Breeding of the Blue-rumped Parrot

The Blue-rumped Parrot (Psittinus cyanurus cyanurus) is a small parrot from southwestern Thailand. It is also found through Malaysia and on several of the islands of Indonesia. Psittinus c. cyanurus is the smallest of the three known sub-species with an adult size approximately the same as some of the larger love birds. It is quite common throughout its range. Until quite recently it has been very rare in captivity, probably due to an unusually high mortality rate during importation, the cause of which has never been explained. In the past three or four years the shipments of this species have consisted of young birds and survival rates have increased dramatically. Sexual dimorphism is marked in mature birds. Males are distinguished by a pale blue head and red upper mandible whereas the females' heads are brown and the upper mandible is brownish-red in color. This dimorphism is very similar to that of many of the Asian parakeets. As a matter of fact, the behavior and physical attributes of the Blue-rumped Parrot are similar to many of the Psittacula parakeets except for their lack of a long pointed tail. My original pair and an extra male were purchased in tl1e late summer of 1990. The proven hen is on breeding loan from Ernie Colazzi of Dallas, Texas. All four birds were placed in one cage to allow for pairing with the mates of their choice. The pairs established themselves very quickly and they began to fight amongst each other within a week. The alpha pair consisted of the oldest hen and oldest male. They always perched in the highest space available and they ate before the second pair was allowed near the food. After a week, the two pairs were separated. Fighting was usually between the females, not the males. In many cases the dominate female actually fought off both males also. Not knowing a whole lot about this particular species, I began my breeding trials by placing both pairs in cages that were next to each other. This later proved to be a mistake as the hens spent several hours a day fighting through the wire. Cages were constructed of one inch by one half inch, 14 gauge wire. Both cages measured two feet wide by three feet tall by three feet long. The food was placed at the front of the cage and the nest was placed at the rear. Nest boxes were designed by myself and built by a friend, Rob Gibson. They were so1t of an L shape with a 4 x 4 entrance box nailed on the front. This entrance box actually stuck into the cage with the remainder of the box extending onto the outside. In this manner there was an entrance that was internal and the hen had to climb through a four inch hallway, turn right and go down a 12 inch corridor before reaching the actual nest quarters at the bottom. I was tJying to simulate the depth and feel of a hollow branch rather than that of a tree trunk. The inside measurements of the corridors were only six inches by six inches. Neither pair showed any interest in the nest boxes in the first year. They consumed large quantities of seeds, fruits, figs, berries and branches cut from the large ficus trees (Ficus benjiamana) in the yard. Raw sweet corn was relished as well as most other vegetables and fruits. The seeds were consumed as a second choice. In November of 1991, the two pairs were moved to Miami, Florida. The original cages and nestboxes were provided once again. Both pairs were side by side which seemed to stimulate the males. Singing was noticed in both the males and, less frequently, the females. After a few months in Miami, the males began to show aggression towards human intervention. They never really competed with each other, only with the feeders or people that came near the cage. When no one was around they were content to sit on their perches and sing to amuse or stimulate the females. Their song consisted of three different whistle tones sung high to low. Their threat posture was to fly at the front wire, flaring the tail, lifting the wings, dilating the eyes and repeating the whistle tones in a distinct staccato manner. If a pproached, they would return to the perch and continue the tail and wing movements. After a few weeks the female would retreat to the immediate interior of the nest and observe the male's defense posture. This was the first time the female was seen entering the nest. In June of 1992 the rains drenched the nest box and the interior was soaked and somewhat muddy. In early July, when tl1e rains stopped, the weather turned very hot. At this point the nest dried out but the nesting material needed to be changed. On July 11th, I purchased a new bag of pine shavings to clean the nests that had been rain soaked. When I opened the box on July 12th, an egg was in the middle of the dirty shavings and the hen was standing nearby. I made a decision not to change the nest until she appeared to be brooding. On July 14th, the second egg was laid. The filth in the nest was too much for me so I changed the nesting material and replaced the eggs. That entire day the hen stayed out of the box and fought through the wire with the female Blue-rumped in the next cage. The fighting continued the next day and I decided that something had to be done. I moved the second pair of birds to the other side of the breeding area where they could not be seen, only heard. The two eggs were removed from the nest and placed under a broody cockatiel. The dirty nesting shavings were removed and replaced with fresh pine shavings. On July 16th the third egg appeared in the cleaned nest. By this time the hen had returned to her duties in the box and in the following four days laid two more eggs, on July 18th and 20th.