Green-cheeked Red-tailed Parakeet
| Green-cheeked Red-tailed Parakeet | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Green-cheeked Red-tailed Parakeet ( Pyrrhura molinae ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pyrrhura molinae | ||||||||||||
| ( Masséna & Souancé , 1854) |
The Green-cheeked Red-tailed Parakeet ( Pyrrhura molinae ), also known as the Molina Parakeet , belongs to the genus of the Red-tailed Parakeet ( Pyrrhura ) and originally comes from South America , more precisely from the highlands in the east of Bolivia, and lives there in forests and other areas that have at least a few trees . Outside of the breeding season, green-cheeked red-tailed parakeets are usually seen in small flocks of 10–20 animals, sometimes in larger groups. They are often found in the wild and are not endangered species.
Green-cheeked red-tailed parakeets are very popular as pet birds; of the Pyrrhura species, they are most frequently kept in human care. They are very lively and agile parakeets, of which there are not only wild-colored but also various mutations, e.g. B. cinnamon, opaline and turquoise to buy.
Appearance
Green-cheeked Red-tailed Parakeets grow to about 26 cm. Outwardly, males and females cannot be distinguished. An endoscopy or DNA determination is required for an exact sex determination.
The plumage of the green-cheeked red-tailed parakeet is predominantly green. The forehead, crown, back of the head, neck, throat, upper chest and ear covers are brownish, with each feather lined with light colors.
The hand covers and wings are blue. A large spot on the belly, the top and bottom of the tail are red-brown. The white eye ring is bare, the iris is brown, and the beak and feet are gray.
The young birds look like their parents, only their plumage is not that bright.
behavior
Green-cheeked Red-tailed Parakeets are very agile birds that fly a lot. Just like other species of Pyrrhura, they like to bathe. Green-cheeked red-tailed parakeets belong to the medium-length parrots. Most of the day they are quite quiet, but when excited they can scream very loudly.
attitude
Green-cheeked Red-tailed Parakeets should by no means be kept as solitary animals, as they are, like other parrots, very sociable birds. They are not very aggressive towards their fellow species. If there is enough space, they can be kept together in small schools outside of the breeding season.
Since green-cheeked red-tailed parakeets are very active parrots, they need a lot of space. If they are kept in a cage, they need several hours of free flight every day. If you decide to keep an aviary, it should be at least 3 m long in order to meet the needs of the parakeets. They cannot tolerate temperatures below 10 ° C, so green-cheeked red-tailed parakeets need a heated shelter in an outdoor aviary. A sleeping box should be made available to the birds overnight all year round. The price for a pair of green-cheeked red-tailed parakeets is around € 120-250.
nutrition
When feeding the green-cheeked red-tailed parakeet, it should be taken into account that at least 40% of the daily requirement is covered by fruit and vegetables. The basis of the feed is a grain mix for large parakeets with as few sunflower seeds as possible. In addition, branches should be served for gnawing, as this parakeet has a strong need to gnaw.
breed
Green-cheeked Red-bellied Parakeets are regularly kept in human care. Growing them is relatively easy. During the breeding season, however, the breeder should separate the pairs, otherwise they will disturb each other during breeding.
The breeding pairs like to choose between portrait and landscape nesting boxes. They lay 3–7 eggs two days apart, which are incubated for 23 days. The chicks leave the nest after 45–50 days, after a further three weeks they are ready to eat and independent.
Certificate
All Pyrrhura species have to be registered with the local authorities. In most federal states, the Lower Nature Conservation Authority is responsible, but in North Rhine-Westphalia the Environment Agency . Registration is free. You need a form that can be obtained either online or directly from the authorities. Furthermore, you have to submit a certificate of origin from the breeder, which proves that the purchased parakeet comes from a legal European offspring. The ring number and sex of the bird must also be given. If a parakeet does not come from the EU, a CITES certificate is required.
Subspecies
The green-cheeked red-tailed parakeet has 6 subspecies:
- Green-cheeked Red-tailed Parakeet ( Pyrrhura molinae molinae ( Massena & Souance , 1854)) - nominate form, lives in the highlands of eastern Bolivia and grows up to 26 cm. The plumage is predominantly green. The forehead, crown, back of the head, neck, throat, upper chest and ear covers are brownish, with each feather lined with light colors.
- Mato Grosso Green-cheeked Red-tailed Parakeet ( Pyrrhura molinae hypoxantha Salvadori , 1899) - The color is paler, the border looks faded and the red belly spot is smaller. Pyrrhura molinae hypoxantha lives in Bolivia and Brazil. There are two color mutations of this subspecies, a green and a yellow, also known as the yellow-sided parakeet.
- Yellow-winged green-cheeked red-tailed parakeet ( Pyrrhura molinae flavoptera Herzog , Kessler , Friggens & Fjeldsa , 1998) - lives in Bolivia and can be easily distinguished from other species thanks to its yellow and red feathers on the wing bend, on the wing edge and on the thumb wing.
- Argentine green-cheeked red-tailed parakeet ( Pyrrhura molinae australis Todd , 1915) - The color is more olive green, the fringing is more dull and looks faded and the red belly spot is larger and brighter than that of Pyrrhura molinae molinae . Pyrrhura molinae australis lives in Bolivia and Argentina.
- Schlegel's green-cheeked red-tailed parakeet ( Pyrrhura molinae phoenicura ( Schlegel , 1864)) - lives in Bolivia and Brazil and, at 24 cm, is slightly smaller than the nominate form Pyrrhura molinae molinae. Its plumage is more green.
- Palmarito green-cheeked red-tailed parakeet ( Pyrrhura molinae restricta Todd , 1947) - looks roughly like Pyrrhura molinae hypoxantha , but is slightly smaller at 24 cm and its plumage shimmers bluish. He lives in Bolivia. Pyrrhura molinae restricta is rarely kept in human care and its breeding is rarely successful.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sittich24, Information on parakeets Archived copy ( Memento of the original from February 20, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
