Scientific Facts
| Common Name: | Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot |
| Scientific Name: | Loriculus galgulus |
| Life Span: | 15-25 years |
| Size: | 4-5 inches |
| Habitat: | Mangroves and wooded areas |
| Country of Origin: | Southern Asia |
Overview
The Blue Crowned Hanging Parrot is not in every corner, but these are popular and prized pets in aviculture. They are unique in many ways. They are docile and shy pets. They are sought as pets because they are cute and have a peculiar look, fun behavior, and energetic. On the bird market, these birds are rare, making them sought as pets.
Physical Description
These parrots particularly are small birds having unique characteristics. The average size is from 4 to 5 inches or 12 to 13 centimeters. They weigh almost an ounce or twenty-eight grams. They have green plumage, while their tail-coverts under, abdomen, and breast are yellowish-green in color.
These birds sleep like bats. They are tiny yet needing a lot of space. They need a spacious room for a feeling of contentment and happiness.
Here is the physical description of a Blue Crowned Hanging Parrot for specific gender:
- For males, they have a distinct dark blue patch in their corn plus a red throat patch. Upper tail coverts and lower back are red, whereas their back is yellowish tinge. On their lower back is a yellow band. It is greenish-blue on the wing’s underside and wing-coverts too. They have green tail upperside and greenish-blue underside. Bills are black, and irises are dark brown. Feet are brownish-flesh.
- Meanwhile, the females are duller in plumage. Their breast, under tail-coverts and abdomen, has a more yellowish color. They have a blue patch to their crown and a faint yellowish tinge to their back. They don’t have the red throat patch that the males have.
- Young birds are similar to the females except their feathers having a narrow dark edging. They have a bluish tinge or their forehead. Their lower back has green interspersing, and their bills are plain horn-colored and brownish feet.
Distribution and Natural Habitat
These birds are endemic to southern Asia, namely Thailand, Indonesia, Western Malaysia, Borneo, and more islands.
Here are the good to know facts about the distribution and natural habitat of Blue Crowned Hanging Parrots:
- They inhabit lowland forests and the mangroves, including wooded areas. To some extent, they are seen in marshlands, bamboo thickets, and secondary vegetation.
- Sometimes, they visit gardens, orchards, and coconut plantations. They nest in light forests, bamboo growths, and more. they suffer from habitat destruction and illegal capture. In countries like Thailand and Malaysia, they are seen sold in cages.
- They come in single pairs and small groups of a family outside their breeding season. In foliage, they use their green plumage as camouflage. They are mostly seen flying.
- They forage on bushes and flowering trees. At their feeding place, they are seen in large numbers, especially in the evening. A group of 150 of them is spotted. They have shrill and sharp calls despite not being noisy.
Speech and Sounds
The Blue Crowned Hanging Parrots are not noisy. Unlike other parrots, they have melodic natural calls that are pleasing to the ear with their soft chirps and tweets. Having them in your apartment would not be a problem since they are peaceful and shy. They don’t protest when bothered.
Colors
The female Blue Crowned Hanging Parrot doesn’t have the blue crown. Anyway, these tiny parrots have intricate and interesting details. On their lower back, a red having tiny orange patches are at the top and neck’s back. Their upper chest has a big round and red patch.
They were named Blue Crowned Hanging parrot because of the circular blue patch found on the topmost part of their head. Sexes can be told apart since females don’t have a colorful patch. The mixture of light tones and unique patches make them very appealing.
Behavior
They are great pets. They are quiet, calm, and friendly. They sing pleasantly and melodiously. After getting accustomed to their owner, they become sociable and energetic. These birds love moving around and not hesitating to explore their house and keep flying. These activities are serves as their exercise.
They were named as they are because of hanging upside down when they sleep and take a bath in the rain in the same position. They are flying in very long distances between islands. They go in pairs during the mating season and flies in a group for the rest of the year.
