been similar to those reported by other breeders in the PS magazine recently. Having purchased robust well coloured unrelated young normal birds, they produced what were in my eyes at least, some of the least attractive birds I have ever seen, the words abnormal and mutant seeming to fit the bill precisely. It can only be hoped that a breeder with sufficient foresight will dedicate as much time and effort into retaining these charming and subtly coloured birds as others have spent on warping it into something resembling the first pink budgie.
BLUE WINGED GRASS PARAKEET (Neophema Chrysostoma) Having finally become reasonably widely available in the late 90s, the number of breeding pairs being kept seems to have crashed. Very occasionally young birds are offered up for sale, but almost always nest mates. This species would be an ideal subject for a serious breeder with a number of small flights.
ELEGANT GRASS PARAKEET (Neophema Elegans) Still fairly widely kept and bred, the Elegant has not as yet suffered the same fate as the Bourke’s, Turquoisine and Splendid. Breeding stock came from a broader genetic base and seemed less prone to throwing weak birds or those with abhorrent plumage colouration. The impact of the yellow pied mutation has though taken it’s toll, with many supposed normal birds throwing chicks with adhoc yellow markings.
ROCK GRASS PARAKEET (Neophema Petrophila) This parakeet, which is perhaps not well suited to aviculture, is to the best of my knowledge not being kept outside of Australia.
ORANGE BELLIED GRASS PARAKEET (Neophema Chrysogaster) A beautiful and endangered bird, a tiny number of Orange Bellied existed in German and Swiss collections in the late 80s and early 90s. To the best of my knowledge, none now exist in European aviculture.
TURQUOISINE GRASS PARAKEET (Neophema Pulchella) Bred in huge numbers each year, though over 99% are from the bewildering array of mutations now available. Normal birds are almost impossible to locate, this problem being compounded by the fact that many breeders of Grass Parakeets don’t actually know what a normal Turk looks like. I for one have expended several tanks full of petrol on wasted journeys. Sadly the number of breeding pairs of normal Turks in the UK can be counted on one hand, amazingly probably less than there are of Brown’s Rosellas! Saving these fantastic little parakeets, which have incidentally had a rollercoaster existence of extreme rarity and massive abundance in international aviculture, should be a priority.
42 BIRD SCENE
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