Chiku! the Pyrrhura Conure

Last year, in December, I took on a new foster bird named Chiku! He’s apparently a hybrid of yellow-sided Green-cheeked Conure and Crimson-bellied Conure, possibly with other Pyrrhura species in there. I can’t help but wonder if someone was trying to create a very wildly-coloured orange conure by trying that cross. Of course, it didn’t work since the yellow-sided trait in green cheeks is recessive. Chiku! doesn’t have the bright crimson on him from the Crimson-bellied Conure either. That’s okay – he’s still an attractive little bird.

Chiku! hanging out in the paper holder.

I first described Chiku! in my post about hybrid parrots, which is one of the more popular posts on this site. Chiku’s not too unusual looking, since he’s a cross of two very similar species, and he looks very much like a Green-cheek conure with a bit of extra blue shading and extra red under the wings. He’s one hell of a guy so I’m going to write a little more about him. This post isn’t meant to be all that educational, but Chiku!’s such an interesting bird that I have to write more about his personality. I think he’s a boy, but I can’t be 100% sure. I’m getting him DNA sexed at the end of the month.

Chiku! is such a fun bird that I recently applied to permanently adopt him. I really enjoy the Pyrrhura conures, and Chiku! will be my second one, as I already have a Maroon-bellied Conure, Lucy, who I wrote about Here: Living with a Maroon-bellied conure.

Chiku! is a lot different from Lucy. He’s quite a bit younger (he’s a little over a year now) and is about twenty times more energetic. While Lucy is calm and docile, Chiku! is a complete firecracker. When he’s out of his cage, he’s on a non-stop spree of crazy.  Destruction is his favorite activity and I have to make sure he doesn’t go on  my laptop as he removed several of the keys and I had to replace the keyboard. He loves shredding anything – especially books – and throwing the debris around.  I’ve had to work at trying to convince him that when he eats messy food that produces crumbs or juice (such as crackers or berries), that it’s not necessary for him to eat them while standing on top of my head. The top of my head is his favorite perch, and he likes to hang over my face, clinging to my hair, and preen my eyelashes and eye brows. He loves to go down my shirt as well, and stick his head out over the top. He hates my husband and wants to rip his ears off.  Chiku! will even try to walk downstairs if my husband’s there in order to find him and bite his ears. We are working on that behavior and my husband can now at least pick up Chiku! without winding up with a bird as an earring. Biting men’s ears is one of Chiku!’s little vices (passions, even) as he badly bit the man at the last place he stayed at. His nickname is “Man-seeking Dart.” I can handle Chiku! just fine and he’ll even lie on his back on my hand. I don’t know much about Chiku!’s past so I’m not sure how his dislike of men developed, although I do what I can to prevent him from nipping anyone. I’ve been doing a bit of clicker training with him and he’s a very fast learner, as is Lucy the Maroon-bellied Conure.

Chiku! gets a drink of water.

Chiku! likes to say his name over and over again, quite loudly, in several different tones of voice. I have no idea if he was named after his vocalization or if he was named “Chiku” and then learned to say his name. I spell his name with an exclamation point because it just seems to suit him.

He has learned how to imitate Peggy, my Jenday Conure, and can say, “Whaaaaaat??” in this surprisingly indignant and sarcastic-sounding tone of voice. Peggy sounds like a Blue Jay, only more shrill, and Chiku!’s imitation of that is even shriller still.  He insists on sharing anything I may be eating or drinking in front of him which is fine almost all of the time, since most of the food I eat is okay for birds. However, he can’t have coffee, and if I have coffee while Chiku!’s out, he’ll violently protest by pecking on the lid of the coffee cup and making these angry mumbling noises. He’ll simmer down if I get him a little cup of juice to drink out of. He can only have pure juice that doesn’t have any extra sugars added, and the juice I usually give him is carrot-blueberry.

Chiku! shares my herbal tea.

I kind of wanted to keep Chiku! very early on in his foster period with us. But, if a better home applied to adopt him, I decided I’d let him go. However, most adopters were a bit turned off by his biting-men’s-ears-and-faces habit. Go figure. The parrot rescue that Chiku! was surrendered to held an adoption day at the local Humane Society in June and I figured that I’d take him and that if no one adopted him, I’d keep him.

Chiku! didn’t behave too badly at the adoption day and mainly stayed in his cage. When I took him out, he mostly stayed under my hair on my shoulders and basically clung to me. He wasn’t adopted, so I decided to keep him and just submitted my formal application to adopt him.

Chiku! on his play gym, with Ripley in the background.

I’ve noticed that, often, small birds are seen as being “starter birds”  – the ones that people should get to gain “experience” before getting a bigger bird. However, as Chiku! demonstrates, the small conures are just as smart and interesting as the larger parrot species. I have a couple bigger parrots (a Red-lored Amazon and a Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo) and still decided to get another small conure because I just enjoy these little birds so much. Chiku! needs as much attention as the bigger birds.

A Rose-crowned Conure

As I mentioned in a recent blog post, I got a new parrot in December, 2015. He’s a four-year-old Rose-crowned Conure, a species that is somewhat uncommon in North America. His name is Patrick Perry, although my husband and I usually call him by his nickname “Dip.”

Dip, the Rose-crowned Conure

Rose-crowned Conures are in the genus Pyrrhura (Pyrrhura rhodocephala), and are thus closely related to Green-cheeked and Maroon-bellied Conures. Rose crowns differ in appearance from the most common Pyrrhuras found as pets as they don’t have any tan or grey feathers on the breast and they have white beaks. They are largely green with a red cap on the head, red cheeks,  a red tail, and some red feathers on the chest and belly. Their flight feathers are blue (although Dip has a few white primary flight feathers) and they have white primary coverts, which can be seen on the bend of the wing when the bird is at rest (see picture below).

 

Dip at a parrot show. This picture shows his white primary covers (at the top of the wing). It also shows his three white primary flight feathers, which are supposed to be blue. I’m not sure why he has those white feathers, as he’s healthy and eats a healthful diet.

 

Juvenile Rose-crowned Conures frequently have less red on the head than adults. Some books on wild birds state that juveniles lack red on the head or have very little of it there (e.g. Forshaw 2010); however, many captive-bred juveniles have quite a bit of red on the head. Juveniles may also have some bluish feathers on the crown and blue (instead of white) primary coverts.

Because Rose-crowned Conures are uncommon in captivity in Canada, Dip is often mistaken for other species. He is most frequently thought to be a Cherry-headed Conure (Psittacara erythrogenys), as both species are red and green with white beaks. However, the Rose-crowned Conure is smaller and has some red on the chest that the cherry heads lack.

The Rose-crowned Conure (AKA Rose-crowned Parakeet) has a rather small range in the wild and is the only Pyrrhura species found in its range. They occur in forested montane areas of northwestern Venezuela (see map below) at elevations of 800 – 3400 m (although they are most common at 1500 – 2500 m). Because they appear to be common in their range, the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) lists them as a species of “Least Concern,” meaning that they do not appear to be endangered or at risk of becoming endangered. However, there is little data available on this species’ population status or behavior in the wild.

The range of the Rose-crowned Conure (shown in orange). Image from: http://www.iucnredlist.org

In the wild and outside of the breeding season, Rose-crowned Conures occur in flocks of approximately 10 to 30 birds, although many small flocks may congregate together at sleeping roosts during the evening. Most breeding parrots stay in pairs during the breeding season; however, one species of Pyrrhura (the El Oro Conure, Pyrrhua orcesi) has a cooperative breeding system, where a breeding pairs’ relatives (or occasionally unrelated birds) may help them with raising young. The ‘helper’ birds in El Oro Conures will feed the breeding pair’s chicks. However, there is little information available on the breeding behavior of Rose-crowned Conures in the wild so I cannot say if they breed as pairs or if pairs receive help from other birds.

Pyrrhuras are often said to be among the more quiet parrot types. Certainly, Dip is nowhere near as loud as my Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Blue and Gold Macaw, or Red-lored Amazon. He does make some noise though. He gives off a lot of typical parrot squawks, and he is a very talented whistler. He is also quite talented at mimicking the other parrots. For example, Chiku, my Green-cheeked Conure mix, often says his name and Dip can mimic that perfectly. If I hear “Chiku! Chiku!” sounds from the bird room, I generally cannot tell if it’s Dip or Chiku (or both) making them. Dip can also mimic some of the quieter sounds that Ripley (my Red-lored Amazon) makes.

Dip eats Tropican pellets supplemented with some fresh foods. He particularly enjoys corn, peas, berries, sunflower seeds, and walnuts. I got to pick a lot of wild blueberries this summer and he particularly enjoyed those.

Dip is a very active parrot who loves to climb and chew on wood and cardboard. He lacked a tail when I got him, and his flight feathers were quite short. However, his tail grew back and his flight feathers have molted out and grown back. He likes to fly and his favourite landing spot appears to be the top of my head.

*Do you have a Rose-crowned Conure? Tell me about him/her in the comments!

References

BirdLife International. 2012. Pyrrhura rhodocephala. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T22685877A39028964. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T22685877A39028964.en. Downloaded on 02 October 2016.

Forshaw, J. M.  1977. Parrots of the World. T. F. H. Publications: Neptune, NJ.

Forshaw, J. M.  2010.  Parrots of the World. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.

Juniper, T., and Parr, M.  1998.  Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World. Yale University Press: New Haven, CT.

Klauke, N., Segelbacher, G., and Schaefer, H. M. 2013. Reproductive success depends on the quality of helpers in the endangered, cooperative El Oro Parakeet (Pyrrhura orcesi). Molecular Ecology 22:2011-2027.

Low, R.  2013. Pyrrhura Parakeets (Conures): Aviculture, Natural History, Conservation. INSiGNIS Publications: Mansfield, Notts, UK.

 

 

Fleeing the Flames

Back to blogging again! My life has been very crazy during the past couple of months. I was offered a new job working as a biologist specializing in birds that required me to move to Fort McMurray, Alberta. The job started in May and my husband and I decided that I would move up first with five of the parrots and Micro the Maltese, while he stayed behind with the rest of the pets to prepare our house for sale.

