Pintailed Parrot Finch

Scientific Name: Erythrura prasina

Origin: India and Indonesia

A rather timid and nervous bird that requires careful acclimatization, but thrives well if given a little extra attention. Once established in a well planted aviary, it lives outside without any difficulty. It mixes well with other seed-eaters of similar size and is not aggressive, but needs plenty of space to exercise, as it has a tendency to get fat.

Description:

Size: 13 cm (S in)

COCK:

Body: green. Face and throat: blue. Lower breast, tail and rump: bright red. Long pointed central tail feathers. Beak: black. Legs: cream.

HEN:

Similar, but no blue on face or red on lower parts. The hen also has a much shorter tail. The immature cock bird resembles a hen.

Diet: (Seedeater)

Plain canary seed and mixed millets form the basic diet. Green food and sprouted seed are enjoyed. Grit and cuttlefish bones are essential. This species often needs unpolished rice during the acclimatization period as it sometimes refuses other food, but later canary seed often proves the favorite seed.

Breeding:

The cock bird performs a very interesting courting dance, circling the hen and jerking his tail up and down while uttering a few strange noises.

The nest may be built in a box, in a bush or under some form of cover. More than one pair of this species can be kept in a mixed collection, as fighting is unlikely. Four to five eggs form an average clutch. The incubation period is 13 days and both parents take turns in sitting on the eggs. Try to provide plentiful supplies of soaked seed and a few mealworms and ants' eggs.

Pintailed Parrot Finch Information

• The bird is found naturally in Thailand, Java, Sumatra, West Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam. In wild as the bird is dependant on seeds of grasses and bamboos it mainly inhabits forest edges. They are also found in rice plantations where they are regarded as pests as great amount of crops are damaged by them.
• Breeders find difficulty in breeding the birds.
• For successful breeding the birds are to be at first made accustomed to the captive environment when young.
• The birds at first must be kept in aviaries that have an average temperature of around 25 degree. Later on, as the bird gets accustomed to the new habitat the temperature can be reduced to 20 degree Celsius.
• For raising and rearing of chicks you may introduce Bengalese bird as foster parents.
• To promote successful parent rearing the birds are to be kept in aviaries that have dense scrubs and plants.
• The birds have the habit of building nests at various heights. So you may attach nests for them as varying heights in planted trees in the aviary.
• For materials for nest building you may supply them with coconut fibers, dry grasses, sisal and moss.