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The Regent Parrot

(Polytelis anthopeplus)

General:

The Regent parrot, also known as the smoker and rock pebbler is a member of the Polytelis family that also includes the Princess and Superb parrots. The Regent parrot is found in northwest Victoria and southwest New South Wales and into S.A. It is also found in Southern WA. The Western Australian parrots are usually greener and sold under the name of Green Regents. They are the largest Polytelis and are much stockier than the rest of the family. The males are usually bright yellow or Yellow/Green with bright red feathers in their wings surrounded by black feathers in the wings and tail. The females are much greener especially around the head area, immature birds resemble the female. They are about 39cm long. Their habitat in the wild is River Red gum and Black Box woodlands near farming areas. They are usually found in small groups or pairs.

Housing:

I used to keep my birds in a 3 x 2.4 x 1.8m aviary. I decided that this did not allow as much flying space as they needed so I moved them into a 4.5 x 1.35 x 2.1m next to my Princess parrots. These birds are very active and fly up and down all the time so the extra room is good. The floor is just dirt with a thick covering of eucalypt mulch. I have PVC pipe pieces I the corners that are filled with Gum branches as well as wattle and grevillia branches. They love chewing these and eating any buds or flowers.

Feeding:

I feed my Regents plain parrot mix with added Grey sunflower. I also provide a couple of apples every week for them which they love. They also eat other greens such as spinach, seeded grass and thistles. Cuttlebone and grit must be provided.

Nesting:

I use a box that is 60cm deep and 37cm square. It has an entrance hole around 14cm in diameter. I attached a piece of hollowed out log on the front to act as a longer entrance. The box has a thick layer of sawdust in it as well as some moss.

Conclusion:

Regents are a nice aviary bird but I would not keep them with other birds. I have had them with smaller birds and they pushed them around a bit. They make good hand-tamed pets and are hardy as it gets pretty cold here in Victoria.

By Jeremy Reiger

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