Breeding and Reproduction
The courtship starts with the male shaking his head, extends his tail, cups his red feathers, and makes a soft tweet. Breeding starts in January and continues in July.
The pair nests in cavities of trees. The height is from 5 to 12 meters from the ground. Parents line the nests’ floor using pieces of leaves and bracken fronds. The mother bird carries the nesting materials in her feathers. The female lays a clutch having 3-4 eggs, and incubations take place for 20 days. The chicks leave their nest 33 days after they are hatched.
Care and Feeding
These parrots are fed on fruits, seeds, and insects. Give them various fresh fruits and some green veggies with some seeds bought commercially. Include nectars and berries.
These birds love bathing as they love showering upside down. Therefore, having water spray is the best. It guarantees good hygiene, which is most important for any pets.
Lories as Pets
These parrots are intelligent, entertaining, and beautiful. They are bred easily and available. They live for over 28 years. Their sexual maturity is 8 months or later. Both sexes are similar. They stay tame even when they are mature. Moreover, they are curious, affectionate, clowny, and extroverted. In fact, some even want to wrap themselves in a blanket when they sleep. They even sleep on their backs like humans.
In terms of their territory and possessions, they get aggressive. They demand care and attention. After eating nectar and fruits, there will be messy and runny droppings. Use special adaptations.
Overall, these parrots are trainable, having loud, pierced and metallic, high pitched chattering and warbles.
Aviculture
Again, blue-crowned hanging parrots are so pleasant and shy. Their voice is heard in the evening. Breeding is achieved, and females produce infertile eggs frequently, and the chick’s survivability is high.
They build their nests in tree stumps. The logs can have these measurements:
- The diameter is 6 inches or 15 cm.
- Height is 16 inches or 40 cm.
- The diameter of the entrance’s hole is 1.5 inches or 4 cm.
For the nesting materials, put wood shavings on the nest’s bottom with a thickness of 1 ¼ inch or 3 centimeters. To add more, put some twig pairs and other leaves or barks. Give fresh branches regularly.
Again, hens lay 2-4 eggs, and the interval is 2 days. Incubation takes place for 20 days, or more and chicks leave their nest after 33 days. Blue Crowned HangingParrots are prone to infections; thus, good husbandry is vital. As mentioned earlier, they love bathing. You can add some drops of GSE in the water to prevent the existence of infections. In addition, GSE contains anti-parasitic property.
The aviary should have plants. the aviary can be as big as 6 x 3 x 6 ft. or 2 x 1 x 2 meters. Protect it from wet and cold conditions and not exposed to below 20 degrees Celsius.
Birds & Bathing
Some birds like a light spray or misted daily, while others like bathing in a shallow water dish. Provide dishes for their bathing. Water should be room temperature to improve the condition of their feathers. Using warm water strips the essential oils from your bird’s feather. Open the doors and windows to get fresh air.
Bathing takes the itch and uneasiness from the new feathers breaking through their skin. Keeping their feathers and skin hydrated is helpful. Giving a daily bath is necessary.
Benefits of Bathing
- They keep the bird’s plumage in good condition.
- Bathing makes the dirt on the skin and feather-soft. Regular bathing makes their feathers waterproof.
- Bathing makes the dander down. Pollutants are gathered in the skin, feather, or droppings. With bathing, these are somehow lessened or removed, preventing toxins from being ingested.
- Bathing with room temperature makes their skin moisturized.
- Frequent bathing benefits the bird’s respiratory system.
- Bathing regulates the level of humidity in their nesting box.
Tips
1. Misting. On warm days, mist your parrot using a spray bottle. Try to mist above his head, making feel like a rain shower. If outside, use a hose.
2. Taking a Shower. They love taking showers. There are avian showers sold. Let your bird see you shower before trying it to your pet. Let it decide. Get a shower filter since water tends to have chemicals like chlorine. Clean water preserves the bird’s skin moisture.
3. Planter Saucer. This works so well for your birds. They may use this for drinking at first. They feel like jumping into it.
