Blackhead Rosella

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Blackhead Rosella (Platycercus venustus)

Squad	Parrot-like
Family	Parrots
Kind	Rosella

APPEARANCE

An average parakeet with a body length of up to 28 cm and a weight of up to 100 g. The body, like all rosella, is downed, its head is small, its beak is large. The color is quite variegated - the head, nape and back are brown-black with yellow fringes of some feathers. Cheeks are white with a blue edging below. Chest, abdomen, and tartar are yellowish. The feathers around the cesspool and undertail are scarlet. The shoulders, contour feathers of the wings and tail are blue. In females, the color is paler and a brownish shade on the head predominates. Males usually have a more massive beak and are larger in size. The view includes 2 subspecies that differ from each other by coloring elements.

With proper care, life expectancy is about 10 to 12 years.

Habitat and Life in Nature

Black-headed rosella inhabit northern Australia and are endemic. Also, the species is found in western Australia. They are found at an altitude of 500 - 600 m above sea level in the savannah, along the banks of rivers, at the edges, along roads, as well as in highlands. They can live next to human buildings.

Usually they are not noisy, timid, it is rather difficult to meet them, birds keep in small flocks of up to 15 individuals. They can be adjacent to other types of rosella. This type of rosella rarely descends from trees, they spend the bulk of their lives in crowns.

The population of this species is numerous and stable.

The diet consists of plant foods - seeds, buds, plant flowers, nectar and acacia seeds, eucalyptus trees. Sometimes insects are included in the diet.

Propagation

The nesting season falls on May - September. For reproduction, a hollow is usually chosen in eucalyptus trees. The female lays 2–4 white eggs in the nest and incubates them herself. The incubation period lasts about 20 days. Chicks leave the nest at the age of 4 - 5 weeks, however, several weeks after the parents feed them. Young animals can stay with their parents throughout the year.