Beautiful parakeet
| Beautiful parakeet | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Parakeet ( Neophema pulchella ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Neophema pulchella | ||||||||||||
| ( Shaw , 1792) |
The turquoise parrot or turquoise parakeet ( Neophema pulchella ) is within the family of parrots (Psittaciformes) for genus of neophema ( Neophema ).
description
The beautiful parakeet reaches a size of 20 cm and a weight of about 37 to 46 grams. The sexes differ particularly in color.
The male is predominantly green and red. The wing covers are turquoise blue (hence the less common name turquoise parakeet ), the lower wing covers and the edge of the wing feathers are dark blue. Chest and belly shine in a yellow or orange-red. There are also special breeds with color deviations, e.g. B. with a particularly red chest (see picture). The beak is black or dark gray. The color of the iris is brown. Females are generally duller in color and have less blue on the forehead. The barrel is pink, the claws black.
Fledglings resemble adult females. They differ from adult and sexually mature parakeets by their yellow beak. However, this very quickly takes on the gray-black coloration of adult Parakeets.
The life expectancy is around 10 - 12 years, as a pet you have to assume a life expectancy of up to 10 years. Under good conditions in outdoor aviaries or for breeding purposes, the birds can live up to 15 years. In individual cases, some specimens have reached an age of over 20 years when kept in their apartments.
distribution
The natural range extends over the southern and eastern parts of Australia . They prefer forest and rocky areas with lush vegetation . They are also often found in river valleys, where they can be seen drinking. During the day they are mainly in trees .
food
The food of the beautiful parakeets consists mainly of seeds . But they also eat insects and their larvae . They usually go for food on the ground. They are particularly active in foraging for food in the morning and evening hours. The feeding places are sought out in small groups.
Reproduction
The sexual maturity is reached at about 1 year. The breeding season begins in August. The nests are usually built in knotholes or tree trunks . The female lays 4 or 5 eggs , which she incubates alone over a period of 21 days. The nestling time of the young birds is about 30 days. The family associations will stay together for some time. The plumage of the young birds shows full coloration from the 5th month of life.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ^ Forshaw, p. 610
literature
- Joseph M. Forshaw : Australian Parrots. 1st German-language edition. Volume 2, Arndt-Verlag, Bretten 2003, ISBN 3-9808245-2-7 .
- Horst Bielfeld : Grass Parakeets: Neophema - Neopsephotus. Edition: 2 (March 8, 1999), Verlag Eugen Ulmer, ISBN 978-3800174652 .
Web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings on Neophema pulchella in the Internet Bird Collection
- Neophema pulchella inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2013.