Necklace parrots: species, maintenance and breeding

Necklace parrots are very intelligent and have a friendly disposition. Therefore, these birds cause great sympathy among a wide audience, and every year there are more and more people who want to have such a pet at home. In some sources, necklace parrots are called ringed. Initially, this breed lived on the African and Asian continents. Later, necklace parrots were introduced to Australia and India, where they formed new species.

The body length of an adult, depending on the species, can be in the range of 30-50 cm, the wingspan is 15-16 cm, the total weight is about 150 g. The tail of the bird is long, multi-layered, the wings are long, pointed at the ends, the legs are short and weak developed, but the beak is large enough, therefore, when walking, the parrot uses it as an additional support.

The main color of the parrot is usually emerald green, and there is a decoration in the form of a dark stripe around the neck. It looks like a necklace, from which the name of the breed came - necklace. This necklace can be used to determine the sex of the bird. It is found only in the male, while the girl traditionally lacks such an ornament: like most bird breeds, male parrots are brighter in color in order to attract the attention of the female. The wings are spotted above, yellow-green, and below they are gray, there is an orange halo around the eyes, and the beak is bright red.

There are several ways to determine the age of an adult. The older the bird, the more intense the color of its beak and plumage. A young parrot has a pale pink beak, and a characteristic colored border appears at about 6-7 months of age.

At the age of one year, the bird begins to shed, and it is during this period that the very recognizable necklace begins to appear. At first, the decoration is barely noticeable, but finally it will be formed by the age of three years of the bird. In addition, the two main tail feathers of chicks grow back by six months, at an earlier age they are absent.

In nature, necklace parrots live in a tropical climate; they prefer to settle in huge flocks of up to several hundred individuals, displacing other species of birds. In search of food, they fly out of their nests in the early morning and evening, when there is no sweltering heat, from which they hide during the day in the shade of dense branches. They feed on plant foods: fruits, grass, leaves and seeds of plants.

The female lays eggs 2 times per season (some species - 3 times), usually from 2 to 4 pieces. Chicks appear in about a month, and after another one and a half to two months they are ready for independent life.

The genus of ringed parrots currently has 13 species.

• Pink-breasted (Psittacula alexandri). The size of an adult is 30-35 cm, the length of the tail is 22 cm. The main color of the plumage is green, the head is blue, there are black stripes on the forehead, the breast and part of the abdomen are painted pink. It lives mainly in some provinces of India, where it settles in huge flocks and ruins rice and other agricultural plantations, for which it is subjected to mass destruction by people.

• Emerald (Psittacula calthropae). Lives in Sri Lanka. It has a body measuring 30 cm, the length of the tail is 13 cm. The main color is blue-green, the head and upper part of the body are blue with a grayish tint, there is a bright green necklace on the neck. The main tail feathers are also blue, and the tip of the tail is yellow. The male has a red-brown beak, the female has a black one.

• Gray-headed (Psittacula caniceps). In some sources it is indicated as plum-headed. The sizes are large - in length it can grow up to 50-55 cm. The head, as the name suggests, is gray, with a bluish tinge, there is yellow fluff on the cheeks and ears. In some places there are wide black stripes, bright orange edging around the eyes. Lives on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Little explored species.

• Malabar (Psittacula columboides). Found in parts of India. The body length is standard for the necklace genus - 35-36 cm, the length of the tail feathers is 20-25 cm, the upper body is gray, the lower one is green with a bluish hint. Around the eyes, on the abdomen and the lower part of the tail, the male has a yellow-green fluff. In the female, blue shades prevail in color.

• Red-headed (Psittacula cyanocephala). Settlements of red-headed ringed parrots can be found in India, China, Nepal, some areas of Pakistan, as well as in Sri Lanka. They prefer a tropical climate. This ringed species is considered one of the most beautiful. The main plumage of a rich emerald color has a slight olive tint. The head and neck are dark cherry, with a slight bluish tinge. On the wings and on the neck there are black markings, the beak in males is light yellow, in females it is red.

• Mauritian (Psittacula echo)... The length of an adult is 42 cm, it lives in Madagascar, Mauritius and some other islands of the Indian Ocean. Rare, endangered species. Today the population is about one hundred individuals, mostly males.

• Alexandrov (Psittacula eupatria)... Another large representative of the necklace genus - it can grow up to 60 cm. It lives in some areas of South and Southeast Asia, the Andaman Islands and Sri Lanka. The color is traditionally green; males have a pink and black necklace around their necks.

The species lends itself well to learning, can memorize up to 15 words. Lives in cages and open-air cages for a long time. It is divided into 5 subspecies depending on the details.

