Abstract
byLake Geneva, Wisconsin
Sometimes we make decisions to buy bird-pairs totally on feeling rather than on practical knowledge of a species. This is how I came to love the Lineolated Parakeets. In June 1990, I spied two small green birds in an Illinois pet shop, sitting side by side, watching me. Their big, dark eyes caught my attention. The Lineolated Parakeets were green in color, with black edging around the neck, back and wing feathers and a bit of blue tint on the peak of the head, and a cream colored beak and light legs. The store owner was asking $300 for the pair. They were mature birds imported from Belgium.
I bought the birds and rushed home to read everything I could get my hands on about my new Lineolated Parakeets. There was not much information! I found out they belong to the genus Bolborhynchus. Their proper name is Bolborhynchus lineola. You also hear them referred to as Barred or Catherine Parakeets.
In nature, they are found in parts of Central and South America, nesting in hollow trees at high altitudes and dense forests. Single pairs up to flocks of over 100 birds have been sighted. Males are slightly larger and have more black ridging on their feathers than females. Juveniles are lighter green, the bluish feathers on their heads are prevalent and the black feather ridging is less extensive.
I keep my Lineolated Parakeets in a bird room, light in color, measuring 28 feet by 14 feet. Hanging and floor plants add oxygen to the air and give the birds a natural atmosphere though the birds will chew the plants if given the chance. Our home furnace has a high efficiency Space Guard air filter which cleans the air. The bird room also has two portable air cleaners. Two groups of full-spectrum fluorescent lights are time-switched to turn on and off within 30 minutes of each other. This alternate timing gives the birds a warning that this is the last chance to get a bite of food before the last light goes out.
Lineolated Parakeets, when frightened, fan their tail feathers. This makes it easy to know if what you are doing makes the birds uncomfortable. As I was setting my new pair up, a lot of tail-fanning was going on. Then whenever I came to check on the birds, I would find them in much the same position that I had first seen them in the shop. I began to think that they were not very active birds. About the same time I got these birds I purchased an inexpensive, closed circuit camera monitor system. This allowed me to watch the birds while I was out of the room. Lineolateds are anything but inactive! They love to hang upside down, chase each other, run along branches and play with their food. In general, they are very busy. Without the monitor, I would have had to wait until the birds settled in before learning how entertaining they can be.
I set up a cage using one quarter inch wire mesh. The cage measures 36" long by 27" wide by 36" deep. I used natural branches as perches and added a rectangular nest box, measuring 13" high by 8" wide by 8-1/ 4" deep. The entrance hole is 2" in diameter. I keep the nest boxes up all year as the birds love to sleep and take afternoon naps in them.
Living in Wisconsin, it is important that my birds are kept inside. It is also very important to me to allow the birds enough room to fly in their cages. After all, flying is what birds do best. Some breeders feel my cages are too large for birds that measure only 16 centimeters in length. I know I could have more birds if the cages were smaller, but when I see the birds flying from branch to branch, taking a spin around the cage, I know I've made the right choice.
I feed the Lineolateds Roudybush Crumbles, fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. I use a frozen vegetable combination and try to vary the content. I also vary the fruits. No matter what I put in their bowls, they love corn and apples best. Unlike my other birds who become suspicious of new food, these birds seem eager to try new things. Wisconsin millet is a treat I give to the birds sparingly since they tend to put on weight quickly. Twice weekly, powdered vitamin and mineral supplements are mixed in their food and water. I also provide cuttlebone and mineral blocks for each cage.
When new pairs are set up it takes two to three days for them to accept one another. A lot of chasing around the cage goes on. Another Lineolated Parakeet breeder told me that when he set up his pair, the male was chasing and biting the female. He separasted them and set them up later with better luck, after changing cages and rooms. I monitored my new pairs and have seen them chase each other but I have never seen them bite or do harm to one another. This is one of many reasons why I don't like to clip a bird's wings. The Lineolated's are quite fast. Full feathered wings allows the birds to move around the cage freely in case of problems with a mate.
Lineolated Parakeets may become sexually mature as early as four months of age. Within two months of my bird purchase, I found that the hen had laid her first egg. With the monitor, I was lucky enough to watch her closely without her knowledge. I kept a record of when I saw her out of the nest box as well as when she ate. This allowed me to make sure she didn't run into any problems.
While watching the monitor one morning, I saw the female leave the nest box after laying her first egg. She came out of the box, turned and looked inside, pulled her head out, then looked back inside, and pulled her head out. She called to her mate to come and check this out. The male flew over and they both proceeded to take turns poking their head in and out of the box, I often wondered what they were feeling; curiosity, amazement, or possibly pride. Whatever it was, I feel fortunate to have shared in the event.
The female brooded the eggs. The male fed her and would spend long periods of time keeping her company in the nest box. The female laid five eggs which is the average clutch size. The incubation period is around 22 days. The eggs were infertile, which is not uncommon with first clutches. The sad thing was that we lost the male shortly after from unknown causes.