Bourke's Parakeet (Neopsephotus bourkii)

Overview

The Bourke's Parakeet (Neopsephotus bourkii) is a small, gentle, and exceptionally quiet Australian parakeet that is one of the best birds for apartments and peaceful homes. Soft brown with a delicate pink belly, it is calm, undemanding, and unusually placid for a parakeet, with a soft chirping voice rather than the harsh calls of many parrots. It is most active at dawn and dusk, and it suits keepers who want a serene cage or aviary bird rather than a loud, demanding companion.

Natural History & Origin

Wikipedia maps the wild range from south-western Queensland and western New South Wales through Central Australia to the far north of South Australia and parts of Western Australia. Its home is mulga and other acacia scrub, spinifex plains, native cypress and open eucalypt woodland, and it is nomadic, moving with water and food. It lives in pairs or small groups of about four to six, gathering in flocks of hundreds in drought, and feeds on the ground and in bushes on grass seed - most actively at dusk and dawn. The species is rated Least Concern by the IUCN.

Appearance

Adults weigh 40-49 g, length around 19-23 cm including the tail.

Colour varieties: the wild type is soft earthy brown above with a pink lower breast and belly, blue rump, and a touch of blue on the wings. Captive mutations are very popular, especially the rosy or pink form, in which much of the body is a soft rose-pink. Other mutations include rubino, lutino, cream, and fallow. Males usually show a blue band above the beak that females tend to lack.

Temperament & Noise

Calm, gentle, and peaceful. Bourke's parakeets are among the quietest of all parakeets - their soft chirps and warbles are gentle and very apartment-friendly, with none of the screeching of larger parrots. They are placid and rarely aggressive, and they become noticeably more active and vocal at dawn and dusk.

Hand-raised Bourke's parakeets can become tame and trusting, though many are kept as gentle aviary birds that prefer to perch near their people rather than be handled extensively. They are calm by nature but can be flighty if startled, so unhurried movements keep them relaxed.

Housing & Flight

Minimum cage: a long flight cage, about 90 cm or more for a pair, and an aviary if you can give one. Length counts for more than height for a bird that flies in short, swift dashes.

Wikipedia notes that Bourke's parakeets do not climb the way most parrots do - they hop or fly to reach a higher perch. Set it up for that:

• Perches at a few heights, spaced so a short hop or flight reaches the next one, with a clear flight path between the ends.
• Open floor or a low tray for seed, since they feed on the ground.
• A cuttlebone, fine grit and a shallow bath.
• A dim night light: they are still moving about at dusk.

Diet

• Quality small parakeet or budgie seed mix as a base, including millets and canary seed.
• Some pellets or soft food to broaden nutrition.
• Daily fresh greens in small amounts, plus sprouted seed.
• Cuttlebone and fine grit for calcium and digestion.
• Fresh water daily, plus a bathing dish.

Avoid: avocado (toxic to all birds), chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, onion, salt.

Health & Lifespan

10-15 years (some live longer with excellent care).

Common concerns:

• Egg binding in females, especially with frequent laying.
• Worms and other internal parasites - ground-foraging birds are prone to these.
• Injury from panic (night fright) - startled birds may flush and hit cage bars in the dark.
• Respiratory infections - sensitive to fumes (Teflon, aerosols, smoking).
• Obesity from an all-seed diet with too little flight.
• Nutritional deficiencies from an all-seed diet.

Find an avian or exotics vet experienced with parakeets before acquisition.

Social Needs

In the wild they live in pairs or small groups, and in an aviary a pair is the natural unit. Wikipedia describes the species as monogamous, with males territorial while nesting, so give each breeding pair its own flight. Their quiet, passive temperament lets them share an aviary with finches, doves and other small parakeets (Wikipedia) - never with bigger or pushier parrots.

Training & Enrichment

They rarely learn to talk (Wikipedia), and most are kept to be watched rather than handled. Enrichment for this species means room to fly, seed scattered on the floor to forage for, a bath, and the company of a mate. Expect the liveliest hour at dusk: that is when they feed, fly and call their soft "chu-vee" - a good time to sit nearby.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Small, gentle, and peaceful.
• Exceptionally quiet - excellent for apartments.
• Easy to feed and undemanding.
• Soft, pleasant chirping voice.

Cons:

• Not primarily a hands-on handling pet.
• Flighty and prone to night fright.
• Females prone to egg binding.
• Best kept in pairs, needing more space.

Best Suited For

• Keepers who want a quiet bird to watch, especially in the evening.
• Flats and shared walls: the call is a soft twitter (Wikipedia).
• Mixed aviaries of finches, doves and small parakeets.

Not suited for homes with non-stick cookware in active use (Teflon fumes can kill birds quickly), smokers in the same room, or anyone who wants a talking, climbing, hands-on parrot.