TURQUOISINE - PARROT

Turquoisine Grass
Parakeet * Turquoise
Parrot
DESCRIPTION
About 8 inches long the
Turquoisine Grass Parrot
has a blue head and wings
red wing bars, green upper
parts and bright yellow under parts. The female Turquoisine
Grass Parrot is not so brightly coloured as the males and have no
wing bars
HABITAT
Is the forested eastern areas of Australia ( S.E. Queensland - N.
Central Victoria) where the rainfall is high. The Turquoisine
Grass Parrot favours the edges of woodlands beside open grass
pastures. These "woodlands" maybe a timbered ridges or tree
lined creeks. Due to loss of Habitat and subsequent numbers the
Turquoisine Grass Parrot is fully protected by law in Australia,
though it is not classified as being close to extinction
BEHAVOIUR

Usually seen in pairs or small groups,

though occassionally a flock of 30-40
have been sighted. In flight though
swift the Turquoisine Grass Parrot
direction is erratic and "fluttery".
Turquoisine Grass Parrots have 2
main types of calls, one for contact
(usually in flight) a soft metallic type
note which is very penetrating, and a
weak high pitch tweeting when
feeding
FEEDING
During the day Turquoisine Grass Parrot
search for seeds ( grasses, vegetable matter)
on the ground, taking a break though to sit
quietly in the trees during the hottest part of
the day (noon to mid-afternoon). When
foraging for seed Turquoisine Grass Parrots
are fairly tame and will allow a close
approach, but if they feel threatened they
will flutter a short distance away or up into
some tree branches. They prefer to feed in the shadow of trees.
These Parrots only need to drink once a day and usually do this
just before dawn
BREEDING

Turquoisines mate at around 5 months old The Breeding season

is between August and December and during this time the male
Turquoisine become rather aggressive The male goes through a
courtship dance where he stands very upright, fans his tail
feathers and slightly spreads his wings to show off his
colourings, whilst calling excitedly to the female. The
Turquoisine nests in hollows usually within 1 meter of the
ground in such places as, hollows in trees, fence posts, large
logs, dead tree stumps etc. The 2 to 5 eggs rest usually on
decayed wood dust linning the hollow, not in a "built twig etc
nest" like most birds, and incubation lasts 18 days with only the
female sitting on the "nest".
MUTATIONS
When breed in captivity a whole range of colour variations of
the Turquoisine Grass Parrot are possible by selective breeding

Visual Wings -Turquoisine Parakeet

*********************************
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