Bourke's Parrot 12-Jan-10

This blog post is in memory of Phoebe, my friend's Bourke's parakeet (the bird on the left in the above picture), who flew from her cage yesterday afternoon, and up over the rooftops, through the trees, and on to 'other places'.  We looked for her until it got dark and heard and saw nothing.  Phoebe was Io's mate.  Io is the male and on the right in this picture.  They had a good life together and a loving 'mom'.  Io will miss his precious Phoebe, as will my friend and I.

In the wild:  Bourke's parakeets are found in the interior of central and southern Australia, in drier inland areas.  This species has declined in C New South Wales due to overgrazing by domestic animals, but may be on the increase in the west owing to the abundance of water made possible by irrigation for agriculture.  In the wild it is nomadic; it will arrive in an area and remain there for a few years before disappearing completely. Up to a thousand birds may be seen at watering holes during dry spells. They are rapid fliers, travelling low through scrub to visit watering areas. They are quiet and shy while resting in pairs or flocks in vegetation.  They eat grass seeds and shoots of young plants.


As pets:   Bourke's parakeets are extremely gentle birds, and are quiet and affectionate.   They have a soft, pleasant voice, and are not nervous or excitable birds.  They love to fly around their aviary or room making pleasant twittering sounds.  I will miss Phoebe immensely!  Of course there is always the chance that she will be found and returned.  We can hope!