Bourke Parakeet
A Few Facts About The Bourke Parakeet
The Bourke parakeet, also often called Bourke's parakeet, is a native of Australia, and is a good starter bird for the amateur breeder. This little bird is noted for its gentle, docile behavior. As birds go, it is somewhat "bomb proof", which is to say it is not easily excited, not is it a noisy or destructive bird.
It Won't Talk - There are those who consider the Bourke parakeet as being unsuitable as a pet, possibly for all the wrong reasons. The Bourke parakeet usually will not learn tricks, and compared to other parakeets, or the cockatoos, can't be trained to talk but is generally content to hop about quietly and without much fuss. It can fly as well of course, and spends much of the time doing so, especially in the early morning and late evening hours. The Bourke is not usually as colorful as some of its parakeet cousins, though it still is a very attractive little bird, and some color mutations are quite striking. It's probably safe to say that whatever it's failings as making the perfect pet may be, it makes a wonderful companion.
A Grass Parakeet - The Bourke parakeet is a member of the genus Neophema and belongs to the family of grass parakeets, noted for their long tails. Other members of the grass parakeet family are the Scarlet-chested parakeet and the Elegant parakeet. These parakeets are called grass parakeets as they spend much of the day foraging through grass in search of seeds. In the wild, the Bourke parakeet is a woodland bird, while the other two species inhabit mostly open grasslands.
It was mentioned that the Bourke is not as colorful as some. There are some interesting color mutations however. Three of the most poplar mutations are the creme colored bird, the yellow, and the pink. The pink Bourke parakeet is the result of several generations of breeding of the creme and the rosy parakeets. The rosy Bourke is one of the newer mutations and has become the most popular.
Breeding - The Bourke parakeet is a good choice for anyone interested in becoming a parakeet breeder, as it is one of the easiest species to breed. It would almost be safe to say that these little birds breed like rabbits, but out of respect for the health of the female, it's best to keep the number of clutches of eggs, usually 6 to a clutch, to 3 a year, with twice a year being even better. If one tries to match a male and a female for breeding purposes, sometimes the chemistry is there and sometimes it isn't, not unlike the way it is with humans. Usually though the male and female get along just fine and make devoted mates, but there are those couples who bicker constantly and even fight on occasion, and the match often has to be broken up. It can be a source of disappointment when all seems to be going well, but the first clutch of eggs don't hatch. This is because the first clutch is usually sterile, something common to most species of birds.
The Need To Choose - One peculiarity about the Bourke parakeet is that giving them a box for nesting purposes usually doesn't work, while two boxes will. Although no one knows why, the bird seems to like to be able to make a choice, and may not breed at all if a choice isn't available. Six or ten boxes to choose from won't make much of a difference, two boxes is the minimum but all that's needed.
The Bourke parakeet isn't terribly expensive, though the more popular color mutations may at times be hard to come by. It's a nice species for the first time bird owner or breeder, and a very pleasant little companion.