Derbyan Parakeet: Breeding, Feeding, Cage and Nest Box

Written by: David Dennison

August 25, 2024

Updated on August 26, 2024

AviculturistDavid Dennison

Aviculturist and past publisher, Senior Editor at Avizandum magazine. Dennison Publishing CC

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Expertises: Aviculture

The Derbyan Parakeet, Psittacula derbiana – also know as Lord Derby’s parakeet

Derbyan Parakeet Description:

The Derbyan Parakeet looks like a giant Moustache Parakeet, but the colour distribution is not quite the same. In the males the lower mandible is black and the upper mandible is red, while in the female both mandibles are black. A dense black “moustache” runs from the lower mandible straight back to below the ear. Another thin black line runs from the nostrils (cere) straight back to the eye.

The breast of the male from the throat to the lower abdomen is grey-mauve colour. The female colours are slightly less bright than the cock and she has a pink collar separating the black moustache from the colour of the chest. From the throat to the lower abdomen the female is light pinkish-grey.

The head is grey-blue and the nape of the neck is bright green for both sexes. The back and wings are green with greenish-yellow patches on the shoulders.

Although these birds are the largest parakeets (they weigh on an average 320g against an Alexanderine parakeet 250g according to Rosemary Low) at 50cm overall length they are not the longest (an Alexanderine ^[1]parakeet is on average 10cm longer). Although I didn’t weigh them, I did notice that my Derbyans were heavier than the Alexanderines.

Distribution:

In the wild, their distribution is not as extensive as some of the other psittacula family like the Indian ringneck, plum-headed parakeet and Moustache parakeets. They are found in northern Assam, Southern Tibet and north-western China. As these areas are at high altitudes, the temperatures are low with snow in winter.

The altitude at which they are found ranges from approximately 2200m to 3800m above sea level. This makes these birds hardly too cold and therefore very suitable for our highveld where the winters regularly have frost. However, we must appreciate that they could be stressed by the very high summer temperatures, although in KwaZulu-Natal they did not seem to be bothered by the summer temperatures.

Derbyan Parakeet in Aviculture:

Lately, I have found these birds to be very scarce in South African collections. This is a pity as they are beautiful birds and over the years have always retained a good selling price. When we were breeding them, we found that the clutches were three to four eggs and invariably three to four chicks were raised by the parents. This makes them a perfect addition to a collection of parrots and parakeets, for once they begin breeding, they contribute to the income necessary to maintain a mixed collection of hookbills. Some disadvantages are that they have a loud call and could disturb neighbours and they need strong aviaries as they have a strong bill and enjoy chewing.

Breeding:

In our experience, these birds mature slowly and do not begin breeding until their fourth year. Because of their size, they need a good-sized aviary whether a suspended aviary or a conventional aviary. A reasonable size would be 3,6m x 0.9 x 0.9 m (or 2m high if a conventional aviary), to 4.2m x 1.2m x1.2 m (or 2m high if conventional). We use the same nest boxes for them that we use for our African Grey ie. 80cm x 30cm x 30cm.

Their beaks are very strong making them good at chewing perches and nest boxes, so we line the vertical sides of the nest boxes inside with welded mesh wire. We do not line the bottom in case the birds scratch the shaving away and crack the eggs on the welded mesh lining. We do give them a very thick layer of pine shavings in the nest which they then chew into a fine “sawdust”. This prevents them from reaching the bottom of the nest box and chewing the bottom out.

Feeding:

We found these birds not difficult or demanding to feed. We used our standard parrot soft food^[2] with dry sunflower and white millet^[3]. Another suggestion would be soaked and sprouted ^[4]sunflower, sorghum, and Japanese millet. Our standard parrot soft food consists of 50% yellow maize and 50% various peas boiled until just soft. However, there are a variety of suitable cooking mixes on the market. Just make sure that they contain sufficient peas and beans ^[5]to provide protein.

Make sure that you provide sufficient chopped vegetables and fruit. The natural fibres and enzymes they contain are beneficial for the birds’ digestive tract. We also believe that fruit and vegetables encourage the birds to eat soft food. They appear to enjoy the texture and flavours of the chopped fruit and vegetables.

Recently there has been a swing to feeding pellets ^[6]instead of the cooking mix. This is much more convenient than having to prepare a cooking mix and it already contains all the supplements needed. The pellets save a lot of time and labour but depending on the quantities you buy; they may be more expensive to buy than the cooking mix. Any saving would be the saving on time and the cost of labour.

Conclusion:

If you don’t have The Derbyan Parakeets in your Psittacula collection, give them some consideration. They can be a worthwhile addition to your collection and the diet is the same making feeding easy. The breeding season is also the same which simplifies the management of the collection during the breeding season.

By David Dennison

Derbyan Parakeet Info-table

AviculturistDavid Dennison

Aviculturist and past publisher, Senior Editor at Avizandum magazine. Dennison Publishing CC

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Expertises: Aviculture