Stella's Lorikeet, Filled with Nectar Twice a Day

gus and spoilage. Dishes are washed and Stella's Lorikeet, filled with nectar twice a day. The aviaries are completely cleaned with a WhataBird! by Carl and Donna McCullough power washer every two weeks and spot Spring Valley, CA cleaned as often as needed. The female Stella's lays her first egg ittle orange feet run back and The genus for Stella's Lorikeet is about a week after copulation. The Lforth behind the closed off doors. Charmosyna and there are four sub second egg is laid three days later. Some of the birds greet us with a soft species, Charmosyna papou papou, Incubation is 24 days and both parents call, others hang impatiently from the Charmosyna papou stellae, Charmosyna take turns incubating the white eggs. We top of their cages; but all are magnifi papou goliathina, and Charmosyna allow our pairs to parent raise all their cent in their brilliant plumage as they papou wahnesi. Except for the wah young and do no handfeeding! Red eagerly await the morning food dish. nesi the differences are slight. The Stella's chicks are pink with white These striking and affectionate birds from wahnesi has a broad band of yellow down and melanistic chicks are a the mountain forests of Papua New across its breast. We have both stellae brownish pink with gray down. This first Guinea, are often called Stella's Lorikeets. and goliathina. down lasts for about two weeks and is The first time we 'saw a Stella's In their native habitat Stella's Lorikeets replaced by a very thick dark gray Lorikeet was at the San Diego Zoo. eat pollen, nectar, fruits and insects. We down. At about three weeks of age The zoo had a walk through aviary feed our Stella's a liquid nectar that we feathers start to appear on the head and the size of a football field, 50 ft. high, make each morning. The basics of our chest. Wmg and tail feathers appear next. and full oftropical birds. There were bell diet consists of cooked carrots, papaya, The last feathers to appear are the back birds, leafbirds, tanagers, fruit doves, and apples, sugar, fresh wheat germ, rice, oat feathers at seven weeks. This is when a small red parrot. It had bright green meal, pancake mix (no lard), vitamins the sexual dimorphism becomes appar wings, orange beak and legs, a flashing and protein powder. We also use man ent The chicks fledge at eight weeks and yellow back, a blue crown, black gos, nectarines, peaches and pears are completely self-feeding within two abdomen and thighs, and two yellow when available. weeks. The females are sexually mature slender tail feathers twelve inches long. Our aviaries are the raised California at two years and the males at three years. To our delight this bird was tame. It land type; 3 ft. high, 18-in. wide, 6 ft. long. Both continue to grow for the first five ed on Carl's outstretched hand but They are in a 1,000 square foot, climate years. would not let him pet it. We were mes controlled building. The building has Stella's Lorikeets are the most play merized by this exquisite creature for a heating, air-conditioning, and a misting ful during their first two years oflife. They few minute and then it flew off to parts system. The roof is fiberglass. We cover play by grabbing each others' feet and unknown. This lovely bird was a hand it with light shade-doth in the winter and tumbling about on the bottom of the raised female red Stella's Lorikeet. That a heavy shade-cloth in the summer. cage. While rolling around they bite each chance encounter led us to acquire There are hanging plants throughout the other playfully until one hollers and then our first pair. With trades and careful building. they separate. Sometimes one of the birds breeding management we now have 11 The box that our Stella's use has will roll on its back and wait for its part breeding pairs and have successfully three components: a log, a long ramp ner to jump on and a new wrestling raised 60 healthy chicks. and a nesting chamber. The log is oak, match begins. The long tail feathers are Stella's Lorikeets come in two color with a diameter of about 12 in. and 18 usually broken for the first year because phases, red and dark purple. The dark in. long. The log is split in half with a of the rough play. purple phase is called melanistic. 2 9/16 in. hole drilled in the top half. A common problem for young Stella's Melanistic Stella's are commonly referred About 3 in. below the hole is a perch. Lorikeets is having their tongues bitten to as "blacks." However, when seen in The log is attached to the inside of by their adult neighbors. Our aviaries sunlight they are actually dark purple the back of the aviary and wire is are doubled wired with two inches birds with green wings, blue crowns, removed where the hole is drilled. To between the cages. If a bird gets its black abdomens and thighs, blue rumps the back ofthe log and aviary is attached tongue bitten, we clean out its mouth and long green tail feathers. a 8 in. square tube set at a forty five with a cotton swab dipped in hydrogen Stella's Lorikeets are sexually dimor degree angle leading to a nesting cham peroxide. Usually the bird can eat again phic. Red females have yellow backs ber. The nesting chamber is 8 in. wide, within a few hours. while the backs ofmelanistic females are 12 in. long, and 12 in. high. It has a flip Since we received our first pair of green. Both red and melanistic males top lid for easy cleaning and inspection Stella's Lorikeets in 1987, we have fall have red backs. Sexual dimorphism is twice a week. The ramp and nesting en in love with this spedes for many rea apparent at about seven weeks after chamber are both made of cedar to keep sons. They are beautiful, affectionate, hatching. Except for dark colored beaks feather mites to a minimum. The nest playful and intelligent. Most Stella's and feet there is no juvenile coloration. ing chamber contains about two inch enjoy interacting with people. Although In our experience, the melanistic es of pine shavings. we now care for many of these birds, phase is the dominant gene for color. Cleanliness is the most important we still enjoy the reaction of some We have melanistic and mixed pairs that factor in breeding lorikeets. The blender one who has never seen a Stella's produce both melanistic and red chicks. must be disassembled and washed Lorikeet before. Most people fall in Our red pairs only produce red chicks. daily. All produce must be thoroughly love with these birds the same way we We have yet to see an exception. cleaned and checked for signs of fun- did many years ago. ,. 1H September/October 1995.

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