Breeding the Salvadori's Fig Parrot

Abstract

Fig parrots are an interesting group of birds of which very little is known. They belong to the family Psittacidae and are, therefore, true parrots. "Fig parrot" is, in fact, a conventional name without scientific basis. The group includes two genera, the Opopsitta and the Psittaculirostris. The two groups are very similar in their biology and have many common features. The Opopsitta are smaller birds and were known in aviculture, though as a rarity, since the beginning of the century. The Psittaculirsotris were virtually unknown until the beginning of the '70s. The information about both genera is very scant. In Parrots of the World) Forshaw gives some basic information about their habits, but nothing about breeding. Rosemary Low has a detailed chapter in one of her books; written with the aviculturist's point of view, and reports whatever was known in 1983. However, even that does not totally reassure the aviculturist challenged by the keeping of these species.

Among the Psittaculirostris, the salvadorii is the rarest. Its range of distribution is a limited area of the northwest part of West Irian (Indonesia), in the island of New Guinea. The other two species are distributed in the southern lowlands of the island and on the extreme western tip of West Irian (the desmaresti with its six subspecies), and on the northern coastal areas (the eduiardsiiy. The range of these birds overlaps that of the Yellow Streaked Lory (Chalcopsitta sintillata) and the Yellowcapped Pygmy Parrot (Micropsitta keiensis) for the desmaresti, and the Duyvenbode's Lory (Ch alcops itta duivenbodei) and Buff-faced Pygmy Parrot (Micropsitta pusio) for the other two species. Biologically, fig parrots are very close to the pygmies, somewhat reminiscent of lorikeets in their behavior-

I acquired my pair of saluadorii from an aviculturist who had tried to breed them unsuccessfully for about one year. The species is dimorphic, as are all fig parrots except for the desmarestii, so there was no problem of sexing. However, I was told that there was uncertainty about the gender of the female at the time of acquisition because it had not as much blue as Forshaw describes' and it had some red in the breast. It is possible that there may be variability in coloration or that she was still a juvenile. The birds had laid eggs on three occasions, but the only time they hatched a chick, it had died after three days or so.

I was well aware of the difficulties encountered in breeding these birds, and even in keeping them alive when the species started to reach the market, so I researched as much information as possible about previous breedings of the salvadorii and related species. I know now that the species has been bred at least once in the U.S. by Jan Van Oosten, but at the time I acquired my pair I did not know of any breeding except the one of Weise~ I had read with much attention the articles on the breeding of the edwardsii by Elsa Aglow4 and of the desmarestii by Bill Lasarzig" in the AFA Watchbird. The articles contained interesting information. However, I could only apply some of the knowledge acquired by reading these articles because my avicultural situation presents some peculiarities, in that I live in an apartment in downtown Boston and, therefore, my birds are in my bird room under totally artificial conditions of light cycling and spectrum, humidity and temperature. Of course, this makes breeding more difficult than outdoors but has the advantage of enabling me to determine the complete requirements of a species once it breeds for me.

The first problem with the fig parrots was the diet. I had talked to many people about it, and I had received contrasting information. It seemed that the only thing everybody agreed upon was the high requirement for vitamin Kand zinc in this species. In fact, I was impressed by the line of reasoning that led Elsa Aglow to discover the requirement of zinc for her eduiardsii, based on the similarity of the fig parrots with the pygmy parrots that eat lichen containing very large amounts of minerals? Most of the people feed fig parrots figs, lory nectar, live food such as mealworrns and fruit. Although I have a mixed collection containing softbills, I rarely resort to live food. I feel we do not really understand a species if we cannot provide a balanced, artificial diet scientifically formulated that allows a species to complete all stages of its life cycle including breeding. So I discarded, at least initially, the idea of feeding mealworms. My birds also had a word about their diet, because they seemed to be very conservative in their taste. After long trials and many errors, I ended up feeding my birds regular parrot mix supplemented with buckwheat and millet, millet spray, a fresh fruit and vegetable platter every morning, containing (in order of preference of the birds) sliced banana and carrots, apple, a rice and bean mix, corn on the cob (they also love it hanging from the cage wall), dry prunes or mission figs ( cut in half), green cabbage and some spongecake, cheese bread or crackers (these three items are generally ignored). The cooked bean and rice mix contains mostly beans and lentils, as many varieties as I can find. Generally, I mix green and pink lentils, chick peas, pinto beans, kidney beans, and about one third of the dry volume of the beans in rice, soak them overnight and boil them for 10 minutes, so that the mix does not become a shapeless blob but still resembles something like seeds. The food is laced with Nekton Tonic-K (Nekton USA, Inc., Clearwater, FL), 1/ 4 teaspoon Nekton Q (Nekton), and purified soybean protein (Bread and Circus, Brighton, MA). The Nekton Tonic-K is a food supplement and contains primarily free amino acids in a blend designed to complement the diet of seed-eating birds. The precise composition is proprietary, but the label states that it contains lysine and other amino acids that are scarece in seed protein. It also contains vitamin A, zinc and vitamin K. The Nekton Q is a pure vitamin preparation containing high amounts of vitamin K, A and (note!) no calcium. It is designed for birds during quarantine (thence Q) when birds are under antibiotic therapy. Calcium is omitted because it interferes with the absorption of tetracycline used to treat quarantined birds. The birds have also fresh water every day and they drink and bathe in it, and a hanging cuttlebone that they devour when they are ready to lay eggs. I felt that the protein was necessary, at least when the birds were raising chicks, although I do not have scientific proof of it.

Psittaculirostris salvadorii are very beautiful, active, little parrots with shiny feathers, who like to bathe and chew a lot. Their droppings are more liquid than those of regular parrots such as the Amazons, and have very little white urate deposits, possibly because of the high amounts of liquid in their diet. However, they are perfectly manageable in a domestic environment. They tend to be messy with food, with a little splattering of the banana. Cleaning the perches every three or four days is imperative. They have several calls, all nice, melodious warblings, and one high-pitched, shrill call when they are disturbed. They also have a peculiar, vibrating, lowpitched sound that they emit when copulating.

My birds live in a cage 36" in length, 24" in depth and 22" in height, made of welded wire 1/2 by 1 inch. My birdroom is a rather small enclosure without windows. It communicates with my living room with a large door opening, which is covered with a black, heavy curtain and gauze. In the same room are housed a pair of African Grey Parrots, a pair of Double Yellow-headed Amazons, two pairs of Fischer's Lovebirds, two Sparkling Violet-eared Hummingbirds, two male Yellow-legged Honeycreepers and a pair of Gouldian Finches with their three pairs of Zebra foster parenting pairs. The lights (fluorescent Vita-Lights) are timed to go on at 6:30 a.m. and go off at 8:00 p.m. There are two periods of twilight of 30 minutes morning and evening to allow for the hummingbirds and honeycreepers to find their roosting places for the night (generally the chandelier). The hummingbirds and the honeycreepers are kept free-flying. Temperature oscillates between 68 and 75°F. Humidity levels vary between 60 and 75%.