10
| PET GAZETTE | AVIAN
THE GOLDEN
MANTLED ROSELLA
John Courteney-Smith MRSB examines
the colourful and comical Australian species
O
ver the past couple of
years, we have looked at
many species of bird that
can be maintained within
the home as a pet or in
larger fl ights within the
birdroom or garden. Each species has its own
merits and challenges, and each remains as
wonderful as the next.
Bird keeping, when conducted correctly is
a wonderfully fulfi lling hobby, putting keepers
back in touch with nature and providing
a source of much welcome company for
humans from all walks of life. There really
is a species that can fulfi l every need and
ability. In this issue is would like to explore the
merits of one of the larger true Parakeets, that
being the Golden Mantled Rosella Platycercus
eximius (GMR for short in the hobby). The
Golden Mantled Rosella is a large, plump
but very highly coloured Parakeet originating
from south east Australia. This one member
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of a wider group of Rosellas that occur over
Australia, many of which are fairly common
and affordable in aviculture. Being an
Australian bird and with the ban of exports of
live birds from Australia since the 1960s, we
can be very sure that every bird will be long
term captive bred. Indeed, locating young stock
is never really an issue, this is a species that
is frequently bred given the correct conditions.
The bird itself in prime condition will reach a
total length of 12-14” and has a reasonable
life expectancy of 15-20+ years if cared for
correctly. They do have a tendency to glut
feed on seeds, when coupled with reduced
enclosure sizes can lead to problematic
obesity which will greatly reduce the lifespan
and breeding capabilities of the bird in terms of
copulation. As always, sunfl ower seed intake
should be maintained as being low.
The Golden Mantled Rosella sports a military
redhead with glossy white cheek patches
below the eye and under the lower mandible.
This red then graduates downwards over
the breast where a striking golden yellow
becomes predominant. This yellow follows
up over the tops of the wings and the rump
being interspersed with jet black droplets
over the back (the mantel). There is a fl ash of
electric blue over the front edge of the wings,
an orange/red lower vent and aquamarine
to electric blue tail. It must also be pointed out
that there is a very large and loyal following
with regard to the propagation of colour
mutations in this whole group. Personally, I
fi nd the wild type to be the most attractive, but
each to their own. This bird is still plentiful in the
wild and remains abundant over a wide and
diverse area, it is clear that they are more than
able to adapt and survive. However, drought
and habitat/nest site destruction remain a risk
as does the introduction of non-native species
such as the domestic cat.
It is quite clear that this is a larger bird
and as such will deserve and benefi t from
December 2018