4. Sink. Birds love running water’s sound. Clean the area and make the faucet drip. The water should be warm.
5. Spraying. Don’t force your parrot. Let it come near the water by itself.
6. Drying your Bird. Never blow dry your parrot. Non-stick coatings in the dryer are deadly to birds. Use a bird lamp instead. Don’t let your birds chill. You can put the cage near the window for natural drying.
7. The Reluctant Bather. For birds who aren’t into bathing, use running water or put a dish having some water.
Availability: Where to Get One?
Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots are readily available at your nearest pet shops or go online for some breeders selling these parrots.
How to Care
Diet
Feed them with seeds, flowers, buds, nectars, and fruits. Nectars should be home-made or commercially bought. Replace the liquid nectar a few times a day. On warm days, replace it every 4 hours. Don’t give spoiled nectar for your parrot, not be getting sick. For their diet, you can include apples, papaya, kiwi, pineapple, pomegranates, and other veggies. Fruits and veggies must be free from pesticides.
Breeding
Put rusk or softened biscuit in milk as a food for the chicks. Give oat flakes, millet spray, seeds, sunflowers, and more. vitamins and supplements can be given too.
Housing
These birds are indeed active, needing large cages. The size can be 36″ H x 48″ L x 24″ W. don’t forget to put some toys for them to play on.
Include food, perches, water dishes, and enough space for them to move around freely exercising their wings. Don’t put the cage near decorated walls or above the carpet. Your floor should be washable and easily cleaned. Put an acrylic panel to protect your wall. Outdoor cages are easy to maintain. It is not recommended to mix lories with other species as lories can be aggressive.
Conservation
Blue Crowned hanging parrots are categorized as least concern by the IUCN Red List. Their population trend is stable. Although their population around the world isn’t quantified, it is thought that there are over 100, 000 specimens not including the captive birds. They are widespread in their natural distribution.
Common Diseases
1. Respiratory Signs
2. Chronic Depression
3. Weight loss
4. Aspergillosis
5. Bacterial infections or Pneumonia
6. Inhaled toxins
7. Nutritional Deficiencies
8. Iron storage disease. Give veggies and fruits that are low in ascorbic acid and iron.
9. Bad Feather or Beak Condition
Indications of Illness
1. Your parrot stop is sitting on the perches. Healthy ones spend time sitting on perches and active in their cage, while a sick one just sits on the cage’s bottom.
2. Check for balance problems. Not sick birds have good balance and stand steadily on their feet. When there is stumbling, or shifting in balance to another, something is wrong.
3. There is an irregular positioning of the body. Unsick birds keep their wings close to their bodies. An unhealthy one tucks his head under his head or sits with head drooping down. Uneven angled wings could be an indicator.
4. There is decreased activity. When your parrots stop playing and not active or don’t do beak or toenail care, it might be sick. They tend not to talk also.
5. They tend to eat lesser. This is caused by a decrease in appetite. check on how much water and food they eat a day.
6. There are changes in their sleeping habits. Daytime is for activity. If they sleep more in the daytime, it must mean something.
Method
1. Monitor your bird’s weight. Do it regularly once a month. A decrease of over 10 percent of their body weight when they aren’t on a diet is a sign. Then, take it to the vet.
2. Check for problems in the respiratory. Bobbing tail while breathing or keeping their mouth open after their activity could mean a problem in the respiratory. In addition, they breathe rapidly.
3. Redness or discharge from the ears or eyes indicates something.
4. An overgrown beak means a nutritional problem. Signs are swollen and reddened mouth and discharge from the mouth.
5. Observe their feathers. They should be colorful and bright, not tattered or torn. There shouldn’t be bald areas.
6. Notice for any problems in their vent region. Matted feathers or fecal matters are signs of diarrhea.
7. Check your bird’s droppings. Black or liquid feces or no feces at all point to problems indigestion.
6. Notice for any problems in their vent region. Matted feathers or fecal matters are signs of diarrhea.
7. Check your birds’ droppings. Black or liquid feces or no feces at all point to problems in their digestion. Meanwhile, increased urine in their droppings is a symptom of an illness.
