Content

30 cm.. length and a weight between 100 and 175 g..

The adult male of the Pale-headed Rosella (Platycercus adscitus), It has a pale yellow "head". The part superior of the cheeks is whitish in contrast with the part below that is of color blue light. Upper chest is yellow, the lower part of the chest and the abdomen are blue. The coverts They show a beautiful red hue. The the mantle, the back and scapulars are black with broad yellow edges, these areas giving a scaly appearance.

The tail is of color yellow uniform. The external coverts are dark blue. The central feathers of the tail are dark blue, but the outer feathers are more pale with thin white edges. The bottom has no stripe.

The bill is white. The irises They are brown, legs grey.

The female is different from the male, its color is more off and has a strip at the bottom of the wings.

The immature they have grayish feathers ending in yellow or orange-red at the top of the crown and the neck. The red feathers lose them about three months. The bottom of the wings is scratched. They acquire adult plumage in about 16 months.

• Sound of the Pale-headed Rosella.

• Platycercus adscitus adscitus

  (Latham 1790) – The nominal




• Platycercus adscitus palliceps

  (Lear 1832) – 32 cm.. length. It is something most large that the nominal species. The white color of the face is more extensive, coming up to the neck. Crown, nape and ear-coverts are pale yellow. The blue of the chest presents tonalities yellowishwhite and the feathers of the chest they have a thin lined black. The shoulders with wide verdosa-amarilla blue staining. bottom of the flight feather white.

The Pale-headed Rosella they are common in all types of habitats of open forests, either scrub, scattered forests with logging, the rows of trees along rivers or swamps. They are also found in the wooded heaths which surround the coast and which are dominated by trees of the genus Banksia.

Avoid plunging into the thick forests, giving preference to the clear, meadows at the edges or directly border the plots. They also penetrate the surrounding farmland to feed.

They are birds of the lower regions, rarely rising above 700 meters and voluntarily leaving altitudes to the Crimson Rosella in dense forests and semi-montanosas areas.

In the North, the Pale-headed Rosella They nest in the months of February to June, with some variations depending on the frequency of rains.

In the South, the breeding season are produced starting from September until the month of December.

These birds build their nests in deep a sick or healthy tree cavity, preferably a eucalyptus located near a river.
Other places that tend to choose are: a hole in a stump or a hole in a fence post.

The spawning generally includes between 3 and 5 eggs. The female incubates alone during 19 days, but as soon as the eggs are incubated, It receives assistance from the male that helps feed the young.

The chicks leave the nest after 5 weeks.

The Pale-headed Rosella they are mostly vegetarian. They consume a lot of plants, We have identified about 50 plant species. Similar to the Eastern Rosella, the Pale-headed Rosella It feeds mainly in the trees. The seeds of eucalyptus, acacias, Melaleuca, Black Cypress of Australia, acanthus and spiny Thistles, they are your favorite foods. The flowers and fruits some species also form part of their diet.

The Pale-headed Rosella they are often real pests for gardens and cornfields.

Size of the area of distribution (reproduction / resident): 1.470.000 km2

Confined to the East of Australia, where is dispersed through of the Cape York Peninsula, coming to the South up to the Gilbert River in the West, and extending to the South along the coast East of Queensland to the North of New South Wales.

In Queensland its inner boundary runs approximately through Croydon, Richmond, Lomgreach, Charleville and Bingara.

Are also distributed by the Fraser Island and around Brisbane, as well as in other coastal districts.

In New South Wales, the population is limited to the Northeast, extending toward the interior of Bourke and to the South up to around Coffs Harbour, on the coast.

Escapes have been recorded in Sydney and Melbourne, and there was an introduction without success in Hawaii at the beginning of this century.

The species coexists in the same altitude with the Eastern Rosella in the southeast of Queensland.

Common in suitable habitat within its range.

The world's population is above the 100.000 specimens.

Moderate numbers in captivity.

Fully protected.

• Platycercus adscitus adscitus

  (Latham 1790) – The nominal




• Platycercus adscitus palliceps

  (Lear 1832) – Southeast of Queensland, to the South of the city of Innisfail, South to North of New South Wales (part-Eastern Australia) to the vicinity of the clarence river.

• Current category of the Red List of the UICN: Least concern

• Population Trend: Growing

The size of the world population It has not been quantified, It is estimated at around 100,000 specimens.

The species according to reports, It is abundant in much of their range (pit et to the. 1997).

They have benefited from the clearing of the forests and the development of fruit tree crops and agricultural fields.. But, an important limitation is that of its acquisition as a popular pet bird, marketed as Blue cheek parakeet. Each year, hundreds of birds are illegally captured in the wild.

common in Europe, not so much in the United States.

Active and moderately loud. Aggressive with other birds. A little susceptible to stress and disease.

– Pale-headed Rosella, Blue Rosella, Blue-cheeked Parakeet, Blue-cheeked Rosella, Mealy Parakeet, Mealy Rosella, Moreton Bay Parakeet, Moreton Bay Rosella, Pale headed Rosella, White-cheeked Rosella, White-headed Rosella (ingles).
– Perruche à tête pâle, Perruche palliceps (French).
– Blasskopfrosella (German).
– Rosela-pálida (Portuguese).
– Perico Pálido, Rosela de Cabeza Pálida (español).