The five parrots to come with me were Pteri (Blue and Gold Macaw), Mitri (Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo), Ripley (Red-lored Amazon), Chiku (Green-cheeked Conure mix), and Dip (Rose-crowned Conure). Sadly, Peggy, my Jenday Conure (who I named this blog after), had passed away in November, 2015. Otherwise, she would have come with me as well. Dip is a new bird I got in December 2015.

I moved up April 30 and during the evening of May 1, I noticed a huge cloud of smoke coming up from the south of the city. I later found out that a forest fire had started there, and that it had started to spread very quickly.

Picture of smoke taken May 1 2016. Fort McMurray.

Most of the city was extremely smoky on May 2 and a few communities in the southern part of the city were ordered to evacuate but I wasn’t affected. On the morning of May 3, everything looked quite clear but the city fire chief noted that this was deceptive, as the smoke from the fire was staying near the ground due to the weather conditions. He warned people that the fire was not under control.

By the afternoon, I could see heavy smoke coming from two different directions, and bits of burned debris (including conifer needles) were falling from the sky. More parts of the city were ordered to evacuate, and I was starting to think that I would have to evacuate as well.

This did not look good. Picture taken May 3 2016, Fort McMurray.

Ash falling on the windshield of my car.

Unfortunately, my car was very low on gas, and by the time I was able to try to fill it up, gas stations in the area of the city I lived in had run out of gas. Luckily, I was able to get out of town with a co-worker and we were able to take a work truck.

Once the part of town I lived in was ordered to evacuate, I had to gather up my parrots and dog, and decide what to bring with us. I had no idea how long this evacuation would go on or where we would end up. I did have five carriers handy – one for each bird – but Micro would have to leave with just his harness and leash. When packing supplies, the first thing I thought of were the parrots, and I packed bags of parrot pellets, small bowls, several towels, newspaper, and several bottles of water. I also prepared a big Ziploc bag of dog food, which I ended up forgetting. This meant that Micro got to eat a lot of people food during his adventure. For me, I brought some toiletries (toothpaste, soap, etc), socks, underwear, my laptop, and a book. My co-worker picked us up in a truck and we headed out.

Getting out of town took a long time as there are only two roads out of the city – Highway 63 going north or Highway 63 going south. We were in the northern part of the city so we went north.  All of the radio stations in Fort McMurray had stopped broadcasting so we listened to CBC (the national radio station) for updates.

Gridlock in Fort McMurray

There is only one hamlet north of Fort McMurray that can be reached by road, which is the First Nations community of Fort MacKay. The town did generously house many evacuees but there was no way it could handle the tens of thousands of people who had to flee north. This left various work lodges as potential evacuee destinations. There are many oil extraction operations north of Fort McMurray and there are a lot of lodges there that house workers at these operations. Some of them are huge and can house a few thousand people.

Numerous work lodges opened their doors to evacuees and a lot of the larger oil operations sent workers home to make room for evacuees. After several hours of driving north, we saw a person holding a sign saying that the Shell Albian Sands camp was open and had room for evacuees so we headed there.

It took us about eight hours to arrive at the camp. Under normal circumstances, it takes about 45 minutes to make the same drive. Because of the fuel shortage, some people had to abandon their vehicles at the side of the road. However, the police were patrolling the roads to help people who had run out of fuel. I also saw people heading north riding on ATVs.

Vehicles heading north on Highway 63.

Once we got to the Shell camp, we had to park the truck in a lot and wait in a line outside for a bus to shuttle us to the camp. The parrots were surprisingly calm given the circumstances and they attracted a lot of attention. Pteri in particular generated a lot of interest as she would say “Hi!” to people. I did have to warn people not to put their hands in the bird cages, as all the birds were tired and probably cranky. Micro, however, was happy to have attention and a lot of kids petted him. There were also a lot of other dogs waiting in the line, and even a few cats. As far as I know, all of the lodges taking evacuees were allowing pets of all types.

The shuttle bus arrived and luckily I had a lot of help getting the five birds onto the bus. They had never really ridden on buses before but they were very quiet. Once we arrived, we had to stay in a common area as the camp was saving rooms for people with small children or health problems. We were given a bunch of blankets and pillows by the staff.

I stacked the parrots by a wall and made sure they all had food and water. It was about 2 am by the time I got everyone settled. I also covered Pteri’s cage with a towel as she would screech when she saw people get too close to her cage. Having the towel over her cage seem to calm her down.

I tried sleeping on the floor. Admittedly I did not get much sleep as my dog was, understandably, rather agitated so he whined a lot. He was in a room with other dogs, a few cats, and many stressed and upset people. Many of these people had lost their homes and those who hadn’t were worried that they would. I had to take Micro outside a few times for bathroom breaks. At one point, I tied him to my heavy bag and tried to rest, but he backed out of his harness and wandered around the lodge. Someone found him and called my cell number (which was on Micro’s collar tags).

The next day, we were able to get a little room, which relieved me as I think the parrots were getting a stressed at this point. I was able to give each bird some time out of their cages to stretch their wings. We had a luggage cart they were able to perch on as well. They all seemed quite content once we got into a room. They were fairly quiet, and spent their time napping, preening, or eating.

Mitri perches and preens on a luggage cart

The birds had enough pellets to eat, but I was able to get them some vegetables and fruit from the cafeteria. Evacuees were able to eat for free at the large cafeteria that is normally used by the workers who stay at the lodge.

We stayed at the lodge for a few days, but then they started to fly people out to either the Calgary or Edmonton airports. People and animals were being flown out at no cost from the oil sands aerodromes. A few of the oil sands mines have their own private aerodromes that they use to fly workers in and out and Shell is one of them. I signed up to fly back to Edmonton. All of my birds except Chiku (whose carrier would fit under the plane set) would have to fly in the cargo part of the plane but I was assured that they would  be safe. I have to admit I was worried about them. I wrote each birds’ name, my name, and my cell phone number somewhere on each carrier.

To get onto a flight, I had to wait in a long line with the birds’ (in their carriers) on a luggage cart. Of course, they attracted a huge amount of attention. Pteri even delighted a group of people by saying “Good Morning” to them. Most of the time, though, I kept her cage covered with a towel, which seemed to reduce her stress levels. The other parrots were surprisingly calm.

The parrots waiting in line for their flight.

We had to take another bus ride to get to the aerodrome but that went smoothly. Micro and Chiku rode in the passenger section of the plane and the other birds went to cargo.

Mitri and Dip ride the bus.

All of the birds and Micro were fine after the flight and they got to ride in a taxi to get back to my place in Edmonton. I had a few spare cages there that my husband and I had intended to sell but hadn’t done so yet. The birds had to stay in these cages.

For a little while, I wasn’t really sure if all the things I had moved to Fort McMurray survived the fire. I saw on the news that several homes a couple blocks from my place had burned to the ground. However, I saw on a later report that my place was okay.

I wasn’t able to go back to Fort McMurray until June 3. There was no major damage to my place and I was able to move the five parrots back up there to their bigger cages. I was also able to retain my job up there. Sadly, many other people were not so lucky, as about 2500 homes were destroyed.

I had a place to keep my parrots while I was in Edmonton but not all evacuees had a place for their pets. One local parrot supply store, Meika’s Birdhouse, generously offered to look after parrots belonging to evacuees. There is a news story about this here:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/parrots-unperched-from-fort-mcmurray-find-refuge-in-sherwood-park-1.3581323

I never really thought I would have to evacuate during an emergency. I’m glad I had enough carriers for my birds and that I was able to get them out safely.

Parrot Magazines

Back to blogging! I have been too busy to do much writing during this last semester because I was teaching three classes and two labs at two different university campuses in two different cities. I barely had time to breathe. However, one of the classes was a fourth-year ornithology class I particularly enjoy teaching and had done before (the other two were new ones). I took Peggy to the first lecture and Ripley to the last lecture and they were quite popular.

I am going to continue to blog about parrots, but am going to start to write about the native birds of North America as well, since I really enjoy bird watching and photographing the wild birds of Alberta (where I live).

On the subject of parrots, my Green-cheek Conure mix, Chiku, was featured on the cover of Parrots magazine. I wrote an article for that issue on Pyrrhura conures.

I lifted the above image from the magazine publisher’s website. I plan to write a few more articles for Parrots this summer.

Unfortunately, a lot of specialty magazines for bird owners have quit publishing recently. Bird Talk stopped publishing a few months ago, and Good Bird stopped publishing this month. Good Bird had been an ‘online only’ magazine for a couple of years, but Bird Talk was always a printed magazine. I had been noticing that Bird Talk was progressively shrinking during its last few years of publication (which I didn’t like) but I’m still disappointed that it went under.

So, what’s left for parrot magazines? There’s Parrots magazine (www.parrotmag.com), which is based out of the UK, and a new one called In Your Flock (https://www.inyourflock.com/), which is based out of the US. I subscribed to the online version of In Your Flock since the publisher hadn’t specified a price for shipping to Canada. However, I recently received a paper copy of the latest issue, so that was a nice surprise.

There’s also Australian Bird Keeper (http://www.birdkeeper.com.au/), which is based out of Australia. Unfortunately, it is quite expensive for people outside of Australia due to shipping charges.

There are a few free online bird publications too. Copies of Parrot Life magazine can be downloaded at http://www.hagen.com/hari/welcome.html . There’s also the Winged Things newsletter – click HERE  to download April’s issue. There are instructions in the .pdf on how to subscribe and access past issues.

I’m sure I’ve missed things, so if anyone would like to add a link to a parrot-related publication, use the comments section (click the comments link at the top of the post) to let me know. Please do note that I have sporadic internet access this summer, which means it can take me time to approve comments.

Edit: Oh yeah, there’s also “Companion Parrot Online” (www.companionparrotonline) published by Sally Blanchard. It’s online now, but if you like paper magazines, you can order back issues.

To end this post, I am going to share a nice photo of a Mountain Bluebird I took last week. I’m working as an interpreter at Waterton Lakes National Park this summer and have been doing a lot of birding and hiking during my ‘off time.’

