Abstract
In my estimation, there is not a more striking bird than the lurino mutation of the Indian ringnecked parakeet. I have Willie Pera ti no, formerly of the National Zoo, to thank for introducing me to my first ringneck, a four-year-old lurino male, sold to me for what I later learned was only half of what it was worth. Lutinos are of a particularly vibrant shade of citron yellow, with pink-red eyes, flesh-colored feet, and a completely red bill. Only the male sporrs the pink neck ring with the white mandibular stripe. This stripe is black in the normal ringneck male and runs from under the chin and then follows the cheeks to the nape where it blends into the pink collar. These colors are enhanced by the elegant proportions of their bodies, their extremely long rails, and their handsomely contoured heads-the best conformation of any parrot I have seen.
I was, and still am, proud of my original lurino male. and I quickly purchased for him a normal green hen as his mare. She was raised by hand by Lee Phillips, AFA's First Vice-President, and was not yet two when I got her.
Ringnecks are labeled non-pair bond birds because they do not mamtain an affectionate nature toward one another throughout the year, and even when they are breeding, their love making is more ritualized and stilted than one observes in the typical South American parrot or in other pair-bond birds. Moreover, the female is dominant. and this fact has an inhibitory effect on the male, causing him to be less than confident in his amorous pursuits.
From my experience with the three pairs of ringnecks I have. relations improve with rime when a spacious flight is provided or if the male reaches sexual maturity a year or so before his mare.
Such was the case with my first pair, a four-year-old lurino male and a barely two-year-old normal green hen. When she was put into his flight, they were compatible from the start. I was surprised to see the male snatch. albeit gingerly, a coveted peanut directly from the beak of the hen. Later he and she were about equal in boldness when it came to peanuts or to other choice tidbits in the possession of the other. Another surprising habit which this pair had and which tended, somewhat, to belie the non-pair bond designation was their willingness to share a six-inch hanging perch taken from a standard parrot cage. They sat very close to each other and were seldom at the opposite ends of the flight. Although preening is not a usual aspect of their behavior, I have seen, on more than one occasion, the male tuck his head under the female in such a way as to allow her to preen briefly areas on the back of his neck.
Theoretical Expectations of Lutino-Green Pairings
1. Male Lutino
Female Green (normal)
Produces:
Males, Green split to Lutino 50% Females Lutino 50%
2. Male Green (normal) Female Lutino
Produces:
Male, Green split to Lutino 50 % Female, Green (normal) 50%
3. Male Green, split to Lutino Female Green (normal)
Produces:
Male, Green (normal) 25% Male, Green split to Lutino 25% Female, Green (normal) 25 % Female Lutino 25%
4. Male Green, split to Lutino Female Lutino
Produces:
Male Lutino 25 %
Male Green, split to Lutino 2 5 % Female Lutino 25 %
Female Green 25%
My original pair first went to nest for me in October, 1981. They were housed in a suspended aviary, a la Ramon Noegel, ten feet in length, three feet high and three feet wide. Living outside of Washington, D.C. my birds are constantly kept in the basement. The flights are hanging from the ceiling rafters. The nest box, which hangs on the outside of the back end of the flight is 12" x 12" x 24" deep. The entrance hole is three inches in diameter with a wire ladder leading down into two to four inches of pine shavings. The hen throws out a good deal of the shavings prior to laying her eggs.
I was thrilled when on October 31st I got a belated birthday present of one small white egg and then another on November 2, and another on November 4 and a fourth egg on the 6th. The first egg hatched on November 26, and by November 28 I thought I counted three hatchlings. I was reluctant to inspect the nest box for fear I would unsettle the hen and she would stop sitting. Soon after the initial inspection, however, I discovered that there were only two hatchlings and an infertile egg in the nest. the third egg or hatchling had disappeared. About a week later, I noticed dots on the backs of the babies, the appearance of secondary down folicles. One chick had lighter skin, and by using a flashlight I could see the pink eye through the membrane still covering the eyes. I was ecstatic; I now knew that I had one lutino and of course she had to be a hen, and the other chick was her brother, green split to lutino.
Their eyes were open by December 6 and the lutino hen made her debut on January 12, 1982. Her brother followed suit the next day. These chicks were big, and only their relatively short tails and clumsy movements revealed their juvenile status. The parents had proven very capable 10 ra1s10g their offspring. However, on January 20, the mother began to show irritation toward the young as the flight was a bit more chaotic with the four of them. I soon separated her from the father and the babies, as he was taking on most of the nurturing since they had left the nest, and I was afraid that she would injure one of the chicks. The hen was...