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Mayr's Red Flanked Lorikeet
(Charmosyna placentis ornata) by John Robinson
Taxonomy/Origins: The Mayr's Red Flanked Lorikeet is fromWestern Papua Islands and live in primary and secondary forest, forest edges partially cleared areas, coconut plantations and sometimes in gardens and villages.
Subspecies: There are 5 sub-species, of which the nominate race is the (1) Red Flanked Lorikeet (Charmosyna placentis placentis) the sub-species are; Plumage Colouration: The colour of the nominate race of the Cock Red Flanked Lorikeet is generally green with forehead and front of crown yellowy green. Lores cheeks, chin and sides of breast red. Ear coverts and rump violet. tail green with red to yellow tips. eyes orange with a black iris. legs pinky red. beak reddish to pink. Sexing: See above. Feeding: Feeding is very simple for these exquisite little lorikeets. The mix i use is 1 scoop of Wysoy baby food to 2 scoops of Glucose powder mixed into 1/2 litre of water. I do not give fruit at any time, but this is only because i cage breed my lorikeets and they splatter the fruit over the backs of the cages. When Red Flanks eggs are about to hatch I give an extra scoop of Wysoy baby food for extra nutrition to the chick. Housing: Red Flanks are best housed in aviaries or triple breeders. The aviaries do not need to be too large as they tend to climb around the aviary rather than fly. They must have heat in the winter and must not be allowed to go below 60 deg. Breeding: I breed my Red Flanks in triple breeding cages and have newspaper on the floor to soak up their liquid droppings. They will make use of an ordinary budgie type nest box with a little wood shavings in the bottom. In this they will lay two eggs and both sexes share the incubation for 21 to 23 days. Chicks leave the nest a further 5-6 weeks later and can be left with the parents for another 4 weeks. The nesting material becomes saturated with their liquid droppings and i tried changing it for drier shavings, only to find that the parents deserted the chicks and they both perished. So now i dont touch the nesting material and they have been fine and seem quite comfortable in their damp enviroment. They are able to breed at about 12 months old, but although they will mate and lay eggs they are too young to know what to do them. Therefore i would not let the attempt to breed until they are at least 18 months old. Hints/tips: A good tip when trying to breed these birds is when you install the nest box make sure that you drill plenty of small holes in the bottom. This enables the liquid droppings to seap out. Unique Characteristics: They are not suitable for the beginner, only because of the fact that there are not many of them being bred in the country. I am lucky. I have bred 3 so far in the last 2 years and have lost many chicks, so as you can see they are a bird for the most dedicated of bird breeders because they really test your patience when breeding. I have two friends whom i got unrelated pairs to and we are going to try and breed these beauties to second and third generations and if lucky attempt to get a first ever colour mutation. Awards: The Original Red flanked Lorikeets that I breed with are very good show birds, especially the cock bird. It is very rarelr beaten in the Parrotlike section and has gaine many best in show awards for me, some even when they have had a chick in the nest. This though i would not recommend unless you really know your birds!!! Extra: These are a beautiful Lorikeet well worth the attention of British breeders and one which I personally will ensure stays in British aviculture for many years to come. If you are thinking about buying some of these birds please make sure you can cater for there messy and energetic lifestyles. But if you do, I am sure you will always have some of these beautiful birds. Feel free to get in touch for more information by; |