Stuff your Parrot Probably (or absolutely) Doesn’t Need

All sorts of products produced for pet parrots are useful and make caring for them a bit easier. These include toys, pellets, and perches. However, there are several products on the market that most parrots really don’t need and that may, in fact, be harmful. Others may be useful for birds like quail or pigeons, but not for parrots. Here are a few examples:

1. Sandpaper Perches

These are usually dowel perches coated in sandpaper and are supposed to help keep a parrot’s nails short. In theory, when the parrot walks or lands on the perch, its nails may touch the sandpaper and be gradually filed short. However, these perches are actually quite rough on a bird’s foot and are best avoided.

2. Vitamin Supplements

Vitamin supplements do have their use, but a parrot that eats a diet of pellets and healthy fresh foods (like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables) will not need a vitamin supplement. There are a few vitamins and minerals that can actually be harmful if overdosed.

A vitamin supplement can be useful for a bird that is eating a primarily seed-based diet. Ideally, parrots on a seed diet should be encouraged to eat other foods but this can take time. A vitamin supplement may be needed until the bird learns to eat a better diet. Some vitamins, like “Prime” (Hagen) are designed for birds on a primarily seed-based diet.

3. Grit

Parrots generally don’t “need” grit (i.e. pieces of hard substances like oyster shell), but birds like pigeons and quail can benefit from receiving small pinches of it. Pigeons and quail do not hull shells off of their food and the grit will help grind the shells off in the bird’s crop. However, parrots and finches will typically hull seeds before eating them and they don’t require grit for digestion. Parrot pellets and most of the fresh foods people feed to parrots are soft enough that a parrot’s digestive system can grind them without grit.

Some breeders offer pinches of calcium-rich grit (like ground oyster shells) to their parrots as a mineral supplement. Offering grit is also quite common among Australian bird keepers. Wild parrots often do consume some clay or dirt, but this is typically to gain minerals lacking in the rest of their diet. A pet (non-breeding) parrot on a pellet-based diet should receive sufficient minerals. However, small pinches of grit (a few grains) will not hurt a healthy bird. Even so, I do not offer it to my parrots or finches. My egg-laying finches receive extra calcium in the form of ground-up egg shells. The egg and shell are cooked, ground up in a food processor with vegetables and given to the finches. I also add “Prime”  to their egg mix.

My quail do receive pinches of oyster shell. Avoid offering a bird on a seed-based diet a large amount of grit at once. The bird may eat too much of it and can end up with an impacted crop or badly irritated digestive system.

4. Cedar, Walnut- or Corn-based Bedding

Plain newspaper is perfectly fine to use as a liner for parrot cages. Some places sell other types of liner for animal cages, and some are actually harmful to small animals. Cedar-based bedding, for example, can cause respiratory problems in parrots and small mammals. Other types (such as corn-based bedding) may grow mold if it becomes damp. Walnut litter may actually be ingested by birds, so I do not recommend using it in bird cages.

My quail do require some type of soft substrate since they are ground-based birds. I use a paper-based one such as care fresh or ecobedding. I use the unscented or coloured types. Aspen shavings are also fine as bedding for quail and other birds.

5. Mite Protectors

Mites are actually quite rare in indoor parrots, so avoid using any of the mite protectors that are sometimes sold in pet shops. They generally do more harm than good. If your bird actually appears to have parasites, consult with a veterinarian to figure out the best treatment for your bird. Don’t rely on anti-mite cage protectors.

The types of mites that sometimes infect pet budgies or finches should not be treated with the mite strips sold in pet shops. Such mites include air-sac mites, which are sometimes seen in finches (particularly canaries and Gouldians). These are mites that infest the bird’s air sacs, and birds that have them may breathe with their mouths open, and they often produce a ‘clicking’ sound when breathing. Products such as SCATT (Vetafarm) or S76 can be used to treat this problem.

“Scaly-face mites” sometimes infect birds (primarily budgies) on the featherless parts of their bodies (cere, beak, legs). The mites will burrow in the bird’s skin, which will irritate it and cause it to thicken and develop a scaly appearance. Severe deformities can result, so a bird with a suspected mite infestation needs to go to a veterinarian as soon as is possible. A vet can diagnose the problem by examining a skin scraping under a microscope. The mites can be treated with oral or topically-applied insecticides.

6. Bird bath spray

Many pet birds like to be bathed or showered. However, birds don’t need any special bath solutions, so save your money and offer your birds plain water to bathe in or shower with.

Birds suspected of having a skin irritation should be taken to a veterinarian.

Lineolated Parakeets having a shower.

Items to be cautious with:

7. Toys or perches with rope.

Many bird toys and perches sold at pet stores have rope in them. These can be fine for birds who do not unravel the rope. For birds that do chew ropes, they can present a hazard. A mass of threads from a chewed-up rope can become wrapped around a bird’s neck, leg or foot. This can cut off circulation to the leg or even strangle the bird. My Jenday Conure, Peggy, actually lost a foot she got wrapped up in thread, and she’s not the only bird I know of who lost an appendage that way.

My finches and small parakeets have a few rope perches since they do not chew them. I placed all rope toys of my stronger chewers on the outside of their cages, so I can keep an eye on how they use them. My birds are typically out of their cages only when I am home.

Chiku playing on a rope swing.

Pyrrhura Conures

The Personable Pyrrhura Conures: at Home and in the Wild

The description of Chiku on the rescue group’s website said he needed “someone with experience because he is definitely dynamite in a small package.” Chiku is a hybrid Pyrrhura conure I had offered to foster for a rescue until he could be adopted. However, I later decided to adopt him. He’s a firecracker, but he endeared himself to me anyway. Of course, that’s not difficult for a Pyrrhura conure to do, as these long-tailed, little green birds are among my favourite parrots. They can make engaging companions and display some very intriguing behaviour in the wild.

I wasn’t sure what Chiku would look like when I agreed to take him in. He’s apparently a mix of Green-cheeked Conure, Maroon-bellied Conure, and Crimson-bellied Conure. He turned out to look just like a Green-cheeked Conure, albeit with a few patches of crimson under his wings and some olive shading on his tail. Chiku loves to say his name over and over again in a very excited voice. I was warned that Chiku dislikes men and had even stalked one victim by trying to squeeze under a door. True to form, Chiku flew at my husband and bit his ear upon first seeing him.

Chiku

I cannot say why Chiku dislikes men so. Perhaps he’s more used to women and sees men as rivals that need to be driven away. However, as a result of patience and many offerings of sunflower seeds, my husband can now hold Chiku without ending up with a bird as an earring. Chiku turned out to be a great companion to me, especially when I got a temporary sessional teaching job at a university an hour and a half away from where I live. Chiku was allowed to stay with me in the room I rented there during weekdays so I brought him along. He seemed to enjoy the weekly car trips, especially going through drive thrus. He likes to receive small pieces of American biscuits as a treat, along with drinks of juice. During car trips, I kept him in a small travel cage secured to the passenger seat for his safety.

Chiku’s personality is very different from that of my thirteen-year-old Maroon-bellied Conure, Lucy. Lucy is mellow and a bit shy at times. Before getting Lucy, I had decided to look for a Pyrrhura conure in need of a home, because they are typically quiet, small, smart, and easy-to-handle. However, as Chiku shows, some individuals are little firecrackers and need careful handling.

Lucy, a Maroon-bellied Conure

Pyrrhura Conure Species

“Conures” are actually a large group of small or medium long-tailed parrots from Central and South America, Mexico and the Caribbean. Note that some bird guides will refer to conures as “parakeets.” There are dozens of conure species in several genera, although the genera Aratinga and Pyrrhura are the two largest. There are 30 species in the genus Pyrrhura (see sidebar), and they are generally smaller and quieter than the larger conure species in the genus Aratinga, which include Sun, Jenday, Blue-crowned and Cherry-headed conures. Pyrrhura conures are primarily green, and range from 21-30 cm long, which makes them about cockatiel sized or smaller. The majority of species have a scaly pattern on their chest feathers and some maroon on their tails, with many species having completely maroon-coloured tails. Most also have white eye rings that contrast strongly with their dark faces and deep blue fight feathers.

The vast majority of Pyrrhura conures occur in the northern half of South America. However, the Sulphur-winged Conure (Pyrrhura hoffmanni) occurs in southern Costa Rica and western Panama and the Azuero Conure (P. eisenmanni) occurs on the Azuero Peninsula, in southern Panama. Maroon-bellied (P. frontalis) and Green-cheeked Conures (P. molinae) occur the farthest south, into northern Argentina.

Popular Pyrrhuras

The two most common species of Pyrrhura in captivity are the Green-cheeked and Maroon-bellied Conures. These two species are similar in appearance, although green cheeks have darker feathers on the tops of their heads and solid maroon-coloured tails, while maroon bellies have green feathers on the tops of their heads and olive and maroon-coloured tails. Chiku, having ancestors of both species, has the dark “cap” of a Green-cheeked Conure and the maroon and olive tail of the Maroon-bellied Conure.

Black-capped (P. rupicola), Fiery-shouldered (P. egregia), and Crimson-bellied Conures (P. perlata) are also frequently bred in captivity and their names give useful clues in identifying them. Black-capped Conures do indeed have black caps (along with dark upper chest feathers edged with white) and Fiery-shouldered Conures have orange on the bends of their wings. Adult Crimson-bellied Conures are hard to mistake for any other species, as they have bright, crimson-red bellies. However, juvenile crimson bellies will only have a few crimson feathers on their bellies. Pearly Conures (P. lepida) are also common in avicultural collections and have some blue suffusion on their chests (and sometimes throats) and lack the red on the belly that green cheeks and maroon bellies possess. They also have red on the bend of their wings. Blaze-winged Conures (P. devillei, not to be confused with Fiery-shouldered Conures) are also sometimes seen in captivity and they look very much like maroon-bellies but have red on the bend of their wings. In fact, some ornithological references treat the Fiery-shouldered Conure as a subspecies of the Maroon-bellied Conure.