8. Monitor for changes in behavior such as feather plucking.
Treatment
1. Take your parrot to the vet. Proper checking and treatment should be given.
2. Let the vet do tests like a blood test, fecal sampling, or x-ray.
3. Keep your sick birds away from the healthy ones. Don’t let the disease spread to others.
4. Put them in a separate cage and room.
FAQ Section
Do lories talk?
Yes, they can learn to talk. Some species are chatty. They express themselves in high pitch.
What is the difference between lories and lorikeets?
Lories have short and squared tails, whereas lorikeets have pointed and longer tails.
Do birds cry?
They have tear ducts like humans. It is assumed that they don’t cry, but they do have the ability to cry.
Do birds get fat?
Sure, they do, particularly on some diets. Take note; it could be harmful to them.
Why did my bird die so suddenly?
There are many reasons behind that. Your bird could have died due to diseases. If you didn’t diagnose the symptoms early, the disease could have gotten worse and led to your bird’s death.
What is the fattest bird?
The delightful kākāpō is recorded as the fattest kind of parrot.
Can birds overeat?
They can overheat. It is amazing that they don’t get too fat. Thanks to their singing, exercising, and fidgeting, their weight is regulated.
Do birds get bored in cages?
Intelligent birds like parrots get bored, especially if there isn’t engagement done regularly. Therefore, they need some toys to play.
Do birds feel love?
This is being debated; however, birds are seen to share food, do mutual preening, and show gentle behavior during courtship.
Can birds sense emotions in humans?
Birds are said to respond to human gazing, especially when humans look toward the bird’s direction.
Can birds recognize humans?
Yes, they do. They can differentiate human voices and recognize faces.
Do birds enjoy being petted?
Yes, most birds like this, but they must trust you first. They love a pat on their head and gentle finger gliding.
Do birds get tired of standing?
This is their nature. They switch their legs when they get tired.
Do parrots love their owners?
Probably, parrots are very cuddly and friendly. They can even talk to humans and purr when touched or held.
Which bird can remember human faces?
Pigeons do. Shooing a pigeon away, makes that pigeon remember you and moves out of your way next time it sees you.
Do birds remember their parents?
Most birds don’t.
Why do birds like head scratches?
This is a way for them to spread preen oil. It helps birds remove the molted feathers on their heads. The area near the ears is the most scratched areas because of the changes in the pressure of the Eustachian tubes.
Do parrots understand humans?
Well, the answer is still being debated, but one parrot has been trained to speak using human words.
Do parrots think?
Parrots are professional vocal learners. They learn by grasping sounds when they hear, and they imitate them.
How does a parrot talk?
The reason behind this is the key structural differences found in the parrot’s brain. This explains why they can copy sound and human speech.
Do birds mate with their parents?
According to DNA, a son does not mate with his mother bird but a father mates with his daughter in law.
Why do birds bob heads up and down?
They do this for visual function. It is a way to stabilize a bird’s visual surroundings.
Why do birds sleep on one foot?
They sleep on one foot to conserve heat. When their legs are exposed, they get cold.
How long can a bird survive without food and water?
Generally, they survive for 48 hours. This is because they have intense high metabolism and body temperature, as well.
How can you tell if a baby bird is dying?
Sick birds have dull eyes, fluffed feathers, swollen membranes or eyes, missing feathers, nose or mouth discharge, and dirty and matted feathers.
Can birds die of fright?
The stress of fright can lead to heart attacks among birds.
Where do birds go when die?
They die in their nests as they are eaten or caught just like other animals.
Where do the birds go when it rains?
In times of rain, they have their feathers to keep them warm, but when there is a heavy downpour, they find trees or bushes to shedding. They stay motionless to keep their energy. Prolonged rain can lead to an energy deficit in them.
