Princess of Wales Parakeet

Habitat

Sandy deserts and open scrubland.

Wild Diet

Seeds of grasses and herbaceous plants, fruit, berries, blossoms and insects when available.

Behaviour

This parrot is rare and shy, living a nomadic life, searching for flowering acacias to feed on. The male and female parrots look very similar with the female slightly duller in colour. The male bird goes through an elaborate ritual to attract the female.

Breeding

Princess of Wales parakeets normally nest between September and December. Small groups often form nesting colonies in the same tree. The female lays 4-6 rounded, whitish eggs in holes on the forks of large eucalypt or casuarina trees. Incubation takes about 21 days and it is only the female that sits on the eggs. Unfortunately the females tend to be clumsy and many eggs are broken when the bird enters or leaves the nest.

Threats

Trapping for the pet trade and hunting.

Conservation

Protected by law.