A Firey-shouldered Conure

Blue-throated (P. cruentata), Rose-crowned (P. rhodocephala), Painted (P. picta), Maroon-tailed (P. melanura), Sulphur-winged (P. hoffmanni), Grey-breasted (P. griseipectus), Emma’s (P. emma) and White-eared Conures (P. leucotis) are rare in captivity but have been bred by some aviculturalists. The remaining Pyrrhura species are either extremely rare or non-existent in captivity.

Most Pyrrhura species can likely be bred together to produce hybrids, although this is not commonly done and is a very controversial practice. I personally would not breed hybrid parrots, although I think that ones like Chiku who are already here certainly deserve good homes as pets.

Cryptic Conures

Most Pyrrhura conures are forest-dwelling birds that live in small or medium flocks, with up to about forty birds. Flock sizes for most species will vary during the year, with large flocks breaking into smaller ones during the dry season (when food is scarcer) or during the breeding season.

Wild Green-cheeked Conure

 Pyrrhura conures can sometimes be difficult to view in the wild. This is because they blend in with foliage quite well, may forage in trees tens of meters high, and are usually quiet while foraging. However, they often vocalize right before taking flight and thus are often seen while flying away. When I saw Green-cheeked Conures in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, it was usually a view of their backs and tails as they flew through the trees. They were amazingly fast and agile in flight, due to their long and streamlined shapes. One bird did stand on a tree branch out in the open eating a fruit just long enough for me to take her picture. She and her flock mates appeared to be waiting their chance to grab a meal at a bird feeder that some very noisy Peach-fronted Conures (Aratinga aurea) had monopolized.

Wild Peach-fronted Conures

Compared with other parrot species, few formal studies have been done on wild Pyrrhura conures, although based on what we know, they display many intriguing behaviours that are actually quite odd for parrots. For example, in an article in Bird Talk, biologist Donald Brightsmith reported on some very interesting behaviour in a group of four Painted Conures. First, all four conures – at least one of which was a juvenile – were tending to the same nest. This is unusual, because in most parrot species, only two birds will tend to a nest. However, many other bird species, such as Florida scrub jays, will breed cooperatively. In such species, juveniles may stay with their parents or another pair for a time and help them raise young. Perhaps the group of four painted conures included two parents and two young “helpers”.

The Painted Conures also did something clever when a group of potential nest predators (brown capuchin monkeys, Cebus apella) started to approach their nesting hole. When one of the monkeys started to climb down a vine that would lead it close to the nest, one of the conures flew to a spot above the nest, hung upside down and started to call loudly, perhaps to lead the monkeys away from the nest. One monkey then tried to grab the conure, who flew off just in time. The conure was then joined by its other three flockmates, who flew off through the trees, followed by the monkeys.

El Oro Conures (P. orcesi) may also breed cooperatively, as more than two birds of this species have been seen tending to single nests. The El Oro Conure, which is from Ecuador, is considered endangered because it is found only within an area about 100 km long and 5-10 km wide and deforestation is further reducing the amount of available habitat for it. Conservationists have set up artificial nest boxes for P. orcesi to help boost the population. Like most other parrot species, Pyrrhura conures nest in tree cavities, which means that extensive deforestation can leave them with few suitable nesting spots.

In Colombia, conservationists with the group ProAves (with funding from the Loro Parque Fundación) have also set up artificial nest boxes for Perijá Conures (P. caeruleiceps) and Santa Marta Conures (P. viridicata). The provisioning of artificial nest boxes is a common strategy to increase the populations of endangered parrots and has also been used to increase numbers of wild Blue-throated Macaws (Ara glaucogularis) and Hyacinth Macaws (Anodorhynchus hyacinthicus).

Continuous conservation efforts are going to be necessary to preserve the diversity of Pyrrhura conures. Out of twenty Pyrrhura species evaluated, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists one as critically endangered, three as endangered, three as vulnerable, three as near threatened, and ten as least concern (see sidebar for details). Habitat destruction remains the biggest threat to the persistence of endangered Pyrrhura species, with illegal capture for the pet trade also representing a threat to some populations. Many captured conures are sold in local markets, as parrots are often kept as pets in South and Central America.

Fortunately, some Pyrrhura species are still abundant in the wild and actually appear to be quite tolerant of human disturbance. For example, Maroon-bellied Conures can be found in parks and gardens in the sprawling cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

Wild Pyrrhura conures are flexible in their dietary habits and will eat a variety of seeds, fruit pulps, sprouts, grains, nectar, and flowers. In regions where figs are available, conures may consume large numbers of them. For instance, in western Brazil, biologists found that figs made up 70% of the diet of a population of Green-cheeked Conures. Some Pyrrhura conures will also eat insect larvae and will dig them out of plant galls. A plant gall is a large outgrowth in a plant produced in response to insect activity or bacterial, viral or fungal infections. Many galls have insect larvae growing in them.

Maroon-bellied Conures have been reported to eat leaves, which is unusual since leaves can be difficult to digest and parrots generally do not eat them. However, the birds may have been eating larvae from leaf galls. Pyrrhura conures have also been seen at clay licks and will consume some clay, possibly for the minerals it contains.

Foraging flocks of Maroon-bellied Conures may contain one or two birds acting as sentinels. These birds will perch on branches above the rest of the flock and will vocalize if a threat (such as a predator) is seen. No one individual will act as the sentinel at all times; rather, birds appear to take turns being on watch duty.

Pet Pyrrhuras

Like wild Pyrrhura conures, captive ones will generally eat a variety of food. I feed Lucy and Chiku! a diet of pellets, supplemented with cooked whole grains and beans, seeds, sprouts, nuts, vegetables and fruit. Both birds also like to sample my herbal teas and they love fruit juice. They will eat most things I offer them.

Chiku drinking herbal tea.

One of the frequently cited advantages of keeping Pyrrhura conures is that they are quiet. This is, of course, relative to other popular parrot types, such as cockatoos, Amazons and some larger Aratinga conures. Any Pyrrhura conure will make some noise, including a bit of squawking. Additionally, the noise a Pyrrhura makes may not include talking, as Pyrrhura conures are not known for exceptional talking ability. Lucy does not talk at all, and Chiku! can say his name and does whistle a bit. However, some individuals may learn to say a dozen or so words.

Pyrrhura conures can be quite active and playful, and should be given large cages relative to their sizes, plenty of out-of-cage time and a variety of safe items to chew on. Pyrrhura personalities seem to be all over the map, ranging from shy and gentle to fiery and possessive. Most are fun, agreeable birds, and I recommend that people interested in a conure spend time with any bird they are considering taking in to be sure that its personality will be compatible with theirs.

I have found that Pyrrhura conures are easy to train and will enjoy training sessions that are kept fun and positive. I have done some clicker training with Lucy and Chiku and both picked up target training very rapidly. Target training involves teaching a bird to touch the end of a stick on cue. Lucy actually learned to target, turn around, lift a foot and ring a bell in about a week with short daily training sessions.

Lucy and Chiku

I often call Pyrrhura conures “macaws compressed down into a handful of bird,” since they are small but have big personalities. In fact, genetic studies suggest that they actually are more closely related to macaws than any other bird type! Pyrrhura conures can also be very interesting to watch in the wild, and for those able to give one the time and attention he needs (which is a lot!), a conure can make a terrific companion.

Parrot 101: Part A

Parrot 101: Do they make good pets?

Or: What to consider when considering a parrot.

I am frequently asked if parrots make good pets, but the answer to this simple question is actually kind of complicated.  Obviously, I love parrots and keeping them actually led me to become kind of obsessed with them (although I’ve always been a nature enthusiast).  I’ve written several articles about them and have even made excursions to view them in the wild.  I’m certainly not unique and I’ve met others who have become die-hard parrot fans after getting one.  However, I never outright tell people that parrots make good pets. They can be quite a challenge to keep happy and they have some habits (e.g. they are noisy and messy) that could drive a lot of people up the wall.  Many parrots end up being rehomed shortly after purchase once their owners tire of them or realize they really don’t have the time or desire to provide such a complex animal with what it needs to thrive.

My intention with this post is to outline what living with parrots is really like and what prospective parrot owners should consider before taking the plunge and adopting a parrot.  I think a lot of the problems captive parrots face has to do with the fact that a lot of people who keep them have no idea how to care for them or had unrealistic expectations of them.  This “Parrot 101” post is about life with parrots – the good, the bad, and the messy – and the follow up post will outline the basics of parrot care.

First, why own a parrot at all? They are, of course, very beautiful, social, and fascinating animals.  One of their biggest attractions is that they talk…sometimes.  As I tell all prospective parrot owners, not all parrots talk, so don’t get a parrot just because they are known for talking!  Additionally, parrots live a long time and the novelty of an animal that talks will eventually wear off so one must truly appreciate parrots for what they are to successfully keep one over the long term.  I think a parrot that cannot talk can make a nice companion and I don’t really care that none of my birds are good talkers.  None of my three conures can talk at all, but they’re playful and friendly. All of them can be taught new behaviors quite quickly and like to be with me while I work or read.  Ripley the Red-lored Amazon is also very pleasant to be around and is content to be out wherever her favorite person (my husband) is.  She laughs a lot and is so calm that we can often take her out on picnics and to certain shops (including aquarium and movie shops).  Mitri the Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is incredibly intelligent and is simply a fascinating creature. He uses tools, can take the nuts and bolts out of his cage, is extremely affectionate, and learns very quickly.  All of my parrots are incredibly beautiful and Peggy (a Jenday Conure)  in particular has startlingly bright and beautiful colors.

A beautiful, friendly Jenday Conure. Those interested in this species should keep in mind that they have shrill voices!

Of course, living with the parrots does come with a big cost and a prospective parrot owner should consider if the cost is something they are willing to (or can) bear. It’s a lot of work to keep a parrot happy and healthy. Additionally, it’s important for those considering a pet parrot to research the different species and figure out which ones (if any) would best suit their living situation and which would mesh best with the household. Parrots range from the relatively docile, small and quiet Lineolated Parakeets to incredibly loud, destructive, large, and sometimes aggressive cockatoos.

