Derbyan Parakeet

   There is currently only one recognized species of the Derbyan Parakeet, Psittacula derbiana. The Chinese Derbyan Parakeet Psittacula derbiana chinensis is officially unknown as a subspecies, but has been suggested in 2001 as being similar to the Derbyan Parakeet but slightly smaller. It is also described as having a duller violet-blue head, a duller red beak, and a more grayish breast and abdomen. Also under the wings and parts of the thighs are described as being a grayish-brown.

Distribution:
   The Derbyan Parakeet is found in northeast Assam, southeast Tibet, and western China in the provinces of Szechwan and Yunnan. They are mountainous birds living in forests of pine and oak as well as rhododendron alpine forests. This region is seldom visited by ornithologists so little is known about their habits.

Description:
   The Derbyan Parakeet has a general green plumage that gets paler on the nape and middle of the wings. They have black on their lores and lower cheeks, with a bright blue on their forecrown moving into a blue-violet on the rest of the head. The throat, under parts, and under the wings are a lavender-purple and the thighs and vent area are green with touches of blue on some of the feather edges. The central feathers of the tail are blue tinged with green near the base, and the outer feathers are green edged with blue. The upper beak on the male is red with a yellowish tip and the lower mandible is black, while the females beak is all black. The eye is a yellowish-white and the legs are a greenish-gray. The Derbyan Parakeet is a pretty large parakeet getting up to about 20" (50 cm).
   The female is distinguished not only by the all black beak, but she does not have the blue on the forecrown. She can also be distinguished by a brownish-pink band behind the ear coverts.
   The young are duller in color and have a green head with no blues. The beak is an orangish-red and the eyes are dark. They will reach their adult coloring at maturity, about two years of age.

Care and Feeding:
   Fresh food and water must be provided daily.
   In the wild the Derbyan Parakeet eats a variety of seeds, fruits, berries, and leaf buds. They do like to feed on the ground. Their diet consists of a good seed mixture supplemented with sprouted seed, various fruits, and green foods. In addition to these foods, you can offer them vegetables and commercial pellets.
   See About Parakeets: Care and Feeding for more detailed information.

Housing:
   A roomy cage is required, and time out of the cage for exercise and flying is very important for them. They will also do very well in an aviary.
   See About Parakeets: Housing for more extensive housing information.

Maintenance:
   The basic cage care includes daily cleaning of the water and food dishes. Weekly you should wash all the perches and dirty toys, and the floor should be washed about every other week. A total hosing down and disinfecting of an aviary should be done yearly, replacing anything that needs to be freshened, such as old dishes, toys and perches.

Social Behaviors:
   In the wild, the Derbyan Parakeets live in small flocks of up to 50 birds and are very social. They do seem to prefer birds as companions and can seem rather aloof, shying away from human handling. They have a generally peaceful personality and make excellent aviary birds.

Handling/Training:
   They are rather shy with people, but with good socialization when they are young and regular handling after that, they become very good pets. They are extremely intelligent and can be excellent talkers.
   See About Parakeets: Handling and Training for detailed information.
  
Activities:
   Parakeets are very energetic birds! Besides flying, which is important for all parakeets, these birds love to chew! Though considered more placid than many parakeets, the Derbyan Parakeet is still very active and can be very destructive. Being a very intelligent bird it needs lots of stimulation to help prevent boredom. Make sure to give your pet regular time out of its cage and lots of assorted toys and wood chews, perches and swings.  

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The Derbyan Parakeets reach maturity at about two years of age. They will readily breed in captivity and are excellent parents. In the wild they build their nests in the holes in trees. The female will lay an average of four eggs. The young hatch in about 23 days and leave the nest in about 50 days.
   See About Parakeets: Breeding and Reproduction for more information.

Potential Problems:
   Though the Derbyan Parakeet is a healthy and hardy bird, they do forage for food on the ground. This can make them more susceptible to intestinal worms and fungal infections. These can be averted by keeping the cage or aviary well maintained and clean.
   Because of their frequent contact with the ground where they like to pick up seed, you may also want to talk to an avian veterinarian about a regular de-worming schedule. With a proper environment and a good balanced diet, they are very hardy and resistant to disease.
   See About Parakeets: Potential Problems for more information.

Availability:
   Derbyan Parakeets are occasionally available at pet stores or from breeders.