In recent years, the popularity of the smaller Parrots, such as grass parakeets (Neophema) and Pyrrhura conures, has increased enormously, and Lovebirds and Cockatiels have just about retained their popularity.

The breeding of the larger, noisier Parrots has declined. This is partly due to the smaller size of gardens, and the closer proximity of neighbours. Building materials have increased greatly in price and aviaries for the bigger Parrots have become very expensive.

The proximity of neighbours to small gardens is an issue to consider when starting. Some of the smaller Parrots, such as Cockatiels and Sun Conures, have loud voices that will not be appreciated by non-bird keepers.

Grass Parakeets, Bourke’s Parakeets, Budgerigars (in small numbers), Lineolated Parakeets, Kakarikis, Lovebirds and Pyrrhura conures, such as the Green-cheeked, are perfect for many reasons, including quieter voices and prolificacy. They are hardy, with the exception of some Neophemas which require more sheltered and even slightly heated accommodation in the winter.

The most important piece of advice I can offer to someone starting is to buy young birds – and to buy from breeders. Also buy closed-ringed stock as the rings will have the year of hatching stamped on them and closed rings are the sign of a serious and reputable breeder. Plastic rings, which can be temporarily used to mark individuals, are useful for nothing else and might soon come off.

Serious breeders will have the young of monomorphic species (plumage alike in male and female) DNA sexed. If they are not ringed, their sex cannot be guaranteed as the ring number will be shown on the sexing certificate.

DNA sexing has been a giant step forward in parrot aviculture for more than 30 years. It is also extremely useful for breeders who are selling young stock of sexually dichromatic species (plumage differs in male and female) because they do not need to wait for young birds to moult into adult plumage before selling them.

In some Parrot species young birds resemble the female but they acquire male or female plumage at the first moult. The age at which this occurs varies among species from several weeks to a few months or even a couple of years after fledging.

Another piece of advice to the beginner is: start small. Three or four pairs are a suitable number. Also consider that primarily seed-eating species will be much easier to care for in your absence.

All the species mentioned can exist for a few days on seed, apple and some green-food if absolutely necessary, although their usual diet should be much more varied.

Breeders are always pleased, of course, when a pair rears a lot of young in one clutch. But should they be? With Rosellas, Pyrrhura Conures and Kakarikis, for example, large clutches can be laid. Is this good?

Not necessarily! We should be considering the effect on the female. Her calcium reserves might be depleted if the calcium percentage in the diet is not correct. This can lead to soft-shelled eggs, egg-binding and death. And consider the effect on the pair. It is hard work for them to rear more than about four young, in my opinion. They can be tired at the end of the breeding season, making them more susceptible to health problems during the winter.

This applies especially to the female who, in most species, is responsible for feeding the chicks while they are in the nest. The male usually takes over when they fledge. In the spring, advertisements stating “Wanted: female xxx” might appear, often because the female has died.

So how can we prevent pairs being stressed by rearing too many young? The easiest way is to replace some of the eggs with plastic ones of approximately the same size – or even infertile eggs, recently laid, from another pair.

My female Crimson-bellied Conure usually lays seven eggs in a clutch, occasionally eight. I do not want the pair to rear more than four young. In 2022 I made a mistake. She had eight eggs but I replaced only three with plastic ones.

All five young were reared but I was not entirely happy with the youngest. When she left the box she was quite nervous in the aviary and flew around wildly. Her siblings were so tame that they would perch on me. The youngest also took longer to wean – that is, she was fed by her father after fledging, much longer than the first four. As the weeks progressed, I noticed that she was sensitive to cold weather, and often looked a bit unhappy at lower temperatures, unlike the rest of the family. However, as she matured no signs of weakness are evident.

This story does not prove anything but it might make us think about the quality of the young we rear. In my opinion, it is far more important than the quantity.

The biggest disappointment for any breeder is finding chicks dead in the nest. It is unlikely that the breeder has not provided the pair with sufficient food or fed them infrequently. (With chicks, a pair needs to be fed at least three times daily.) 

Why do the youngest chicks often die? The answer is that newly hatched Parrot chicks cannot hold up their heads. The female will lift the head of a chick in order to feed it. In a cluster of older chicks, the urgent protests for food from its siblings will mean that the smallest is overlooked and not fed.

Even when they are a bit older, the youngest chick might not be able to compete successfully for food. Remember that parrakeet chicks in one clutch hatch over a period of several days or a week or more.

We can prevent seeing tiny dead chicks in the nest by limiting the number of eggs that can hatch to correspond with the number of chicks that can be reared. Remember too, that if the nest is not inspected daily, especially in warm weather, dead chicks could be a source of bacterial infection.

These days many people breed Parrots in cages in enclosed buildings. How different to the 19780s and 1990s when breeding Australian parakeets was enormously popular! The UK Parrot Society’s Breeding Registers of birds bred by members (some, not all) show that 1991, 1992 and 1993 were the years in which the highest total of birds bred by PS members were reported.

The majority of these were Australian and Ringnecked Parakeets and Cockatiels. One of the reasons why these were so popular was that the birds bred well and produced mutations. These parakeets, except the Neophemas, were often maintained in lengthy aviaries, with a minimum of 20ft (6m) flights, up to 30ft (9m). So much has changed since then! In the UK garden sizes have diminished greatly and many new-builds have gardens large enough only to hang out the washing.In my opinion, for birds like the larger Australian parakeets to be breeding fit, they need access to long outdoor flights all year round. And they need flying exercise. This is what my Crimson-bellied Conures have.

The outside flight of this small Brazilian species is only 15ft (4.5m long). This is just adequate for these very skilful flyers who use every part of the aviary. They chose to go outside every day in winter, regardless of the weather – unless it is very windy or very hot. They are shut inside every night.

Speaking of heat, newcomers to birdkeeping might imagine that parakeets enjoy sitting in the sun. This is true only of some species from desert areas. Those from rainforests actually dislike it and seek cover. So when designing a new aviary, please ensure that part of the roof is covered to provide shade. And plant trees around the aviaries, if possible.

Photographs by Rosemary Low