Abstract
Although there are 11 recognized species of parrot finches, only six occur in aviculture within the U.S. Of these, the most common and easily bred are the Red-headed (Erythrura psittacea) and the Blue-faced (Erythrura trichroa). Due to its common name of Tricolor Parrot Finch, the latter is often confused with the true tricolor, or Blue-breasted, Parrot Finch (Erythrura tricolor). This bird does not now occur in the United States and has only very rarely, if ever, occurred here in the past. Although this bird does exist in Holland and now in Great Britain, its extreme rarity and high price (at least $3000 per pair in Europe) puts it out of reach of most aviculturists, except for the most affluent who might be lucky enough to locate someone willing to part with them. This bird differs from the trichroa in that it is much smaller and the blue on the breast is very extensive, looking somewhat like a dark Cordon Bleu from the front. Only from the sides and back are the green wings and red tail visible.
The Red-headed Parrot Finch is perhaps the most popular parrot finch in the U.S. With its red head and tail, and green body, it is a very attractive bird. There are several mutations of this bird. One of these is a pied form in which the green is interspersed with yellow and the red tail with pink. Some indiviuals are quite striking. The sea-green form, or blue Redhead, is one in which the normal green areas are of a sea-green hue and the red of the head and tail replaced by an orange color. A pied sea-green is slowly starting to become established, and heavily pied birds are quite lovely. The yellow is much paler than in the normal pied, almost cream color, and this, in combination with the sea-green feathers and pale orange head, make a pleasing appearance. Occasionally, normal Redheads do occur with yellow heads, but we have yet to observe these birds and cannot comment on them.
The Blue-faced Parrot Finch is also not without its share of mutations. Perhaps the best known and most striking is the lutino Blue-faced Parrot Finch. This canary-like bird is quickly becoming established, for with its white head, yellow body, and pink tail, it is obviously a desirable bird. One drawback of this bird is its lack of eye-color pigment, creating a bird with red eyes which are very lightsensitive, necessitating lower light levels to improve its comfort and visual acuity. Another problem, which apparently· was first noticed in Europe, is that in-breeding has produced birds with wing problems causing difficulty in flying. A pied form of the Blue-faced also occurs in Europe. However, our attempts to import some of these birds have proven unsuccessful. We therefore cannot verify this mutation within the U.S. A blue form of the Blue-faced is also cropping up, in which the green is replaced with a brilliant turquoise-blue. This mutation seems to be more prevalent on the west coast of the U.S. than on the east. A seagreen mutation of the Blue-faced is available in Great Britain and, perhaps, is the same as the blue form which is occurring now in the U.S.
Both the Red-heads and Blue-faced are very easily bred. We have had great success with single pairs in flights three feet long by two feet wide by two feet high.
The Pintailed Nonpareil Parrot Finch (Erythrura prasina), although a relatively common bird now due to a large number of imports, is in danger of disappearing from American aviculture due to the scarcity of people breeding this bird and the import bans now being imposed by the airlines. Although mutations do exist, once again their establishment is doubtful due to a shortage of individuals. The yellow-bellied form is one in which the red of the breast and belly and tail is replaced by yellow. This is a naturally occurring mutation, appearing in eight percent of the population. Most of these birds appear in the southern part of its range. We have one of these birds which appears to be a hen, in which the body appears blue. This is not due to a solid block of color, but rather a generous sprinkling of blue feathers throughout the entire bird. A pied form is also reputed to exist in Australia. Although having the reputation of being a difficult bird to breed, we have had great success breeding...