{"id":7307,"date":"2013-08-20T16:20:48","date_gmt":"2013-08-20T16:20:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/?p=7307"},"modified":"2025-08-01T21:09:45","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T02:09:45","slug":"meet-the-bourkes-parakeet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/pet-birds\/meet-the-bourkes-parakeet\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet The Bourke’s Parakeet"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Bourke's
Photo by Marg Skogland\/Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Bourke\u2019s parakeet\u00a0(Neophema Bourkii)<\/em>\u00a0is a gem among the members of the popular Neophema<\/em> family, a group of colorful grasskeets that originate in Australia. The Bourke\u2019s hasn\u2019t received much attention among novice bird fanciers because of its notoriety as having less character than other birds of its size and price. It is true that the Bourke\u2019s spends much of the day in what seems like a prolonged coffee break, but dawn and twilight bring about a change in personality. These birds take flight early in the morning and at dusk, chirping and interacting with their environment and each other. They are not a truly nocturnal bird, but they are known to be active well past sunset, unlike most parrots<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Like the other Neophema<\/em> parakeets, the Bourke\u2019s is quite stunning. The nominate bird (the color most found in the wild) is a combination of shades of blues and shimmering pinks and violets. This species is dimorphic, meaning that there\u2019s a visible difference between the sexes. The male has a blue band above his eyes and the female either does not have this band, or has a band that\u2019s much duller in hue. The female\u2019s plumage is duller in general. Juveniles look like females and come into mature coloring at about nine months. This species is the only member of the Neophema family that does not have green feathers.<\/p>\n

There are color mutations available for the Bourke\u2019s including the popular rosy Bourke\u2019s, pink, cream, blue, pied, and cinnamon. The Rosy is a favorite among fanciers because of its unusual shade of bright pink. Males and females in the Rosy mutation look identical, unlike their nominate cousins, though some female Rosies can have more gray feathering than the Rosy males.<\/p>\n

\"Bourke's
Photo by Greg5030<\/a>, CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This bird makes an amiable aviary companion, able to get along with other grasskeets, budgies<\/a>, cockatiels<\/a>, canaries<\/a>, and sociable finches<\/a>. However, the Bourke\u2019s activity past dusk can disturb other aviary birds, even going so far as knocking them off of their perches. This species has a lifespan of ten to twelve years or more with good care.<\/p>\n

Housing for the Bourke\u2019s should be as large as possible, preferably an aviary or large flight cage. These birds don\u2019t thrive in small quarters. The aviary can be lushly planted because the Bourke\u2019s isn\u2019t generally a destructive bird. It can also be housed outside and acclimated to colder weather conditions, though the aviary should be protected from harsh weather in the deep winter, especially if other species of birds are present.<\/p>\n

Since the Bourke\u2019s is a grasskeet, it thrives on seed, unlike many other parrots. However, adequate nutrition for any captive grass keep requires more than just seed. A pelleted diet. Wild Bourke\u2019s may feed on seed sprouts, other vegetation, and even insects.\u00a0Many of Lafeber’s foods \u2014 like Lafeber’s Premium Daily Pellets<\/a>, Nutri-Berries<\/a> and Avi-Cakes<\/a> \u2014 incorporate seeds with healthy pellets, fruits and vegetables, as well as Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and chelated minerals<\/p>\n

Have a Bourke’s parakeet? Tell us about your bird in comment section!<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Bourke\u2019s parakeet (Neophema Bourkii) is a gem among the members of the popular Neophema family, a group of colorful grasskeets that originate in Australia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":37930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[205],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pet-bird-care","bird-type-parrot"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMeet The Bourke's Parakeet – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Bourke\u2019s parakeet (Neophema Bourkii) is a gem among the members of the popular Neophema family, a group of colorful grasskeets that originate in Australia.\" 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