Noise is a big factor to consider.  There are no silent parrots, so before getting a bird, find out what the different species sound like and if it’s something you find tolerable. A small handful of parrots (Bourke’s Parakeets and Lineolated Parakeets, for example) have pleasant voices they use primarily at dawn and dusk and these are the best birds for apartments or people who have a low tolerance for shrill calls.  Budgies aren’t terribly loud either, but they can produce some low-level chirping throughout the day. I personally like the sounds my budgie, Bourke’s Parakeet and Lineolated Parakeets make. Pyrrhura conures (such as Maroon-bellied or Green-cheeked Conures) are also reasonably quiet but can produce some squawking.  One the loud end of the spectrum, there are the cockatoos, Aratinga conures, and macaws. These are among the loudest of all parrots and are frequently rehomed due to their powerful voices. The below video demonstrates what a cockatoo can sound like:

I think that mess is another one of the big factors to consider.  Even my small parrots produce some mess and manage to get crumbs and some molted feathers outside of their cages.  When they come out of their cages, they make more mess under their play stands (in the form of crumbs and poop) that needs to be cleaned daily. Placing a large rubber mat under a bird’s stand or cage can make clean up easier and I actually tiled the room of the floor where my Amazon, conures, and finches are. My messiest bird, by far, is Mitri.  He loves to chew wood and rip up paper and not all of the debris from that actually stays in his cage due to his habit of going to the floor of his cage and kicking out the mess.  He actually likes to throw things around as well. A Blue and Gold Macaw I bird sat for a while was also quite outstanding at getting food and debris everywhere.

Outfitting a parrot with an appropriate living space isn’t always cheap or easy either. A parrot needs more than a cage, a perch, a cup of seeds and a cup of water to thrive. First, good cages can be costly, and expect to spend at least $100 for a cage for even the smallest of parrots. Good-sized cages for the big parrots can run up to $1000 or more.  A cage will also need a variety of perches of differing diameter and material. A good perch will allow a parrot to wrap his foot about 3/4 of the way around it, so most perches should be around that size, with a few a bit bigger or smaller. I give each of my birds a dowel perch, one or more rope perches (except Peggy who unravels them), a concrete perch, and some natural wood perches.

Parrots love to chew as well and need to have items they can chew on. One can buy wooden chew toys for parrots, but clean, safe items from the outdoors (branches and pine cones) can make nice chew toys for parrots as well. One must learn what plants are safe before giving a bird items from outside. Some birds can be like rodents in the amount they chew.  Mitri, for example, needs his dish of chewies (branches, popsicle sticks, etc.) replenished almost daily. There are also a variety of other toys for parrots, including bells, swings, and foraging toys (that birds can get food from) that can all enrich a captive bird’s life.  A parrot cage needs to have room for around four perches, three toys, food and water dishes and still give the parrot room to move around and flap without hitting any toys or perches.  Remember as well that bigger is always better!

Most parrots love to chew

Feeding a parrot also isn’t as simple as dumping seeds in a dish.  Seeds alone are not a sufficient diet for a parrot, as the seed mixes available in pet stores lack a lot of nutrients that parrots need.  I feed my parrots pellets supplemented with healthy natural food like grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. A few parrot species have very specialized dietary needs, so again, prospective parrot owners need to research the type of parrot they are interested in. Lories and lorikeets, for example,  are nectar feeders and do not digest seed well, as their crops are not as tough and muscular as those of other parrots.  These birds need nectar (commercial mixes are available) and fruit.

A lot of birds are very messy with their water as well and eat food over their water dish and get crumbs and other stuff in there.  Water dishes in a bird cage need at least daily changing and sometimes twice or thrice daily changing.  For example, Chiku!, my Green-cheeked Conure, dips quite a lot of his food in water before eating it, and he often outright deposits food in there. Thus, his water gets changed a few times daily. He likes to bath in his water dish as well and I’ve noticed he only does that with fresh, clean water.

Like a dog or horse, parrots do need a certain amount of training to adapt to living with people. They also need daily handling to remain tame.  I recommend that prospective owners read up on how to train parrots using kind, positive reinforcement-based methods. I also recommend that prospective owners learn all they can about natural parrot behavior and parrot body “language.” Pet parrots are often rehomed for things like biting, screaming, or generally being unmanageable and I think owners who educate themselves about parrot behavior and how to train parrots before getting one are far less likely to encounter serious problems with their birds. Note that this requires a certain degree of time and effort on the part of the parrot owner. There is a big learning curve involved in keeping birds as pets and I think they are best suited to true animal enthusiasts who enjoy learning new things about birds.  Patience with animals is a necessary virtue for keeping a parrot.  Even very well-behaved parrots may be noisy at times and many parrot owners get bitten from time to time.

Realistic Expectations

It’s important to have realistic expectations when considering a parrot as a pet. For example, as stated, not all parrots learn to speak well and the only way to guarantee that one will get a talking parrot is to buy an adult that already knows many words. Many people also want pets that they can pet and handle all over but not all parrots enjoy being touched.  Many like head scratches and that’s it.  Cockatoos are an exception as most enjoy being petted. However, cockatoos are also incredibly demanding and are quite prone to problems like feather plucking, screaming and biting so they need patient, understanding owners.  Feather plucking is actually something that can happen in any species (but it seems most common in greys and cockatoos) so a parrot keeper must be willing to deal with that, which should involve taking the parrot to the vet.

Would you still love your bird if it feather plucked? Shown is an Austral Conure.

That’s all for this post, and I’ll be doing a second about basic parrot care. Stay tuned!

The Benefits of Fresh Food for your Companion Parrot

After having a look through parrot magazines, books and websites, a person could be forgiven for being a bit confused over what the ideal diet for his parrot should consist of.  A few people insist that only pellets should be fed to parrots because they provide a perfect balance of all the nutrients a parrot will need.  Adding other foods, the argument goes, could disrupt this balance.  However, many parrot owners and breeders say that a mix of pellets and fresh foods is best. Still, a few parrot keepers do not feed pellets at all and feed a diet composed of seeds and other fresh foods.  So, what is the best diet to feed?

First, let’s look at the claim that pellets provide a perfect diet. Most companies do base the contents of their pellets on a large body of research on avian nutrition, so a parrot fed pellets will be very unlikely to develop any major nutritional deficiencies.  However, whether pellets are “perfect” for all species is questionable, particularly given that the formulations are generally based on research done either on poultry, or on one parrot species, usually the cockatiel.  When results based on studies on poultry are used in determining how much of a certain nutrient a parrot would need, the differences between the two birds’ digestive systems and growth rates are taken into account.  This may not be ideal, but is done because doing detailed studies on every parrot species’ nutritional needs is unfeasible.

Wild Sulphur-crested Cockatoos foraging

Many parrot owners also question whether a few types of pellets couldprovide perfect nutrition for the approximately 350 species that exist.  Since parrots are found in various habitats across several continents, there is no “one size fits all” diet suitable for all parrots.  For example, Hyacinth Macaws eat high-fat palm nuts almost exclusively, while other species, such as most Amazons, will include parts of dozens of plants in their diets.  An ideal diet for an Amazon would not provide sufficient fat and energy for a macaw, and a good macaw diet would make an Amazon fat.  Many pellet manufacturers have taken this into account and do make low-fat or high-energy diets.  Different formulations are also available for breeding birds or those with allergies.  Still, most manufacturers only make a small number of pellet types for the hundred or so parrot species commonly kept by pet owners and aviculturalists.  So, while pellets are a very good source of nutrition for birds, it’s unlikely they are perfect.

Also, the claim that adding additional food offsets the nutritional balance in the pellets assumes that the parrot owner is offering the parrot mostly junk food.  This is the case for a few unknowledgeable parrot owners.  However, there are many conscientious parrot owners who are careful about what their parrot eats.  Adding whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts to a parrot’s diet will provide extra nutrients and enrich his life greatly.

Augmenting a pelleted diet with fresh food will also allow an owner who has studied the habits of wild parrots to tailor the diet for the bird’s specific needs.  For example, the owners of large macaws can add more fatty nuts to their bird’s diet, because many wild macaws like Blue-throats and Hyacinths eat palm nuts in the wild, which are about 56% fat.  Owners of Eclectus Parrots can include fewer nuts but more fruits and vegetables in their bird’s diet, since wild Eclectus eat a great deal of fruit.  Many Australian parakeets, such as budgies, cockatiels or Bourke’s Parakeets, enjoy grains and small seeds and eat a lot of these in the wild, so owners of such birds should enrich their pet’s diet with items like millet.

Phytonutrients: A Great Reason to Feed Fresh Foods

Fruits and vegetables also provide extra nutrition to parrots in the form of

Hybrid Conure with a beak full of red pepper.

phytonutrients, which are also called phytochemicals.  “Phyto” refers to plant, so these are simply organic chemicals that occur naturally in plants.  Phytonutrients are different from vitamins or minerals in that they are not 100% necessary for proper functioning, but do provide major health benefits.  For example, a search I did for research articles on the subject revealed hundreds of studies that have demonstrated that many of the molecules that occur naturally in plants help reduce cancer rates in humans and lab animals.  Some phytonutrients actually selectively destroy cancer cells in cultures that contain a mix of cancerous and healthy cells.

Phytonutrients also help counteract the damage done by oxygen to animal cells.  Ironically, while it’s required for survival and used by the immune system, oxygen can damage animal cells over time.  This damage is called “oxidative stress.”  In particular, oxygen can react with other chemicals to produce two types of reactive, damaging molecules: free radicals and peroxides.

Normal animal cells have their ways to correct a lot of the damage done by peroxides or free radicals, but as animals age, these mechanisms become less effective.  By ingesting plant-based foods, animals can give their bodies a boost in the fight to correct cell damage.  Many fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants that react with free radicals or peroxides to render them harmless.  Because a great deal of oxidative stress can cause age-related problems such as atherosclerosis, feeding lots of fruits and vegetables to your parrot will help keep him fit and healthy for a long time.  Parrots can end up with atherosclerosis, which causes inflammation in the arteries, just like people can (Bavelaar and Beynen, 2004).  Eating a great deal of fruits and vegetables also helps slow or prevent the onset of various neurodegenerative disorders.

