Abstract
The genus Platycercus, commonly
known as Rosellas, comprise a group
of eight species and are indigenous to
Australia. They are very colorful, neither
noisy or destructive, and reproduce
quite readily in captivity. They
are very active both in the air and on
the ground.
All Rosellas possess cheek patches
and have the characteristic Australian
broadtail , which is used to display
their varied moods. The median wing
coverts generally are the color of the
breast and are edged in black. The
colors range from red , orange and
yellow, to green, blue, black and white,
which doesn't miss much. Individual
species descriptions can best be
found in the many books available.
Sexes are colored alike making it
difficult to pair them correctly. In the
" dark ages" of aviculture, the "Rudkin"
method was the rule. If a pair
laid an egg, you had a hen. If it
hatched, you had a '' pair. '' In spite of
all of our advances in the field of aviculture,
that method has remained
valid . Many books describe the
theory that the wing stripe found on
the underside of the primary flight
feathers is a guide as to sex, however,
I have not found that theory to be
dependable. Now that surgical sexing
is available, obtaining true pairs is
not difficult. There is a good supply
of well bred, strong stock available
today. And thus, there is absolutely
no excuse for breeding brother-sister
pairs. There is also no shortage of
good, reliable aviculturists available,
enabling trading of stock to ensure
continued strong specimens for
future generations.
As long as I am on my soapbox, I
can find no reason or excuse for the
breeding of hybrids. For those among
us that must, try raising chickens!
The Green Rosella is found on the
island of Tasmania; the Brown's or
Northern in found not surprisingly in
Northern Australia; the Stanley or
Western in Western areas; and the
Red or Eastern, Mealy or Blue, Yellow,
Adelaide and Crimson are all
found in the South-central and Southeastern
regions. As in the case of
many species, sub-species occur, and
again are described in the many
books available.
Rosellas are quite hardy and in
most areas of the United States can
be kept in outside flights. In the colder
regions , it would be well to provide
inside-outside areas for their
comfort. In their native surroundings,
Rosellas fly great distances in
their quest for food and water. Thus
they have developed the ability of
strong, rapid flight. For this reason , I
feel that they are best kept in as long
a flight as possible. It need not be
wide and, as they are not prone to
chewing the flights to the ground, 19
gauge wire will do nicely.
Only two problems are common in
their care. since they love to feed on
the ground, Rosellas are susceptible
to worms. With the help of your veterinarian,
a good preventative program
in this area is very necessary for
their good health. The second problem
has to do with their rapid flight.
Broken necks and head injuries are
common, but this can be corrected
by building the open end of the flight
solid. If it is wire, the birds will often
attempt to fly straight through it,
thus a broken neck is the result.
Otherwise, conventional aviary construction
design will work nicely.
Perches should be placed at the
extreme ends of the flight to allow
the maximum distance for exercise.
Tree limbs, securely mounted, are
best as they vary in diameter which is
beneficial for fertility.
A good rule to follow is to never
place pairs of Rosellas next to each
other. If you must, double wire is
needed as they will fight and cause
great harm to each other through the
wire . They also are apt to '' fall in
love" with the girl-next-door and
thus doom the breeding season.