English Name

Lineolated Parakeet

Spanish Name

Perico Barrado

Latin Name

Bolborhynchus lineola

Origins

Sexing

One of the two most visible differences is the size of the black area at the end of the tail feathers. Females have for sure less black. The other very visible different is the size of the black area on the shoulders. Females have also less black there. Dimorphism is not huge.

Males

Not so long body, very small tail. Roundish head. Small horn coloured beak. Eyes : large and brown.

Forehead : yellowish green.

Shoulders : black area.

Tail : short and triangular shape.
Tail feathers :
dark green with a black ending.

Females

Around the eye : feathers start very close to the eyes' edge. Very little skin apparent.

Black hedges of the feathers, specially on the shoulders.
The female is on the foreground.

Tail wings ending on a black area
which is smaller than males', and sometimes inexistent.

Size

15 – 16 centimetres / 6 – 7 inches.

Weight

55 grams.

Rings

Character

- The character of these parakeets is extraordinary, does not become stressed from the changes, but indeed in little time they adapt to new situations. They tend to be quite timid quickly looses every fear becoming confident with the breeder.

- Really calm birds, Lineos are peaceful, non-destructive birds. Although being parakeets, Lineos behave in a way which resembles mostly to parrots. Thus, they very often use their feet to grab food to eat or toys to play with. Furthermore, during moments of great excitement, it is possible to observe their eyes blinking, which is typical of large parrots.

- As Lineos are not aggressive, it is not advisable to make them share an aviary with aggressive species. Lineos would probably not defend themselves and be wounded or even killed. Lineos use their beak to eat and to hold on objects, not to bite. An aviary with wood structure is perfectly possible for these birds. Excellent acrobats, Lineos only fly when they have to.

 - These parakeets have chewing and bathing needs but love to be sprayed with a water bottle. Tame lineolateds frequently hang upside down from their perch, spreading every feather on their bodies for maximum drenching, when being squirted from a water bottle.

- It has the advantage of having a parrot-like personality in a small package. They are not destructive, have a quiet voice, and when hand-fed make delightful pets and good talkers.

- Lineolateds are hardy birds. Not overly active, they do not require a big aviary or flight cage. Pairs are happiest housed in a secluded, location.

- These parrots are not big flyers; they prefer climbing to their bowls, or running across the cage bottom. Even when chased with a net, they like to just "drop off" the perch and cling to the wire. When perched or resting, Lineolateds adopt a funny posture: they either sit in a horizontal position, or rest with their tails pointing up, and their heads leaning down.

Feeding

Mixture of seeds for small parakeets with little small sunflower and more canary seeds.

Fruit and vegetables (carrot, pear, apple, maize, corn on the cob, green seedless grapes, lettuce, broccoli)

Oat groats (once a week)

Wheat bread, cooked bean mix and egg food.

Spray Millet.

Cuttlefish bone (or blocks of mineral), grit and fresh water always to disposition.

Breeding Cages

- Breeding in little cages 50 x 40 x 40 cm.

-To avoid that the subjects fatten too much it's better to lodge them in cages at least 70x 40x40

- Breeding cages are 18"x18"x24" solid all around with mesh on the front only.

- 80x50x100 cm.

Nest

Width

30 centimetres / 10 inch (can be 6 inch)

Depth

20 centimetres / 8 inch (can be 6 inch)

Height

20 centimetres / 8 inch

Hole Diameter

6 centimetres / 2 inch

Nesting Material

- Place about 3" of pine wood shavings on the bottom and this seems to work well

- At first I used coconut fibre and they really liked it to weave a nest. They will weave a nest in a stand up circle at the back of the box and if given enough material will actually build a tunnel type nest. The problem with fibre is that it will tangle in there claws and will pull out of the box when they leave, and can pull the babies as well if they get entangled.

- As babies tend to crawl away and chill. The bottom of the box should be lined with two inches of pine shavings with a handful of coco fibres added to the top. The fibres will be used to build a round, cocoon-type nest within the box.

Breeding Period

The main reproduction begins in spring but, if it is lodged in a heated and well illuminates room, in order to at least 14 hours light a day, they will breed all year.

Eggs

They place from 4 to 6 eggs, intervals between 24 and 48 hours and begin to incubate from the second egg.

Incubating

Female broods mostly. The male will also help feed the young.

Incubation

21 - 24 days / 18 – 20 days

Fledging

5 – 7 Weeks.

Batches

- Up to three batches per year are possible but make sure you check the hen to see that she is still in good condition and not stressing. Another round is not worth it at the expense of a good hen.

- Though the Lineolated can produce several clutches a year, they are not the most reliable breeders. They may lay 3-5 eggs, and raise 2-3 chicks successfully, and then just raise one baby the clutch thereafter.

- Foster parents (Bourke parakeets) and hand feeding will greatly help increase production.

Lifespan

10 years.

Breeding Life

6 years

Sexual Maturity

5 – 6 Months / 8 months

Recommended 1 year.

Aviaries

Minimum size for an aviary for maximum six birds : 0.85m x 0.55m x 1.5 m.

Temperatures

They resist to minimal temperatures of 5°C, if they have the possibility to shelter in a nest but they live better in little heated rooms during the winter.

Health Problems

Observations

Colour Mutations

Blue

The blue mutation is fascinating and spectacular. The blue coloration differs between subjects and goes from a soft blue until the blue sky.

Lutino

The Lutino mutation is very beautiful, the only difficulty is to recognize the sex of birds having disappeared all black markings. The gradations of yellow indicate the origin of the subject. The subjects yellow-gilded come from olive spilt lutino. The Lutino Lineolated is a sex-linked mutation. Most lutinos are large, robust birds, so this is not a weak mutation.

Dark Green

It's the first mutation found in the lineolated parakeets and probably is due to one subspecies. The green is more intense and less luminous that in the ancestral.

Olive Green

Cobalt

It's the combination of the blue mutation and dark green. The subjects are of a more intense blue colour called exactly cobalt.

Slate

It's the combination of blue and olive green mutations.

Cremino

In the lineolate the albino mutation does not exist, in how much the subjects also losing all the melamine conserve a sure charge of carotenoids. The result is a yellow clearly with the red eyes mutation.