Examples of phytochemicals include anthocyanins (which are the red, purple or blue pigments in plants), lycopenes (the red pigment in tomatoes and grapefruit), carotenoids (red, yellow, or orange pigments) or phenolic acids (found in many berries, nuts and chili peppers).  Vitamins A, C, and E also act as antioxidants.  These vitamins will be found in pellets, but other beneficial antioxidants found in plant-based foods will be either absent or present in low levels in pellets.  A few pellet brands do contain vegetables, but these tend to be far down on the list of ingredients, meaning that they make up a small part of the pellet.

Healthy Table Foods for Parrots

For most species, a pelleted diet should be supplemented with a mix of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds to give the parrot an optimal diet.  At least 25% of the diet should consist of unprocessed food, although this percentage can go higher if the owner wishes and has done his research.  For birds on a seed-based diet, many extra foods must be added to the diet to prevent the parrot from developing severe nutritional deficiencies.  The seed mixtures found in most pet stores lack many vitamins and minerals parrots need for proper functioning.  Parrots on all-seed diets often suffer from vitamin A, calcium and/or iodine deficiencies and many, especially Amazons and Rose-breasted Cockatoos, often become obese on such a diet (Stahl and Kronfield, 1998; Doneley, 2003).

Grains: A Good Source of Carbohydrates, Vitamin B, Minerals and Protein

Grains and grain-based foods can make up about 30% of the fresh food portion of a parrot’s diet.  Grain-based foods should be made of whole – not refined – grains.  Whole grains are far nutritionally superior to refined grains or products made from them.  Refined grains are those that have had the bran and germ – in other words, most of the nutrition – removed.  White bread, white pasta, and white rice are examples of products made of refined grains.  Some products made from refined grains are enriched with some B vitamins and iron, although these refined products will still contain less fiber than whole-grain products.

Examples of whole grains that can be offered to parrots include cooked brown rice, oatmeal, and brown millet.  The sprigs of millet sold in pet stores can be offered as a treat to most birds.  They tend to be marketed to people with small birds, but many large birds love them too.  My Amazon, Ripley, loves her millet, and as a bonus, it’s low in fat.  Other exotic grains or grain-like foods, including bulgur, brown couscous, quinoa or amaranth are also great to feed to parrots.  Bulgur is similar to cracked wheat, but it is usually boiled, dried, and broken up.  Quinoa and amaranth are not true grains since they are not from plants in the grass family, but they are very grain-like in taste and appearance.  Bulgur, quinoa and amaranth have a somewhat nutty flavor, so most parrots relish them. They are a good food to offer “seed junkies” or birds who eat seeds and resist their owner’s attempts to feed them a better diet.  For example, a Quaker Parrot I fostered wouldn’t accept many fresh foods at first, but he chowed down on the first bowl of quinoa I offered him.

Quinoa can be cooked like rice, but it does have one disadvantage.  The “grains” are coated in unpalatable saponins, which should be removed before cooking.  This can be done by soaking the grain in water for a couple of hours and then discarding the water, or by rinsing the grains for a few minutes under running water in a fine strainer.  Sometimes, boxes of pre-rinsed quinoa are available to purchase.  Amaranth seeds, like quinoa, are grain-like and can also be cooked like rice.  They do not need to be rinsed first.

Most whole grains are excellent sources of B vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and proteins.  Most whole grains also contain all or most of the essential amino acids your parrot will need.  Amino acids are the “building blocks” that proteins are made out of, and there are several types that parrots must consume.  The majority of whole grains contain approximately 10-12% protein, which is about how much protein most non-breeding, adult parrots need for maintenance.  During a molt, this can be increased to 15-19%.

Fruit for Provitamin A and Antioxidants

Scarlet Macaw eating Cantaloupe

Fresh fruits are an excellent item to supplement your parrot’s diet with.  All can be offered to your parrot, except avocado.  However, not all fruits are created equal and some do contain more vitamins than others.

The best way to gauge a fruit’s vitamin content is to consider the colour of the flesh (not the skin) of the fruit.  Most red, yellow, and orange fruits are excellent sources of vitamin A precursors, or provitamin A.  These are the compounds (carotenoids) that can be converted to vitamin A in the body by parrots.  Carotenoids also act as antioxidants.  The best fruit sources of them are cantaloupe, sweet red, yellow, or orange peppers, apricots, red or pink grapefruit, papayas, mangos, pumpkin, and tomatoes.  Orange peaches, plums, and green peppers also contain some carotenoids.  Generally, the darker the flesh of the fruit, the more carotenoids it contains.

On the other hand, some fruits contain few vitamins or minerals. These include fruits with pale flesh, such as apples, pears, or grapes.  However, since these tend to be many parrots’ favorite fruits, and do contain beneficial phytochemicals, feed them to your parrot as treats.  Bananas can also be fed to parrots who like them, as they are a good source of B vitamins.

Offer berries to your parrot as well, because not only are they nutritious, but many parrots enjoy extracting the seeds from them.  This can become very messy, so feed berries to parrots somewhere that a mess will be easy to clean.  My conure, Lucy, will take a bite of berry and shake it vigorously to get most of the juice out so she can get the seed inside.  She always manages to splatter juice everywhere.  Note that berries can turn the bird’s droppings red or purple.  When I first got her, I panicked temporarily once when I noticed that Garnet’s droppings were dark red (is that blood?) until I remembered I put some berries in her food.  Garnet is my cobalt Lineolated Parakeet.

Blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries are all sources of vitamin K, and all berries contain very high levels of antioxidants – more than most other fruits (Neto, 2007; Wu et al., 2004; Žitňanová et al., 2006).  In particular, blackberries contain high levels of phytochemicals that may help prevent or slow the growth of cancers (Ding et al., 2006).  Pomegranates, like berries, also contain very high levels of antioxidants.

Most fruits contain some vitamin C, with citrus fruits and berries containing the most.  However, most parrots do not need an external source of vitamin C, because they can synthesize it in their own bodies.  Injured or ill parrots, however, may benefit from receiving foods with some vitamin C.

Lentils and Beans for Protein and Antioxidants

Beans and lentils are very nutritious, and contain high levels of protein.  For example, 24%, 19%, and 27% of the calories in cooked kidney beans, garbanzo beans and lentils come from protein, respectively.  Beans and lentils also contain B vitamins and many minerals.  A combination of beans or lentils and grains will give your parrot access to all the amino acids he will need.  Additionally, some beans contain high extremely high levels of antioxidants.  Pinto and kidney beans contain more antioxidants than most vegetables (Wu et al., 2004).

Vegetables for Vitamins and Minerals

Frequently offer vegetables to your parrot, as they are excellent sources of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.  Over the long term, a parrot should eat more vegetables than fruits.

Many vegetables are great sources of calcium, and if you offer your parrot a lot of grains and/or beans, you will need to add a source of calcium to the diet.  This is because most parrots need a phosphorus:calcium ratio of 1.5:2 to 1:2 in their diet, and most grains contain a lot of phosphorus and little calcium.

The dark green, leafy vegetables like broccoli are among the best plant-based sources of calcium for your parrot.  The problem is that, unless they were fed these as juveniles, not all parrots will eat them!  Some persistence may be needed to get a parrot to eat his greens.  Some seeds and nuts also contain calcium, with sesame seeds being a wonderful source.  Almonds, flaxseeds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, and pistachios also contain some calcium.  Yogurt is also fine to add to your parrot’s diet because it contains plenty of calcium and little or no lactose, which parrots cannot digest. This is because the bacteria in the yogurt digest the lactose first.  Tofu – especially the kind made with calcium sulfate – also contains a great deal of calcium.

In addition to being high in calcium, most dark green vegetables also contain plenty of carotenoids – more than most fruits.  Orange veggies like carrots and sweet potatoes are excellent sources of carotenoids.  Green peas and green beans also contain some carotenoids, lots of vitamin K, B vitamins, and some protein.  Try offering green peas whole in the pod, because some parrots like opening the pod to get the peas on the inside.  If you can find them, unsprayed, clean dandelion or chickweed greens can be fed to birds as well – they are good sources of calcium and provitamin A.  Beets and Brussels sprouts can also be fed to parrots and they contain very high levels of antioxidants (Žitňanová et al., 2006).  Just be careful when feeding beets to your bird – the dark red juice stains most things it touches and will turn the bird’s droppings bright red.

Avoid feeding onions, as they can cause anemia in some other animal species.  I do not know if this is the case with parrots, but I do not feed mine onions anyway.  Also, limit the amount of spinach in a parrot’s diet.  Spinach contains oxalic acid, which interferes with calcium utilization.

Seeds and Nuts: A Parrot’s Favorite!

Hyacinth Macaw eating a macadamia nut

For a long time, it was common for parrot owners to feed their birds nothing but seeds and nuts.  This is an inadequate diet.  However, seeds and nuts should be offered as part of the diet.  Use as treats for parrot species that are prone to obesity, such as Amazons, Rose-breasted Cockatoos, or Pionus parrots.  For example, Ripley recieves, on average, an almond or two daily, and spoonful of a sunflower-free seed mix a couple times a week, and sunflower seeds or bits of various nuts as rewards during training sessions.  However, seeds and nuts can make up a bigger part of the diet for large macaws, like Hyacinths and Greenwings, which eat a lot of high-fat nuts in the wild.  I have noticed that many of the Blue and Gold and Greenwing Macaws I have met who are given a handful of nuts in addition to their pellets each day have much more vibrant-looking feathers than ones fed only pellets.  Many conures also metabolize fat well and can have a spoonful of seeds each day without becoming obese.  Since most parrots love shelling and eating seeds and nuts, they also make terrific training aids.  I haven’t met many parrots that will refuse a sunflower seed or piece of nut and most will gladly “step up” or do simple tricks for the opportunity to have one.

