Bourke's Parrot

Bourkesittich ( Neopsephotus bourkii )

The Bourkesittich ( Neopsephotus bourkii ) is a species of bird in the order of the parrots ( Psittaciformes ). Its natural habitat is the inner part of the country of Australia. He is about 19 to 22 inches tall and 30 to 50 grams. He was discovered in 1835 by Sir Thomas L. Mitchell, John Gould described it in 1841 for the first time. It was named after General Sir Richard Bourke, who served as Governor of New South Wales from 1831 to 1837.

The Bourkesittich were formerly the genus Neophema ( grass parakeets ) attributed to, but then reclassified into its own genus Neopsephotus, currently bourkii with N. comprises only one type.

Appearance and Body

Bourkesittiche be about 19 to 22 inches tall and can reach a weight of about 30 to 50 grams. Males are colored reddish brown on the top and on the chest and the belly pink to brownish. The face, the shoulders, the wings and the tail feathers have a blue to gray color. The coloration of the female is usually less intense than that of the males. In addition, they lack the blue coloration on the forehead. Head and beak are usually smaller than in males with the females. Young birds are similar in color to the females. The eyes are measured on the body size, relatively large.

Dissemination and lifestyle

Ancestral habitat of Bourkesittiche is the dry, covered with acacia trees, shrub steppe inland Australia. Bourkesittiche hold primarily on the ground, since their diet consists mainly of seeds and grass.

Bourkesittiche live in pairs or in groups of about 20 to 30 animals, in the dry season but sometimes in larger flocks to about 100 birds. The animals are crepuscular, ie preferably in the early morning or evening active. They are nomadic and follow here mainly the food supply.

They are cavity nesters, their breeding season is from August to December. The nest, which consists of an average of three to six eggs is incubated by the female alone. The male takes over the feeding of the female. The incubation period is 18 days on average. The young are independent after about four weeks airworthy and after a further one to two weeks.

The life expectancy is about ten to twelve years.

Attitude as pets

The first living specimens came in 1867 to Europe and were shown at the London Zoo. First breeding success come ten years later in Belgium, in Germany in 1880 and 1906 for the first time in England.

Bourkesittiche are to be kept as pets comparatively easy, but not so popular such as budgies or cockatiels. They were and are held in part because of their similarity in physique mistaken for red budgies or sold as such. Also, there were unsuccessful attempts to breed budgies red by crossing with Bourkesittichen.

For accommodation, feeding and other management conditions are essentially the same conditions as for wave or cockatiels. Bourkesittiche get along with these types generally good, so that a socialization with enough space poses hardly any problems. With an attitude in the home and thus the contact with the people of their crepuscular activity as well as their preference for staying on the ground and the associated dangers are observed.