ROSELLAS; AN AUSTRALIAN VIEWPOINT: Aviculture of the Eastern Rosella

Introduction T he Eastern is one of the first birds that I kept and bred. It was recognizable to virtually everyone who entered our backyard as the Tomato Soup Parrot. A popular Australian brand of soup called Rosella bears this species as its logo. My pair of birds has probably given me the most fascinating sights and some of my favorite bird-related memories. The following aviary notes are based on this particular pair which bred for me over a period of many years, rearing two broods each year. Being colorful and quite resilient, the Eastern is a most appropriate bird for anyone considering the larger Australian broad-tailed parakeets. General Description The Eastern is about 12 inches long with head, sides of neck, its chest, vent and under tail-coverts red. The lower breast is yellow blending to green on the abdomen. The nape of the neck is yellow and the bird sports white cheek patches. The back, mantle and scapulars are black and - typical of the rosella group - are given a scalloped effect by having the margins of each feather a different color; in this species, greeny-yellow. The bend of each wing is blue, lighter for outer secondaries and the under surface of the tail feathers but darker for the outer edges of the primaries. The bill is grey-horn color and the legs are grey. The rump is yellowish-green. Sexing The hens of the species have the same basic color pattern but the colors are less intense and the red is less sharply defined. Hens vary greatly, however, and some are difficult to tell from the less well colored cocks. Interestingly, upon examination of the nestlings about one week prior to them leaving the nest, the sexes seem more distinct than when they fledge. The young leave the nest as dull replicas of their mother and carry a white under-wing stripe. Young cocks lose this wing-stripe after their first adult molt, which may take up to 12 months to complete. Hens retain this wingstripe as adults. I have also noticed that the heads of the male birds are noticeably flatter on top whilst the heads of females are more rounded. However, this can be variable. Related Species and Subspecies The rosellas comprise a fairly distinct group with their cheek patches and scalloped patterns on their backs. The Australian Ring-necked Parakeets Barnardius spp. share many behavioral and morphological similarities. [Editor's note: some taxonomists have merged the Barnardius genus into the Platycercus genus as can be noted in Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World by Sibley and Monroe] Within the genus Platycercus, the Eastern's closest relatives seem to be the Blue-cheeked, P. adscitus, and the Northern Rosella, P. tenustus. Easterns share with these other two species within the genus, certain characteristics such as variable sexual distinctions and their plumage patterns although the colors are different. In fact, recent ornithological thinking places all three species (and their associated subspecies) in the one, large complex called the White-cheeked Rosella. In addition to the nominate subspecies, there are two distinct subspecies of the Eastern Rosella: P. e. ceciliae, the Golden-mantled inhabits the northerly part of the species' range from northern New South Wales and into Queensland. Its rump is bluer than the nominate subspecies and its scalloped mantle markings are a rich yellow rather than green. P. e. diemenensis, the Tasmanian Eastern Rosella, inhabits Tasmania. It is a larger bird being about 13 inches long. Bergmann's Rule states that birds of a species from the colder parts of its range are larger than those from the warmer parts. The cheek patches of this subspecies are also much larger and are snow white while the general coloration is somewhat darker and richer. Gloger's Rule states that birds of a species from the damper parts of its range are darker than those from the drier parts.