• Finsch's Parrot (Psittacula finschii). The length of the bird is 35-40 cm, the color is green with red foci, the head is gray. Lives in Thailand, China, Vietnam and other regions of Asia. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it can live at an altitude of several thousand meters above sea level.

• Himalayan (Psittacula himalayana). Lives in India and Vietnam. Color and size are identical to the previous species. The female has a paler coloration, and unlike the males, she has no red stripes on the wings. It is divided into two subspecies, living in different areas.

• Indian ringed (Psittacula krameri). Inhabits parts of Africa and South Asia. It is considered the largest population of parrots. He prefers to settle in the immediate vicinity of a person. The main color of the bird is green, the color of the foliage, with a blue tint, there are several black feathers on the wings, the head is with a bluish tinge, a narrow black stripe goes from the beak to the forehead, there are two stripes on the neck - black and bright pink, the chest part of the male is black , in the female it is green.

• Filamentous ringed (Psittacula longicauda). The homeland is considered to be Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore. The size of the body is 40 cm, the length of the tail is 25 cm. The color of the body is green, the beak of the male is red-brown, and that of the females is black. There are red stripes on the head. There are five different subspecies of the thread-tailed parrot that live in different areas.

• Pink-headed ringed (Psittacula roseata)... Habitat - India. Prefers forest areas, settles in small groups. Body length - 35 cm, green color, gray-blue head, shapeless red-brown spots on the wings. Males have a melodic timbre, calm character, are well trained, but they are practically not trained in human speech.

• Chinese ringed (Psittacula derbiana). The bird is large, with a body up to 50 cm and a tail about 30 cm long. It lives in the southern provinces of China and India. The color of the body is green above, below - lilac-blue. There are black stripes between the eyes and on the neck; the breast and main feathers on the wings are painted gray-blue. We teach human speech well.

Necklace parrots are unpretentious in everyday life and do not require any special conditions for proper care. The main condition for their proper maintenance is the presence of a large cage, or better - an aviary. Since the bird does not have strong legs, it prefers to move in flight. And for this she needs space.

The minimum cage size for a necklace parrot is 70 cm in height and 50 cm in length. And if it is supposed to keep the male together with the female, it is better to choose a room for the couple with an area of ​​at least 2-3 square meters. m. And even if the enclosure is spacious enough, it is necessary to let the parrot out of it every day so that it can spread its wings and train its muscles in flight.

There must be several bars and a lot of toys in the cage. These can be ladders, bells, a mirror, and other interesting objects. Parrots tolerate loneliness well if there are enough different attributes.

The life span of the necklace parrot often depends on the conditions in which it is kept. According to statistics, in captivity, parrots live much longer than in their natural environment. If you provide optimal living conditions and constant attention and care from the owner, then the life expectancy of a parrot will be on average 50 years.

There are also known individual cases when parrots of this breed lived up to 70 years. But in nature, parrots rarely step over the age barrier of 10-15 years. This is due to the fact that in artificial conditions, birds are not attacked by snakes and other enemies in nature. In addition, in captivity, parrots have a well-balanced diet and there is no need to get food on their own.

Providing proper feeding for your necklace parrot is no big deal.

• The main component of the nutrition of parrots in captivity is a grain mixture, consisting of 35-40% millet and various additives in equal parts: sunflower seeds, food for canaries, oats or oatmeal, wheat grains.
• To diversify the diet of a parrot, you can add fresh vegetables, boiled eggs, low-fat cottage cheese to the food, and sometimes feed it with unsalted hard cheese.
• Occasionally, peeled walnut kernels can be given to a parrot, but in limited doses, since they are high in fatty amino acids.
• Parrots love to gnaw on various objects, so from time to time you can throw small wooden twigs into their cage, as well as leaves of domestic plants. The main thing is to make sure that they are not poisonous.

To prevent your pet from getting sick, you must observe basic hygiene measures. In addition to daily cleaning of the cage, the parrot should be bathed periodically. The bird should be taught to water procedures gradually, so as not to scare away. To get started, try sprinkling it lightly through the spray bars.

When the parrot gets used to this custom, you can put a container of water in the aviary so that it splashes there on its own. If there is no rejection, put the cage with the parrot in the bathtub and water it from above from the shower. Some owners teach the bird to bathe directly in the bathroom without a cage.

The pearl parrot is able to withstand sudden changes in temperature, however, the most comfortable conditions of detention are 20-25 degrees Celsius and humidity not less than 60%. Parrots stay awake exactly half a day. Therefore, in winter, they need to artificially extend daylight hours with the help of additional lighting, and in summer, on the contrary, cover the cage with a dark cape to provide them with good rest.

