22



E. J. Boosey—The Blue-winged Grass Parrakeet



Millet spray, though probably not absolutely essential, is greatly

relished by all the Grass Parrakeets.


Blue-wings are, if anything, a trifle less keen on flowering grass than

are their near relations though, like most Parrakeets, they eat large

quantities of it at the approach of, and during, the breeding season.

It is as well, however, to keep them continually supplied with as much

of it as they will eat, and in winter the small Poa Annua grass, which

grows as a weed in gardens and flowers all the year round, is very

wholesome and an excellent standby.


Moisture in the nest is not a necessity for young Blue-wings, but

care should be taken that the box is not too deep as, like all Grass

Parrakeets, they are but poor climbers.


They can be kept in perfect health and bred in comparatively

small aviaries, which is an advantage from many people’s point of

view ; also they are quite harmless to other species and do not damage

growing shrubs. If, however, they are kept in a mixed collection

with a number of small birds, it is absolutely necessary to keep their

quarters scrupulously clean, especially the perches as, like all their

family, they are rather liable to contract eye disease.


Though the writer has never kept Blue-wings in anything but a

separate aviary to themselves he would imagine that in a mixed

collection they would be very easily bullied by larger birds and,

judging by the extraordinarily little strength they have in their beaks—

they cannot bite wood and, when handled, only nibble feebly at one’s

fingers—they would certainly be quite defenceless.


They are active in the early morning, sit quietly most of the day,

and are extremely lively again just before dusk. In fact, in a collection

of Parrakeets, the members of the Grass Parrakeet family will usually

be found to be flying happily about, particularly on fine summer

evenings, long after all the rest of the collection have gone to

roost.


Young Blue-winged Grass Parrakeets were successfully reared

here, at the Keston Foreign Bird Farm, during the past season.



