Breeding the Slaty-headed Parrot (Psittocula himalayana)

Abstract

Phimalayana finscbii, also known as the Burmese Slary-headed Parrot, for those unfamiliar with this bird, is, of course, a member of the Psittacula genus of Asiatic parrots.

The two subspecies share a velvety black head over an aquamarine collar and a nearly lime green breast, with darker green back and bluish suffusion under the wings. Sexing can be done while very young, as the males evidence a dark maroon wing patch and the hens do not. They have a golden iris and a beautiful Chinese red upper mandible, tipped in yellow.

The larger subspecies, P. h. himalayana, also called the Himalayan Slaty-head, has a tail with a green base, changing to blue and ending in a yellow tip, and the smaller, P. h. finschii has a tail that is violet-blue at the base, changing to a soft parchment yellowwhite at the tip.

This is a quietly exquisite little bird that can talk if raised alone and is otherwise very quiet. The Slaty-head definitely deserves a greater popularity in aviculture.

Introduction

I have been raising Slaty-headed Parrots since the early 90s. After reading many articles in the AFA WATCHBIRD over the ye~rs, which talked about breeding and conserving the

 

birds remaining in aviculture, I decided to keep a single Slaty-headed Parrot belonging to the smaller subspecies, Psittacula bimalayana .finschii. This was the beginning of my adventure with Slatys, and it also launched me into specialization with breeding a variety of Afro-Asian species.

Description

Until I acquired my first Slary-headed Parrot I had never even seen a live specimen and I found it to be a beautiful bird, especially when the long beautiful tail remains intact. My first Slaty-head, according to ornithological description, was a male, because I

 

noticed that he had a faint crimson wing patch. Since that time I've noticed that some males have darker, more pronounced wing patches than others. When I got him home, I saw that this bird was missing all the toes but one on the back of his right foot. I judged him to be a poor candidate for breeding, reasoning that he would not be able to get a good grip on the hen's back or wings while copulating. But

·there's no telling what challenged birds are capable of when mother nature calls! Nevertheless, I bought this male (whom I named "Stubby") a hen, at the Pomona Bird Mart, the following summer.

 

My Breeding Pool

Following this, I acquired three parent-raised clutch mates from a wellknown Psittacula breeder. This seller owned a single pair of breeding Slatyheadeds which he later sold; reasoning that there was no purpose to breeding a species that was not popular and did not sell. When I sexed the three clutch mates I found that I had two females and one male. I subsequently traded one of the hens for an older hen, with another well-known Psittacula breeder. "Stubby" was then paired with the young hen, and I paired the young cock with the older hen. Both siblings bred with their respective mates at two

 

years of.age,

Climate

My home and aviary are located in the low desert area of Southern California, in the mountain foothills at about 1,200 ft. elevation, where summer temperatures can range from 100 degrees F., in April, to about 115 degrees F., in August.

Although I have successfully raised both Ring-neckeds and Mustached Parrots in the desert, I was at first hesitant to try the Slaty-headed species because in the wild they are found farther north than any other parrot species. At one time, I supposed that their native climate must therefore be cooler for that reason, but have since learned this is not necessarily so.

Housing

All my flight cages are built outside under the tree canopy in my back yard, and the birds do just fine. Birds in such a climate given a large water bowl can thrive nicely and without ill effects, if acclimated. I do not use a misting system, but I do spray them down several times a week with the garden hose set on a fine spray.

My aviary is 6 feet long by 3 feet wide and 3 feet high. All the aviaries are raised four feet off the ground. Mourning Doves and Gambel Quail are always present, picking up any food spilled or dropped by the parrots.

'Feeding

I'll admit right off that I don't feed enough fruits or vegetables, due to time restrictions for preparation, but I have found that Slatys will· eat just about anything a Ring-neck will eat.

Breeding

Except for the Derbyan, all the Psittacula are early season nesters, and this fact contributed to my decision to specialize in this genus. They will begin breeding in my climactic conditions in January, when it is usually quite cool, and will breed throughout our very windy season, from February through April, umil the heat kicks in, in May. By .mid-May most of the Asiatic babies are fledgec: and being weaned by their pare, unless they have been previously pulled for hand-rearing.

 

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