Most nuts are great sources of trace minerals, fat, and protein.  Some also contain essential fatty acids.  We are all probably used to viewing fat as something bad – and too much of it is – but it is required for many biological processes, like hormone production and the absorption of certain vitamins.  The fatty acids are essential for growth, proper nerve functioning, and the formation of new, healthy feathers.  There are two types that need to be included in the diet: Omega-3 and Omega-6.  Flax seeds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, and walnuts are a great source of both, with pecans, sesame seeds, Brazil nuts, and pumpkin seeds being moderate sources of them.  Flax and fish oils contain essential fatty acids as well, as do most oils from plant sources.

While seeds and nuts are nutritious, be careful in how you offer them to your parrot.  Many parrots, if offered a lot of seed along side other foods, will ignore the other foods and eat only the seeds.  If your parrot does this, then do not offer seeds alongside his fruits, pellets, and vegetables.  None of my birds will touch fruits or vegetables if there are seeds around to eat.  The seeds will be eaten and the other foods will be tossed to the floor.  I’ve noticed that my Amazon, Ripley, does this with corn as well.  If I add corn to her grain and veggie mix, she eats the corn and throws out the rest of the food.  If I leave the corn out, she’ll eat the carrots, peas, and grain.  Since corn is not as nutritious as other grains and vegetables, I’d prefer she not eat it to the exclusion of other foods.  She does, however, receive it sometimes as a treat.  Remember that offering your parrot a varied diet doesn’t always mean that she’s actually eating a varied diet, so monitor what your parrot eats at first to be sure she’s actually eating a variety of foods.

Most parrots love peanuts, which are really not a nut but a legume.  However, be careful if you like to offer your parrot peanuts, and do not feed him anything but clean, roasted, human-grade peanuts.  This is because a toxic fungus, Aspergillus, sometimes grows in peanut shells. This fungus produces aflatoxins, which can damage a parrot’s liver.  Look for black specks inside the shells, which indicate that the fungus is present.

Sprouts: Living, Concentrated Packets of Nutrition

Sprouts are one of the most nutritional foods a parrot can eat.  Once a seed starts germinating, it begins to produce lots of protein, antioxidants, and provitamin A.  Mung beans, lentils, wheat, alfalfa seeds, millet, quinoa, or sunflower seeds are among the many seeds that can be sprouted.  Seeds for sprouting are best purchased from health food stores or grocery stores.  Use seeds that are intended for human consumption.

Here’s how to sprout seeds: First, obtain clean seeds and rinse them until the water runs clear.  Then, soak them overnight in water and rinse them off well in the morning.  Spread them out in a jar, pan, commercial sprouter, or colander and place them in a dark, ventilated area.  Rinse them several times daily.  They are ready to feed once the little tails (the roots) appear.  It is not necessary to wait until the green plant shoot appears.  These newly-germinated seeds are another good food to offer seed junkies.

Sprouts are prone to becoming moldy, which is why the many rinses are needed.  Refrigerate them right after they sprout and don’t keep them for more than a few days.  Do not feed sprouts that smell sour or rancid.

Species with Special Dietary Needs

Red Lory

1. Lories and Lorikeets

These vibrant, lively parrots have nutritional needs quite different from those of the “typical” parrot.  Most wild parrots consume a lot of seeds, fruits and vegetation, while lories and lorikeets tend to eat a lot of nectar.  Many commercial nectar mixes are available for owners of these parrots, and a dish of nectar should replace pellets or seeds as the base diet for a lory or lorikeet.  The nectar will need to be replaced a few times daily, to prevent bacterial growth.

In the wild, the diet of the smaller species (like the Scaly-breasted Lorikeet) will contain proportionally more nectar than the diet of one of the larger species.  Lories and lorikeets also eat the sugary excretions that some species of insect leave behind on vegetation.  These excretions and the nectar they eat are composed primarily of water, simple sugars and a small amount of amino acids.  One of the sugars is called raffinose and cannot be digested by lories.  However, raffinose seems to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the birds’ digestive system.  These beneficial bacteria can inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria.  Raffinose is found in beans, whole grains, and vegetables in the mustard family, such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, or cabbage.

Wild lories and lorikeets will also consume pollen in the wild.  However, they do not digest it very well: adults can only digest 4.5-6.6% of pollen, while nestlings can digest up to 26% of it.  Lories overall do have lower protein requirements than other parrot species, and if fed a very high-quality and easily digestible source of protein (like egg whites), Rainbow Lories can do well on a diet with as little as 3% protein.  Wild lories will also eat fruits, including figs, if available.  They eat very few seeds.

Based on a review of the diet of wild lories, Debra McDonald, Ph.D (2003) recommends that they be fed a diet made of commercial lory nectar, very few seeds (if any), very little food that has a high iron content, lots of fruit containing provitamin A (like apricot, mangos, or cantaloupe), and small servings of foods that contain raffinose.  She also recommends adding some pollen, although I noticed that this is an ingredient of many lory nectar mixes.  Don’t forget to provide water as well!  Even though their nectar mix is water-based, lories given water will drink and bathe in it.  Try offering edible, unsprayed flowers as an enrichment item.  Many lories with eat the pollen of flowers such as pansies, marigolds, roses, or hibiscus, before they tear them up.

2. African Grey Parrots

Congo African Grey Parrots

While all parrots need calcium, African Grey Parrots seem to suffer from hypocalcaemia more often than other birds. Symptoms include weakness and seizures.  Recent research suggests that African Grey Parrots need to be exposed to UVB rays to properly metabolize calcium, because in an experiment on this, birds exposed to UVB light had more calcium in their blood than they did prior to having access to the UVB (Stanford, 2006).  Lights designed for reptiles give off the required UVB rays that African Grey Parrots need.  However, carefully read the box to be sure that this is the case.  The lights only need to be on the birds for an hour or so a day to be effective and they should be kept a few feet away from the parrot.  Natural sunlight also contains UVB rays; however, glass filters them out.  Leaving a bird outside in a cage (with supervision) will also benefit his health by giving him access to UVB rays.

Vitamin D

Birds also need vitamin D to metabolize calcium properly.  Exposure to sunlight allows birds to synthesize vitamin D3 from plant-based lipids.  However, vitamin D3 is also available in pellets.  Do not add extra vitamin D to a parrot’s diet unless a veterinarian recommends you do so.  Excess vitamin D can cause kidney problems and gout.  In general, it’s not necessary to add vitamins to your parrot’s diet if he’s eating pellets and healthy, fresh foods.

Conclusion

Pellets are a very useful, healthy item to include in a parrot’s diet, and parrots that are fed them as a base diet are unlikely to become malnourished.  However, augmenting the diet with healthy, unprocessed foods will enrich your parrot’s life and provide him with many beneficial phytonutrients.  The best items to supplement a pelleted diet with are whole grains, vegetables, fruits (especially carotenoid-rich ones and berries), nuts, seeds, sprouts, and beans.

References

Bavelaar, F. J., and Beynen, A. C.  2004.  Atherosclerosis in parrots: A review.  Veterinary Quarterly. 26: 50-60.

Ding, M., Feng, R. T., Wang, S. Y., Bowman, L., Lu, Y. J., Qian, Y., Castranova, V., Jiang, B. H., and Shi, X. L.  2006.  Cyanidin-3-glucoside, a Natural Product Derived from Blackberry, Exhibits Chemopreventive and Chemotherapeutic Activity. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 281: 17359-17368.

Doneley, B.  2003.  The Galah.  Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine. 12: 185-194.

McDonald, D.  2003.  Feeding Ecology and Nutrition of Australian Lorikeets.  Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine. 12: 195-204.

Neto, C.  2007. Cranberry and blueberry: Evidence for protective effects against cancer and vascular diseases.  Molecular Nutrition and Food Resesarch. 51: 652-664.

Stahl, S., and Kronfeld, D.  1998.  Veterinary Nutrition of Large Psittacines.    Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine. 7: 128-134.

Stanford, M.  2006. Effects of UVB radiation on calcium metabolism in psittacine birds.  Veterinary Record 159: 236-241.

Wu, X., Beecher, G. R., Holden, J. M., Haytowitz, D. B., Gebhardt, S. E., and Prior, R. L.  2004.  Lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant capacities of common foods in the United States.  Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 52: 4026-4037.

Žitňanová, I., Ranostajová, S., Sobotová, H., Demelová, D., Pecháň, I., and Ďuračková, Z.  2006.  Antioxidative activity of selected fruits and vegetables.  Biologia. 61: 279-284.

Other Resources

http://www.nutritiondata.com/

-This is an interesting website to play with.  You can enter nearly any type of food, and it’ll give you nutritional data on it.  You can also do searches on a certain nutrient, and it will tell you which foods are highest in it.

Figures

A noisy cockatoo, plus Pet Expo 2010

Today’s post is just a bunch of miscellaneous musings on parrots.  I recently took a few of my parrots – Lucy, Peggy, and Ripley – to the Edmonton Pet Expo.  We help out with the parrot club information table, which I think is one of the more popular tables there, along with the reptile society’s table.  A lot of people ask me if any of my birds talk and I think that’s the most common question I get, next to, “Can I hold them?”  None of my personal birds are great talkers, although Ripley sure tries sometimes.  However, some of my parrots are great screechers!  Here are a couple of videos of Mitri, my Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, sounding off:

At about two and eleven seconds in, you can hear my Jenday Conure (Peggy) and at about 24 seconds in, Ripley the Red-lored Amazon sounds off in the distance.

Mitri’s not angry or upset in either video.  He just likes to have a good screech off on occasion.  Since quite a few parrots find themselves in need of a new home due to their owner’s inability to tolerate their noise, I tend to warn most potential parrot owners about the noise parrots can make.  It’s not something everyone wants to put up with.

I have noticed that what is and isn’t tolerable does seem to be subjective.  At Pet Expo, Peggy (a Jenday Conure) would sometimes screech at people. Reactions ranged from, “Well, that’s not so bad!” to people thinking that Peggy’s screech was one of the worst sounds ever produced.  Sun and Jenday Conures have reputations for being ridiculously noisy birds and they really are quite shrill and loud.  Some people who’ve visited my house think Peggy’s just adorable and think they want a Jenday of their own until she opens her mouth.  However, Peggy’s screeches barely register in my brain and I just accept them as part of the background noise.  She’s also downright quiet compared to Mitri.  Oddly enough, I’m generally a quiet person that enjoys peace and my house is usually quiet.  If the radio’s on, it’s usually classical music or soft jazz.  This keeps the animals fairly mellow, although if they make noise, it doesn’t upset me.   Animal noises just don’t bug me that much.