In the same way, they can be calmed if the bird begins to bother with its unpleasant cry. Most representatives of this genus have this feature. For example, the Indian ringed parrot often makes harsh and very unpleasant sounds for human perception.

Pearl parrots are prized for their good-natured disposition, their ability to tame quickly, and their ability to learn to talk. Parrots of this breed feel great in close proximity to people. Much has been said about their intelligence and learning ability. If you take a young chick up to one year old, then you can teach him to sit on the hand or on the shoulder to the owner, take food from his hands and some other techniques. But the main thing for which many people choose this particular breed of parrots is to teach them to speak.

To train the parrot in human speech, it is necessary to systematize the learning process. Since it will take more than one day, you need to have endurance and patience. Numerous observations show that best of all, parrots perceive feminine and childish timbre of voice, since they have a thinner register. Males learn faster than females, but it has been noticed that females have much better diction.

The bird can achieve the greatest results if it is kept alone. Individuals living in pairs learn much worse. To get speech success, you need to repeat short phrases to the parrot or 1-2 words every day.Necklace parrots are able to memorize up to fifty words.

Necklace parrots reproduce well at home. You can expect offspring from a couple at the age of three years - it is by this age that the physiological development of birds is fully completed. In addition, younger individuals hatch eggs poorly, and when chicks appear, they are poorly cared for. If the bird is old, this is also not very good - from it there will be weak offspring.

To obtain offspring, it is necessary to create comfortable conditions for the couple. For their maintenance, it is better to purchase a house with a width of at least 50 cm, a height of 150 cm and an opening for an entrance with a diameter of 7-10 cm. At the bottom, you need to lay something soft - sawdust or peat, creating the illusion of a real nest.

The nest house should be equipped with a crossbar so that it is convenient for the birds to enter their home. It must be installed a few centimeters below the inlet of the house. If the floor area in the house is too small, the chicks will be cramped, and they can cripple each other. For the entire time that the mating season lasts for the birds, they need to be given special vitamins, add more vegetables and fruits to the diet, as well as sprouted grains.

To control the climatic conditions indoors where new offspring are bred, it is necessary to arm yourself with a thermometer and hygrometer to measure humidity. To improve air quality, it is advisable to install an ionizer in the room. Besides, it is necessary to regularly ventilate the room.

Almost all diseases that appear in necklace parrots arise from improper care. Let's consider the most common diseases.

• Smallpox - manifests itself in a lack of appetite, decreased activity. It may be accompanied by vomiting, white bloom on the tongue and / or an abscess on the head.
• Psittacosis transmitted through droppings and manifests itself as muscle cramps and mucous secretions. Sometimes the disease can cause paralysis. It is less common at home than in nature.
• The presence of parasitic worms or worms which can be transmitted from other individuals. The disease does not respond to treatment, manifests itself in refusal to eat, inhibited reaction.
• Tracheal mite... Signs - sore throat, sneezing, vomiting.
• Escherichiosis - intestinal infection and changes in its microflora. The disease can occur as a result of stress or due to inadequate nutrition. It manifests itself in a lack of appetite and apathy.
• Newborn chicks are often diagnosed with eversion of the legs. This is a sign of a disorder of the nervous system, the cause of which may be a lack of vitamin B. Such chicks are not viable.

To reduce the risk of contracting infections and viruses, it is necessary to clean the cage daily: thoroughly wipe all items in it, wash the dishes for food and drink, change food and water daily. At the first sign of suspicious bird behavior, you should immediately contact your veterinarian. Before letting the parrot out of the cage, it is necessary to check if the vents and doors are closed so that the bird does not fly out into the street.

In some cases, a sick bird can be recognized already at the purchase stage.In a healthy individual, the plumage should be shiny and smooth to the touch, and also snug against the body. If the feathers are dirty, bristle in different directions, break, then, most likely, the bird is not quite healthy.

Despite the wide variety of species of necklace parrots, they all share several characteristics. So, among the advantages of these birds, most owners call beauty and remarkable mind. The ringed parrot can be taught not only to speak, but also to carry out various commands, which makes everyone, especially children, go crazy. Some types of necklaces pamper their owners with beautiful singing.

However, if the parrot is not in the best mood, its sharp, piercing cry can cause a storm of negativity not only among the household members themselves, but also among the neighbors. In addition, keeping this bird is not cheap: buying an aviary, toys, medicines, vaccinations, going to the vet, as well as special food can cost a lot. Also, some owners note that birds make a lot of noise and damage furniture.

For information on how to feed the necklace parrot, see the next video.