Abstract
on january 3, 1991, I realized a long-time dream by acquiring an unrelated pair of handfed weaned Amboina King Parrots Alisterus amboinensis. They were purchased at a price of $300 each form Diane Welch, Scotia, CA, an experienced and conscientious hobby breeder of kings, Red-fronted Macaws and other parrot species. They were in pristine condition. I will never forget the way personnel in the bird room at Feathered Friends of Santa Fe, NM literally caught their breath as the two juveniles emerged from an airline shipping case. Wow! Such beauty! I was hooked.
Though shy around strangers and probably fatigued after a long flight, the two sexed psittacines were quite well-behaved. They would perch on an arm, come to a shoulder for treats; while the male especially liked to give and receive kisses. At 219 grams (male) and 207 (female) as immatures, it is possible that these birds are not the large nominate A. a. amboinensis subspecies, but as I have not yet found a study documenting size differences of various races, this is not easy to tell.
Two weeks later the pair make the long trek with me to my winter home on the Big Island of Hawaii and were installed in an 8 X 4 X 4 foot cage outdoors in the backyard of a hobby breeder friend of mine. There they received optimum care while awaiting sexual maturity. Setting up a young pair like this is an excellent technique when dealing with high-spirited, often quarrelsome Austral-Asian parakeets. It allows the two birds to bond tightly before frenzied variables of sexual activity enter the picture. Yet, even this does not guarantee success as I was to learn. A. amboinensis is not an easy species to reproduce in captivity.
"Ohia" and "Lehua," as we named them, went along fine until the spring of 1994 when, at age four, their activity level increased dramatically. He would chase her around the cage and occasionauy gt:L uer Lu111c:1c:u uu Luc: suspended floor where she would screech and feathers would fly. As this was obviously not a positive prelude to successful breeding, I contacted some expert aviculturists for advice. Conclusion was a 8-foot-long cage was not sufficient for breeding these fullflighted birds. The next two weeks were spent preparing a 4 X 6 X 6 foot walk-in aviary. The birds were moved into it, and a new hollow nest was provided. Chasing and abuse was alleviated. Though the male would screech and go after his hen, Lehua could get away in the larger enclosure.
Two months later, disaster struck.
The keeper came out for morning feed and discovered the female dead on the ground in the aviary. Diagnosis: a broken neck. I was heart-sick. I began to feel I had no business working with such an unpredictable species. What's more, I began to see that leaving my own breeder birds in the care of someone else was somewhat irresponsible. No one takes care of your birds like you do.
The fall of that year, I moved all my pet and breeder psittacines up to a half-acre farm lot and made the decision to remain permanently in Hawaii. Ohia, the lone male Amboina King, was given a 4 X 4 X 16 foot cage bordering one side of the garden plot of aviaries. He became very friendly to me; I was leaning toward keeping him singly as an aviary "pal."
Then in February, 1995, while on a visit to Dale Thompson's California facility, I learned of a party in the San Jose, CA area who had the Princess of Wales male I sought and two Amboina King females. The truth of the matter is, I detest keeping birds without mates - considering it both unnatural and not humane. One of his hens was a five-year-old proven female, the other a very inexpensive hand two-and-ahalf-year-old with a leg healed crooked after an in-nest break.