Peggy the Jenday Conure

Peggy is missing a foot so at Pet Expo I have to explain to a lot of people what happened.  People tend to feel sorry for her and her accident was unfortunate, but I think she’s adapted very well.  She can perch on large, wide perches just fine and is very comfortable perching on shoulders.  I don’t allow large, volatile birds on my shoulder but Peggy is quite predictable and I trust she won’t bite my face while she’s up there.  Plus, if she did, it’s not something I’d get upset with her over.

Lucy, the Maroon-bellied Conure

Lucy is probably my friendliest, most docile parrot and she often will go to strangers and perch on their fingers.  This year she was more interested in her food dish, which was fine.  If she doesn’t want to go to someone, she’ll just refuse, rather than bite.

Ripley the Red-lored Amazon

Here’s Ripley, my Red-lored Amazon.  She’s very, very calm in public unless someone tries to touch her.  As I explain it to people, she really should be approached like she’s another person.  Most people don’t mind talking to strange people, but nearly everyone would get upset if a stranger just walked up to them and grabbed their feet or hair or whatever and Ripley feels the same way.  She will “step-up” to some men, but for the most part, she’s not that comfortable with strangers touching her.

Of course, every bird is an individual and this lovely female Green-wing Macaw just loves attention and will stand on the arm of any friendly person.  She’s very popular at Pet Expo and lots of people take pictures of their friends or family members holding her.

Moluccan Cockatoo

I don’t bring Mitri to Pet Expo since he’s very highly strung and can be volatile.  If sometime tries to pick him up when he doesn’t want that, he will bite hard with little warning.  This is unlike Ripley, who will scream and squeal a lot before resorting to nipping someone.

However, the Moluccan Cockatoo in the picture above was amazingly calm.  He’d let anyone scratch his head and he stayed on his perch the whole time and relished the attention.  Mitri loves head scratches too and will let strangers scratch his head but sitting still on a perch just isn’t his thing.

Congo African Grey Parrot

Here’s a nice African Grey Parrot that was there.  He seemed pretty calm about everything and did well.

Greys seem to have a reputation for being very shy and neurotic. Indeed, I have come across some greys that fit that description well.  However, there are lots of African Greys in the parrot club I’m in that are very well-adjusted, are calm in public, and are quite friendly.  It seems to me that if an African Grey was well-socialized as a youngster, given lots of toys, and introduced to plenty of friendly people then it has a good chance of becoming a well-adjusted adult.

I’m going to end this post with this cute photo of Chiku! my current foster bird:

Chiku! A Crimson-bellied / Green-cheeked Conure mix.

She loves climbing up on that paper holder.

New foster parrot (Hybrid Parrots)

I recently took in a new foster parrot for a local parrot rescue. She’s a cute little Pyrrhura conure named “Chiku!”  Chiku!’s (supposedly) a cross between a Crimson-bellied Conure and a Green-cheeked Conure and she may have Maroon-bellied Conure in her background.  She very busy and quite “puppyish” in that she’s playful, curious, and nippy. She also loves to chew on things, just like a young puppy.  She looks  like a Green-cheeked Conure but has more orange under her wings.

Chiku, a hybrid conure.

A parrot hybrid is a cross between two different parrot species.  Parrot species that are very closely related (in an evolutionary sense) are usually capable of hybridizing to produce viable offspring.  Since a Green-cheeked Conure (Pyrrhura molinae) and a Crimson-bellied Conure (Pyrrhura perlata) are both in the same genus (Pyrrhura), they are related and can produce offspring.  Any of the Pyrrhura species can probably interbreed with another Pyrrhura species in captivity.  This would be far less likely to occur in the wild, for a variety of reasons.  Many of the Pyrrhura species do not have overlapping ranges, or when they do, one species may prefer a different habitat, so the two species may never or rarely meet.  Additionally, most birds will naturally prefer a member of their own species when given a choice.  This is because most bird species will have distinctive courtship calls, colours, and behaviors that are most attractive to members of their own species.  However, in captivity, if closely related but different species are placed together and given no opportunity to mate with a member of their own species, they may end up mating with each other.

A hybrid bird is different from a bird that has a color mutation. For example, in the photograph below, both birds are of the same species (Lineolated Parakeets), but the blue (cobalt) bird carries two different mutations that affect her color.  At the gene for feather color, she has two “blue” alleles (variants of a gene), and at another gene that affects feather color, she has a “dark factor” allele, which is an allele that makes her color appear darker.  Lineolated Parakeets that have two blue alleles but no dark factor allele are a sky blue color.

The cobalt linnie is not a different species than the green (“wild type”) bird.  She’s just a color variant of the same species.  Note that “wild type” simply refers to a genetic variation that is the most common type in a species.  In Lineolated Parakeets, “green” is the wild type color because in the wild, almost all Lineolated Parakeets are green.  This is likely because green birds are better camouflaged against the tree tops than blue ones are. A blue bird would stand out more to predators and would be less likely to survive. However, in captivity, the blue birds have no disadvantage, and breeders can select blue birds to breed.

Lineolated Parakeets taking a shower.

In captivity, the most common types of hybrids seem to be ones involving the large macaws.  I suppose this is because crossing the variously colored macaws can produce birds with very different and variable color patterns. Breeders have given different names to the various hybrid macaws.  For example, a Blue and Gold Macaw crossed with a Greenwing Macaw is often referred to as a “Harlequin Macaw” and a Greenwing Macaw crossed with a Military Macaw is called a “Calico Macaw.”  Macaws in the genus Ara (Scarlet, Green-winged, Blue and Gold, Military, Buffon’s, Blue-throated, Red-fronted and Chestnut-fronted Macaws) can often be hybridized and the offspring are often fertile, so hybrid macaws can be crossed to other hybrid macaws.

Hyacinth Macaws (genus Anodorhynchus) can also be crossed with other large Ara macaws.  I’ve seen photos of Hyacinth/Blue and Gold, Hyacinth/Scarlet and Hyacinth/Military Macaw crosses.  Some end up looking rather beautiful, but some look a little like birds that were put together out of spare parrot parts. Some Blue and Gold Macaw/Hyacinth Macaw hybrids look like Blue and Gold Macaws with Hyacinth Macaw heads.

Blue and Gold Macaw X Hyacinth Macaw

Aratinga conure mixes aren’t uncommon either.  Nanday/Sun conure crosses are sometimes produced and are called “Nansun” conures.  Sun/Jenday crosses are typically referred to as “Sunday” conures.

Controversy

Needless to say, the practice of breeding hybrid parrots is quite controversial among aviculturalists.  Arguments against it (simply put) are that many parrot species are endangered and should only be bred with members of their own species, and that hybrid parrots are not natural and that many hybrids bred in captivity would not occur naturally in the wild.

Arguments for hybridizing parrots tend to be that most birds produced in captivity are destined to be pets, not used in a conservation program, that not all parrot species are endangered, and that hybrid parrots can be very unique and beautiful. Additionally, parrots of a different species sometimes form a bond and a person may not want to separate the two. The counter-argument is that the birds could be allowed to live together but not be given a nest box.

Personally, I don’t see the point in purposely breeding hybrid parrots. It’s hard to improve on the beauty of any of the parrot species in their natural form and rare species are best bred only with their own species.  However, hybrid birds that are here certainly deserve to have good homes and can make fine companions.

On occasion, hybrid parrots are unintentionally produced.  Such was the case with the unique and  unusual cockatiel/Galah hybrid, pictured below:

Cockatiel/Galah hybrid

You can read more about this bird here: World First: Galah breeds with Cockatiel

Feral parrots (that occur outside of their natural range) sometimes hybridize with other species.  For example, there are feral Cherry-headed and Mitred Conures living in San Fransisco.  They are the descendants of wild-caught birds imported from South America that escaped from captivity.  The Mitred and Cherry-headed Conures have interbred and produced mixed-species conures.  The same is true of Amazon parrots in California. Feral Amazons outside their natural range may mate with Amazons of a different species.  There are Lilac-crowned/Double Yellow-headed Amazon hybrids living near the Santa Barbara Bird Farm in southern California. You can read more about these interesting birds, and their possible origins here: Wild Parrots of Santa Barbara.

On occasion, hybrids are produced in the wild in the natural range of two species. There have, for example, been recorded cases of wild cockatoo hybrids, involving Galahs (Eolophus roseicapilla) and Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos (Cacatua leadbeateri).  The situation that leads to the hybridization of these two species is quite interesting.  Both species nest in the same types of tree hollows at the same time of the year.  On occasion, a Galah and a Major end up laying eggs in the same nest hole, each unbeknown to the other.  This can happen because neither species starts incubating until at least three eggs have been laid, so each species often leave early eggs unattended for very long periods of time.  Typically, once the Major and the Galah meet, the Galah will be evicted from the nest by the Major.  The Major will then start incubating the eggs and may raise a Galah chick along with its own chicks.  These Major-raised Galahs (M-Galahs) display many traits of the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo, which demonstrates that a lot of parrot behavior is learned.  M-Galahs often associate with Majors once grown and may choose a Major as a mate, rather than a Galah.  The result can be Galah-Major hybrid chicks.

A mixed brood of Major Mitchell's Cockatoos with a Galah.

A Galah raised by Major Mitchell's Cockatoos (lower left) who prefers to associate with Major Mitchell's Cockatoos.

The above pictures are from: Rowley, I and Chapman, G.  1985.  Cross-fostering, imprinting, and learning in two species of Cockatoo. Behavior, 96, 1-16.

There have also been Galah/Little Corella crosses seen in the wild:

http://www.wherelightmeetsdark.com/index.php?module=newswatch&NW_user_op=view&NW_id=392