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The Red-capped Parrakeet.



depict the male in a characteristic attitude, especially when the

female leaves her nest and settles near him, with the feathers of

the crown partly erected, by which means he displays in its full

beauty the magnificent cherry red of that part. At the same

moment he often droops the wings, puffing up the yellow feathers

of the lower back and upper tail coverts.


The young birds in their nestling plumage and after their

first moult lack the crimson crown, which in their case is dull

green, otherwise their colouring is a subdued edition of the

adult birds, the breast being a washed-out mauve, and the red on

the under tail-coverts much less brilliant. The yellow-green

cheeks too are very lacking in brightness.


Red-capped Parrakeets, when once acclimatized are ex¬

tremely hardy, and will spend the winter in an open flight, so

long as they have good shelter to take refuge in when they feel

inclined. They are extremely active birds, constantly calling

in tones which are not exactly musical, and they are apt to be

quarrelsome, although mine have never actually damaged other

Parrakeets.


A Red-capped Parrakeet in full and perfect plumage is a

really splendid bird, and is certainly one of the most brilliant of

a brilliantly-coloured family. In size they may perhaps be

compared to the Mealy Rosella.


I reared, by hand, one young male which lived a year or a

little over, and when apparently in splendid condition and health,

died quite suddenly. This bird became very timid at the age of

three months and onwards, but before his death he evinced great

affection for my bird-keeper, feeding him and “displaying”

to him. At a year old, one or two cherry-red feathers began to

show on the crown of the head, and he was apparently about to

assume the brighter colours of the adult plumage. In time I

believe he would have become extremely tame, and his death was

very disappointing. He showed signs too of powers of mimicry.


I believe he had been frightened by something and had

knocked his head ; for an hour before I found him lying in the

cage as if he had had a convulsion, he appeared to be perfectly

well and happy.