– Order: Psittaciformes
– Family: Psittaculidae
– Genus: Platycercus
– Scientific name: Platycercus adscitus
– Citation: (Latham, 1790)
– Protonimo: Trained parrot

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«Pale Parakeet» (Platycercus adscitus)

Sources:

– Sounds: Judith Lattaway (Xeno-canto)

Content

28 cm.. length between 85 and 100 g. of weight.

The Northern Rosella (Platycercus venustus) they have a whitish beaks, black head, except the bottom of the cheeks and Chin that show a cream color. Their underparts feathers, lower back and rump, are pale yellow with black trim, giving these areas a look slightly flaky.

The curves of the wings are blue.

The subcaudales coverts are bright red. Nape, mantle and scapulars are black with broad yellow edges, forming an effect of shoulder straps. Blankets are black. The medium-sized coverts are bluish grey. The rest of the wing coverts are black with edges of yellow or blue grey. Deployed primaries are black. The Central tail feathers are verde-bronce while the outer feathers are dark blue with clear or white edges.

The females they are slightly smaller than the male, with the narrower peak.

The youth they are more turned off, with red markings on the head, and with more green and short tail feathers. Reaches it adult plumage in 12 months.

• Platycercus venustus hilli

  (Mathews 1910) – Adults are similar to the nominal species but with bottoms scalloped with a sweeping black and the bottom of the cheeks of violet blue colour.

• Platycercus venustus venustus

  (Kuhl 1820) – The nominal.

The Northern Rosella they are unusual or are irregularly distributed in the mixed forests of eucalyptus and Melaleuca. They are generally found in open areas along rivers but are absent in floodplains along major rivers.. They are also present in the monsoon forests bordering open forests. From time to time, the Northern Rosella visit mangroves, parks and gardens in the vicinity of Darwin.

The Northern Rosella they live in pairs or in small groups ranging between 6 and 8 specimens. You rarely see them in flocks. They are usually very cautious and discreet, except in national parks where they are accustomed to human presence. They are more arboreal than other parrots of the genus habits Rosella. Funny Parrots are difficult to observe, whether on land or hidden in the foliage in the trees. They are most active in the morning and at the end of the afternoon. They show great caution when they come to drink at water points. When moving, their flight is fast, but unpredictable and less undulating than most parakeets.

The nesting season extends from June to September, Sometimes a little earlier. The Northern Rosella install their nests in hole of a branch or the trunk of a tree cavity, generally in eucalyptus trees located a short distance from a stream. Implementation usually includes between 2 and 4 eggs that are incubated during 19 days. The female is solely in charge of incubation and is fed in the nest by her partner.. The chicks stay is relatively long and may last up to 7 weeks.

The Northern Rosella feed mainly on seeds of eucalyptus, acacia and Melaleuca Although they despise the of the blue cypress (Callitris intratropica). The seeds of green areas and nectar are also on their menu. The birds that live in the forests near the coast sometimes feed on the coast and along the banks of small streams.

Size of the area of distribution (reproduction / resident): 785.000 km2

Scattered through the coastal areas of the region of Kimberley, Western Australia, stretches of the North of the Northern Territory, and spreading over the border of Queensland at its eastern end.

The species is distributed from around Napier Ranges, in the Western region of Kimberley, to the East across the plateau of Kimberley and reaching the inside of Springvale. Next, crosses the border of the Northern Territory, extending with its southern limit along the victory river, inside, about Katherine, and along the McArthur river. It is also found throughout the nicholson river at the border of Queensland, and are distributed by a series of Islands on the coast including Koolan, Augusto, Coronation, Bathurst and Melville. Is occasionally in the suburbs of Darwin.

The species is generally rare throughout its range. The world's population is less of 50.000, and may that declining. A small number of captivity.

Fully protected by law.

• Platycercus venustus hilli

  (Mathews 1910) – Kimberley Land Division of Western Australia to the East of the victory river, Northwest of the Northern Territory

• Platycercus venustus venustus

  (Kuhl 1820) – The nominal.

• Current category of the Red List of the UICN: Least concern

• Population Trend: Stable

The Northern Rosella they have a very unequal distribution. At most, they can be considered locally common, but in any part of their range they are evaluated as abundant.

Despite the studies that have been carried out since the 19th century, it is not possible to discern if the numbers are increasing or decreasing. It is possible that its population has always been limited, given the difficulty of finding refuge during the dry season.

Its population, according to some sources, It is estimated at around 50.000 specimens.

Quite calm and shy. Incompatible con otras aves.

Not common in captivity, incluso en la avicultura de Australia

In terms of their longevity, una muestra, according to sources, lived 19,1 years in captivity

– Northern Rosella, Brown’s Parakeet, Brown’s Rosella, Smutty Parakeet, Smutty Parrot, Smutty Rosella, White-cheeked Rosella (ingles).
– Perruche gracieuse, Perruche de Brown (French).
– Brownsittich, Brown Sittich, Brown-Sittich, Schwarzkopfsittich (German).
– Rosela-do-norte (Portuguese).
– Perico Gracioso, Rosela del Norte (español).

– Order: Psittaciformes
– Family: Psittaculidae
– Genus: Platycercus
– Scientific name: Platycercus venustus
– Citation: (Kuhl, 1820)
– Protonimo: parrot charming

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«Funny Parakeet» (Platycercus venustus)

Sources: