PCCP), the long-term endeavour to bring about the recovery of this ‘Critically Endangered’ species endemic to the Philippines. For the first time ever, a Philippine Cockatoo rescued from the wild, and subsequently released back to its original site, has been recorded to breed and produce a healthy hatchling. Such rescue and release to augment the wild population is just one of a raft of conservation measures conducted by the PCCP and supported by the Loro Parque Fundación over many years.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
Increasing Knowledge of the Most Endangered Parrots
Parrots magazine

Increasing Knowledge of the Most Endangered Parrots

Fifty years ago our knowledge of the status of parrots in the wild was limited. Few parrot species were known to be in danger of extinction and these were mainly Amazona parrots which were confined to small islands. At that time very few species had been studied in the wild.

time-read
9 mins  |
November 2020
Coronavirus threat to PNG's animal rescue centre
Parrots magazine

Coronavirus threat to PNG's animal rescue centre

Port Moresby is the capital of Papua New Guinea and is home to its unique animal rescue centre that is now facing the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic, and could be shut down. Papua New Guinea is the most populous nation in Melanesia and faces a potentially devastating wave of Covid-19 infections.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
Parrots magazine

Cucurbitaceae enrichment for our parrots

The group of cucurbitaceae is the one that includes cucumbers and pumpkins. Climbing or creeping plants that usually cover large areas to produce fruits that usually accumulate a lot of water. In nature, these plants defend themselves with a very bitter substance called cucurbitacin.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2020
Rare macaw refuge destroyed
Parrots magazine

Rare macaw refuge destroyed

A rare bird sanctuary in Brazil, which is home to 15 per cent of the world’s population of Hyacinth and Lear’s Macaws, has been destroyed by fires, and there are now fears for the survival of these blue macaws. “It is very sad to see decades of my family’s work, years taking care and preserving nature, for this to happen,” said Ana Maria Barreto, owner of the São Francisco do Perigara, a cattle ranch and bird sanctuary of more than 61,000 acres in Mato Grosso state.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2020
The value of animals
Parrots magazine

The value of animals

Children at a nursery and day care facility were delighted to receive a visit from some very special guests. Learning Land in Workington has a range of animals drop by, as part of an educational encounter paid for by the Co-op. The store has been working with animal specialists, Pet Encounter Cumbria, based in Workington, to deliver therapeutic and educational visits to children and the elderly.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2020
Complete Psittacine Subtle Secrets for Feeding Psittacines – and Getting them to Eat
Parrots magazine

Complete Psittacine Subtle Secrets for Feeding Psittacines – and Getting them to Eat

I have been daily feeding psittacines for 40 years now and there have been times in the past when I felt that was all I did each day – pets, breeders, babies, the birds at the shoppe in Santa Fe. The good news is this has taught me a whole lot about how to do it. And across all species groups, there are some really good guidelines for what to feed, when to feed, and how to make sure your parrots are actually consuming what you are giving them.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
Parrots magazine

Calabash for parrots

Different types of calabash has grown this year very well within our organic crops and a big advantage for our parrots that are relishing every moment during this season.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2020