PSITTACULA SIGHTINGS: The Elegant Alexandrines Psittacula eupatria

Abstract

T he Alexandrine parakeet is a beautiful bird with a truly elegant appearance. The feathers look like they have been flawlessly painted on rather than grown. Alexandrines are about twice the size of Rose-ringed Parakeets, with larger heads and bills. While the overall body coloration and markings are similar to

 

Rose-ringed Parakeets, they are not generally confused. Both male and female Alexandrines have a maroonred wing patch, or alar patch.

Male and female Alexandrines are dimorphic in adult plumage, but can often be sexed visually as chicks because even the young males have much larger heads and bills than the

 

females. This is not always a reliable method for sexing young Alexandrines because there are some differences between subspecies that can make positive identification difficult.

Adult plumage is usually attained at 27 months. There are many domestic birds that are molting into the adult plumage earlier than this however. The rose pink band on the hind neck and the black moustache-like lines are considerably wider on the adult Alexandrine males than on the Roseringed Parakeet males as well.

Forshaw lists five subspecies, but we have identified only three in the U.S. over the past 15 years. These three are Psittacula eupatria eupatria, P. e. magnirostris and P. e. nipalensis.

Generally speaking, it is difficult to identify subspecies without benefit of comparison.

In our efforts to pair our own birds properly, we were quite surprised to find that the voice is significantly different in each of the subspecies. The calls are comparable between the sexes. Males of different subspecies have approximately the same types of calls. Females have a group of vocalizations different from males, but similar to females of other subspecies. The birds are particularly responsive to calls of their own subspecies, and, given the opportunity, they choose mates accordingly.

Unfortunately, today there are many crosses and it's nearly impossible to identify subspecies. The problem of precise identification is a bit more

 

complex due to geographical (i.e.race) variations within the same subspecies. For example, the Alexandrines P. e. eupatria in the northern area of India are huge, with tails as long as that of a macaw. They are larger than the birds from other regions where P. e. eupatria is found.The measurements given for Alexandrines from the Andaman Islands, P. e. magnirostris, lead us to the conclusion that they are the largest of all the Alexandrines. However, I have talked to several breeders who are working with the various

 

Alexandrines, and they have confirmed that their northern P. e. eupatria are heavier bodied and have much longer tails than the P. e. magnirostris.

If there is any reticence on the part of a buyer to accept the smaller Alexandrines, it should he put aside. The smaller birds are not in any way inferior to the larger birds. The smaller birds are merely a different subspecies - not inbred runts. The smaller subspecies are beautifully colored and are just as hardy as any other Alexandrine. They are excellent breeders and tend to have slightly larger clutches.

Our Alexandrines are now housed in aviaries that measure 4 feet W x 8 feet H x 14 feet L. We have bred them in smaller aviaries measuring 4 x 6 x 8 feet, and in suspended cages.

Of the several cage sizes we've tried, the most successful cage measured 4 feet W x 4 feet H x 8 feet L. If space is a problem, the cages can be reduced in width, hut it is important to give the birds as much flight space as possible to keep them in top breeding condition.

 

 

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